Dramitization.
I recently discovered David Bowman and am impressed by his style. I picked up this book because of an astounding cover blurb (which turned out to be somewhat misleading): It was advertised as “Garcia Marquez meets Raymond Chandler”. Naturally I jumped on that; those are two of my favourite authors, so I threw this right in the “buy” bin, and checked out. Well, I got through, and quickly, but it was nothing like those boys. We have a nineteen year-old in 1976 rolling through a post-Kerouac US road trip. The writing is slick, the narration is superb, and the style is cunning. However, there was no single piece of fantasy realism, unless you count desert-driving drug hallucinations. Also, no one was actually hardboiled. In the book’s defense, there were a few badass Chandlerian phrases, and some really amazing turns of plot that brought forth vivid, original imagery. I just wish that my expectations hadn’t been so frighteningly high. The novel was swell, and quick, and I recommend it to anyone who wants a go at this quasi-lit fiend hiking across a plane of existence through the Southern States in the summer of Son of Sam and Elvis dying (not a spoiler). It really is an amazing read. But expect a more law-abiding Hunter Thompson meets a crazier Sebastian Faulks (again, amazing writers). Strap in, read on, and prepare for some hilariously over-the-top concepts and coincidences.
—
~Sam Scrimger
Widdershins Lit 