A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore
11/04/10 19:04 Filed in: Fiction
336 Pages, Knopf. $25.95
Reviewed by Stephanie Attebery
I picked up "A Gate at the Stairs" after reading a short blurb that lead me to believe the book was about a young person getting involved with a married couple. Hmmm… Menage a tois? Who wouldn’t be intrigued? Well, I’m sorry to inform prospective readers that it doesn't tell that particular story at all, but it's still a must-read, one that touched me more than any book in recent memory.
That being said, I nearly dismissed it after the first twenty pages (Again, this was not due to the lack of scandalous hedonism as formerly mentioned). The heroine is Tassie, a college student recruited by Sarah, a successful, middle-aged chef, to be a nanny for her not yet adopted child. Once in the employ of this strange woman, Tassie is whisked from place to place to interview the down-and-out mothers of the potential adoptees, even though she hardly knows her new boss or her aloof husband, Edward, who remains absent at these interviews. The early problem with this tale was that the characters behaved strangely in the openings scenes: Tassie makes references that are just a little too high brow or off the wall; Sarah decides to climb the down escalator “for exercise” in a seemingly random instance that I thought told little about the character. But then again, these characters were acting under very nerve-racking conditions, so I allowed myself to ignore these curious events and keep reading and was relieved that Moore’s dialogue and characters do indeed become much more real as events progress.
Tassie develops a quick bond with Mary-Emma, the biracial baby for whom she becomes a nanny. An early scene has Tassie leading the young girl through the upper levels of Sarah’s house, navigating to avoid precarious baby gates and coming upon multiple stairways in order to get down to the safety of the kitchen. Many symbolic moments such as this occur, as these two girls must both find a way in their young lives.
There is a side-story of Tassie’s budding relationship with a mysterious Argentinian, who turns out to not be who she thinks. This story line might be a bit far fetched, but the portrait of young infatuation and the heartbreak that follows will make the reader flinch with recognition.
Of particular interest were the Wednesday night bi-racial families group meetings at Sarah’s house as overheard by Tassie through a wall vent as she baby-sits the children upstairs. Moore details their blathering, ultra-liberal, intellectual remarks in mind-numbing depth. This is made bearable and interesting through Moore’s artful way of interjecting time and action into the scene. The reader gets a real feeling for what it would be like to be Tassie, half-bored sitting next to the heating vent, catching muffled snippets and absorbing the ensuing laughter or angry pauses that intrigue a quiet and curious observer of adult life.
This book is about many things: loss, racism, war, corruption. There are agonizing moments that are too real to be read without absorbing the emotions lying between the lines of text.
Though book was not what I was expecting, yet I was touched by Moore’s tender and forgiving portrayal of young American womanhood through the insecure and tentative eyes of Tassie. Though Tassie surely does not see her own potential, Moore provides the reader with a beautiful window to observe her growth, something that is often momentary in our own lives.
Recommended.
The Rubber Band by Rex Stout
14/03/10 15:35 Filed in: Mystery
Bantam. $15.00
Reviewed by Stephanie Attebery
Though Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe detective series was written some 70 years ago, these great stories could in many ways have been written yesterday.
The stories are told through the eyes of Archie Goodwin, the foot soldier and muscle of detective Nero Wolfe, a most eccentric sleuth. Similar to the drug-inclined Sherlock Holmes, Wolfe has his own wonderful personality flaws. He is a beer guzzling foodie (I counted 5 beers guzzled during one exchange with a client) whose athletic ability goes no further than a game of darts. Descriptions of Wolfe’s physique bring to mind that of Ignatious J Reilly the hot-dog gulping antihero in John Kennedy Toole’s Confederacy of Dunces. Wolfe is also a flower-freak and tends to thousands of orchids on the roof of his Manhattan brownstone with the help of a live-in gardener. Along with the gardener, Wolfe retains a live-in chef and Archie himself also resides with the great detective. Since the agoraphobic Wolfe will only leave his home in the most dire of situations, (it does occur in a few Nero Wolfe stories, under interesting circumstances), the brownstone and its inhabitants are described in detail and most of Wolfe’s cases are solved within it.
Thanks to Archie, the reader gets a less claustrophobic viewpoint as he travels around the city to gather clues, and though Wolfe rarely crosses his stoop, there are no shortages of visitors arriving to see him. In this particular tale, the cast of callers includes high-level corporate executives, a hierarchy of men in blue, a hottie escort-turned-secretary, an English nobleman, and a Wild-West bandit.
Without giving too much away, Wolfe is charged with solving two mysteries in this particular tale, and they become more and more enmeshed as the story goes on. There are plenty of subtle exchanges between characters that, if the reader is paying attention, will help them move along with Wolfe’s problem-solving. Even for the non-astute such as myself, the stories are enjoyable enough not to depend on solving the case.
Archie’s gruff one-liners and clever inner-monologues amuse the reader. A couple choice selections: “If looks could kill, she would have been at least a darn sick woman” on meeting their attractive client. When confronting two thugs in the brownstone’s front hallway: “I picked up the one that had stopped my knee and just used him for a whisk-broom and depended on speed and my 180 pounds. The combination swept the hall out”
The sharpest part of Stout’s story-telling is the clever dialogue and sharp chiding between Wolfe and Goodwin as they work the case.
