Review: "Give Us A Kiss" by Daniel Woodrell

This is a little bit better for Woodrell. Not great, but Give Us A Kiss near the level that The Death of Sweet Mister was at, which may be in my Top 5 list by the end of the year. It may be that the moment climbed by that book was so great and so tough to follow, that everything else I have read of his just stumbles mercilessly on the steps of mediocrity. It is a silly thing to fall victim to as an experienced reader, but it was bound to happen. I can imagine myself reading Tomato Red or Winter’s Bone before The Death of Sweet Mister, and liking it more than I actually did, but having said that, this novel is not bad by any means. It is actually more suspenseful than any book I have read of his so far (including Sweet Mister), and it is also his funniest book for me, filled with witty. Offbeat characters and Woodrell’s undeniable gift of phrase being put to really good use here. The main character, Doyle Redmond, is on the road to being a failed writer when he leaves his wife and cozy academic life to go back West Table, Missouri (in his wife’s stolen Volvo) to reconnect with his outlaw brother Smoke who, along with two female friends (one being an aspiring actress with terrible delusions) develop quite a profitable business of growing marijuana. Soon, as in most of Woodrell’s books, someone is dead, and that person’s equally crazy family comes gunning for the Redmond clan. A noir tale that really shows the depths of family bonds, it may not be the best thing Woodrell has done, but it is still a really fun and, unless you factor in the many scenes of violence, harmless book to read.

Rating: 4/5

Review: "Cold Snap" by Thom Jones

I am saddened to say that one of the worst short story collections I have read this year belongs to a man like Thom Jones, who I still think is the best short story writer since Raymond Carver. On the strength of two collections, The Pugilist at Rest and Sonny Liston was a Friend of Mine; I made this claim, which I still stand by, even though his collection of stories published between those two books, Cold Snap, is not a very good collection, and certainly not one good enough to belong to someone of the caliber of Jones, whose grace and empathy that he brought to stories about boxing and the borderline criminally insane are not present in the stories here, which mostly take place in the jungles of Africa. Jones never seems to have a grasp on any of them that use this particular setting, and most of the time I was just thinking about how much better the story would be if it took place in a mental ward or a boxing ring. The title story, which introduces this collection, shows great promise (as most title stories to any collection do, as per my experiences), which has doctor just back from Africa who must take care of his sister, who only wants to shop when he takes her on a daytrip from her mental health facility. And the doctor is having his own issues at the moment, only finding joy in the threat of suicide. Also, “Dynamite Hands” the only boxing story about a washed up fighter being beaten down by life, is too good to belong in this collection. Too forgettable for someone who I respect and admire so much, but they can’t all be winners can they? Read the two stories mentioned, but skip the rest if you are not as stubborn as me.

Rating: 3/5

Review: "Poachers" by Tom Franklin

If it was not for the brilliant novella that this book gets its title from, as well as the first actual story (it opens with a nonfiction anecdote from Franklin’s youth) Tom Franklin’s Poachers would be kind of a dud, although one that displays some flash and bang we would get to see in the exceedingly great Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter. I guess I was more or less let down by what I thought this collection was going to be. I was expecting more of a Frank Bill or Donald Ray Pollock type collection that felt like a Flannery O’Conner story on crank, but in a lot of these stories, nothing really happens. It may be said that in O’Conner’s stories, things do not happen as you think they would, but Franklin is not that kind of writer, I expected these stories to be hard-bitten, with a sting that could make you jump out of your seat. I guess you shouldn’t let your expectations guide you by the nose, since they are bound to lead down the road of disappointment. But the two stories in this collection, which I like, are, in fact, very, very good. The first real story is called “Grit”, which deals with a morally defunct manager of a mineral quarry who, because of his ever-growing number of debts, is forced to become a literal slave to one of his workers who he has money owed to. It is both funny and infuriating in the way some Lansdale stories are. But the real gem in this collection is the title novella, about a group of three brothers, who have been known to illegally poach fish in an Alabama, come to find a new adversary in the form a mythic, almost ghost-like game warden, who puts them through the ultimate test of survival. If it was sold by itself, I would say get it, but even though this collection is not perfect, Franklin I still worth your time.

Rating: 4/5

Review: "The Way Home" by George Pelecanos

George Pelecanos is one of those writers who I do not think can write a bad book, maybe he can write a book that I do not like as much as his other novels, but they will always be something I look forward to reading even if the experience is not astounding. I am glad to say that the latest book of his I have read, The Way Home, is not only not one of those sub-par outings every writer, good or bad, has, but probably his most intimate and enriching story. Of the three crime writers who wrote for The Wire, with Dennis Lehane bringing heart into his stories about violence, Richard Price bringing societal issues into crime stories (which may be why I may not like him as much as I thought I would, but I still have plenty of books of his to read), Pelecanos always brought into his stories a great narrative drive that can propel even the most mundane and played out plot device careening off the rails, leaving the reader transfixed. Out of the three authors, he is the one most likely to write a book you can read in a day. This novel is a bit different than the other two books I read. There is very little interaction with cops or criminals (unless you count the small-time ones), and the thing that is at stake is not a mystery as to who killed who, but the soul of a person on the brink of a very drastic life choice. Chris Flynn-high school dropout, perennial letdown to his father, Thomas, is fresh out of a stay in juvenile hall and with Ben, an inmate he met inside, working in his father’s carpentry business. He finds something that he knows is bad news, and with his newfound sense of morality and apprehension, he leaves it where it is and tries to not give it a second thought. But Ben, a slow, but good-hearted man, decides to tell another one of former inmate of theirs, Lawrence, who sets off a chain reaction that can lead to the spiritual or physical death of everyone involved. The real seed of suspense lies in the first 100 or so pages which lead up to this decision, where we get to know Chris as a lost soul who seemingly has control over everything except his own self-control. He matures while in prison, but must make a decision that can cost him and his possible future the chance to develop and find a place in this world. Like I said, this book is never boring, even in its quitter moments, but has a few key scenes of violence, including one involving the two main bad guys that may be the most harrowing scene of brutality Pelecanos has written so far (or of what I have read so far). This book is perfect for any day over the holidays when you are stuck inside and want to be swept up in a story for at least one day.

Rating: 5/5

Review: "I'll Steal You Away" by Niccolo Ammaniti

Well, I think it finally happened. An author whose entire published works (at least in English translation) are absolutely astounding, without a weak link in the bunch. And I am glad it is writer like Niccolo Ammaniti, whose great talent at fictionalizing adolescent pathos without sacrificing the art of narrative. I recommend all of his books that have been published in English. They all bring something different to the table, even though a lot of the structures in his novels seem very similar. While they all deal with adolescent growth in contrast to shocking violence and careless evil, each book has a different lesson it teaches about the importance of being a good and honest person, even if you live in a world and society that does not reward such qualities in its citizens. This novel, I’ll Steal You Away, deals with the harsh truth adolescents must face when they learn that the world does not care if their dreams and hopes are fulfilled, even if you clearly deserve them. While I can see this book being something of a companion piece to As God Commands, with both having similar lengths and chapter structure, along with the same kind of narrative that jumps from different characters points of view, it is also very different, offering a more intimate portrait of the lives of its two main characters than in As God Commands, and I feel it stands as being Ammaniti’s saddest book that has been translated into English. The story begins with young Pietro finding out he was the only kid who failed in his class and must now repeat the grade he is in now at his small town school. We than go back six months before these events, when local lothario Giovanni has returned to the town after a failed relationship with a rising movie star. These are two damaged people who in looking for way to overcome their hardships and move on with their lives, create even more horrible situations that affect countless numbers of people, but most of all themselves and their chances at redemption. Pietro, already a shy boy with no social skills, whose only friend is the beautiful Gloria, is suckered into destroying school property with a group of boys who have been viciously bullying him. Giovanni, still subconsciously clinging to his womanizing ways, begins a relationship with Pietro’s schoolteacher, who he does not know is a virgin. Agonizing scene follows agonizing scene (including what may be the most romantic date rape ever witnessed in fiction), until a totally unexpected death brings about the sad fates of the two lost souls at the center of this great novel. It ends less ambiguously than Ammaniti’s other books (although, in the way it is written, it could only be occurring in the characters mind), it results in the saddest and most melancholic of Ammaniti’s endings, although he is never one to let go of any hope for a soul to be redeemed. Glad to have found a writer whose very book accessible is a staggering achievement.

Rating: 5/5