Goodwin: “ He says it’s urgent, I’m outrageous, and he’s an old client”
Wolfe: “He is probably correct all around. I like particularly the second of his conclusions. Leave me.”
Unlike Wolfe, Goodwin soundlessly observes his boss’s various shortcomings.
“One of the darts slipped out of Wolfe’s handful, dropped to the floor, and rolled to my feet. Wolfe stood and looked at me. I knew what he wanted, I knew he hated to stoop, but stooping was the only really violent part of that game and I figured he needed the exercise. I sat tight”
In another instance after Wolfe had had a few pints “Wolfe straightened in his chair and his hand went forward by automatism, but there was no beer there. He sent a sharp glance at me to see if I noticed it, and sat back again.”
In this book, you also get a bonus story The Red Box, (one of the rare stories where Wolfe does venture outside) and what a bonus it is. If you have not yet been introduced to Rex Stout’s great detective series, now is your chance!
Howdunit Book of Police Procedure and Investigation: A Guide for Writers by Lee Lofland
400 pages, Writers Digest Books. $19.99
Reviewed by Mike Attebery
Did you know you can tell how long a body has been dead by, among other things, where the blood has pooled and hardened in the body, and what type of pooped blood accumulations flies have left splattered around the scene of the crime? It’s true! Did you further know that cops learn to test and watch for drunk drivers by spending two days in class playing both the part of an arresting officer, and that of an honest to God, blasted-out-of-their-minds rummy? Complete with actuall intake of massive amounts of hard liquor!! Did you further know that many in the field believe this is where some law enforcement officer’s first begin abusing alcohol as a means to handling the stress of the job? All of this information and more (the fatter you get, the more your extraneous body fat gets pinched between the top of your holster belt and the bottom of your bullet proof vest) can be found in this guide that not only makes for fascinating reading, but helps add much needed realism and true to life observations to any crime writer’s utility belt. I’m currently trying my hand at a little police mystery and drama by spinning off a character from my second novel and going back to his roots, and just in a short period of time, this book has already proved invaluable.
Interested in writing about police investigation? Curious to know how evidence is collected, stored, and examined? Ever wondered what’s required to enter the police academy? It’s all here and more, and it’s well worth a peek. Get your copy today!
The Trouble with Being God by William F. Aicher
04/10/09 19:00 Filed in: Independent | Self-Published
258 pages, www.beinggod.com. $16.95
Reviewed By Mike Attebery
From the start, I had a sense of unease. People in the community were dying, the victims of a sadistic killer. Yet the main characters were all unlikable, so who cared what happened to them? The two main narrators are a flailing couple, Steven Carvelle and his long-suffering girlfriend Karen Davis. Actually, it's a stretch to call her long-suffering since she initially seems to be just as unpleasant as him. Steven is a journalist for the local paper who drinks too much. Karen is a day-care worker who seems bored with her job. The two bicker from the moment they see one another and are clearly at the end of their relationship rope.
Aicher does take some time to tell the history of young Karen, and it's at that point that she gains some likeability. In college, before the days of Steven, Karen lusted after her roommate Shawna’s boyfriend John Palaniuk. Apparently Karen attempted to seduce the young John while Shawna was in the next room sleeping. John was faithful and resisted Karen’s advances and the two managed to remain friends…with a small secret.
Flash forward several years, Shawna is dead and gone and her widower, John, is a successful businessman and philanthropist, and seemindly fair game for Karen, were it not for her on-going sad relationship with Steven the drunk journalist. And the killer on the loose is also ruining the mood.
Being that this is billed as a “philosophical thriller”, it's less important whether I liked the central characters. There are larger issues in the story. Sure enough the characters are all associated with larger public entities and hold powerful positions within the community: the slain Father Bergens introduces the first of many references to Catholicism, an institution with which the killer seems to have a bone to pick. Similarly there is the loathed TV media-whore Mary Tremel, whose trashy reporting style clashes with Steven’s more traditional journalistic approach. John Paluniak is at the pinnacle of the business and philanthropic communities. But can his good karma save him from imminent danger?
The novel offers a gripping opening, with the graphic description of a gruesome dream. This dream begins to recur regularly and with more startling realism, which causes Steven to look hard at his own dark impulses. Steven’s dreams run parallel to the murders, and he has an edge on the reporting since his best buddy is the detective on the case. There are many suspects, including a creepy coroner…and Steven himself.
I had a theory about what was going on about midway through the book, as it begins to appear that Steven is, or at least thinks he is the killer. In one early drunken event, Steven ends up causing harm to himself, albeit superficially. Perhaps he has an infection stemming from the accident which has spread to the brain? I may have been wrong about this but still enough questions were raised by the writer to leave room for speculation. The story ends with many questions unsatisfied and some room for a possible follow up. This really is a quick, enjoyable read, but I was left wanting a few more pages detailing Steven’s fraying mental state.
The complimentary music selections add mood and intimacy to the story, (I can see a transition to screenplay with the help of the accompanying music) Special thanks to Aicher for introducing this reader to Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Keane’s great album “Under the Iron Sea”. I look forward to Aicher’s next offering, maybe this time, with an anti-hero that I can root for!! You can buy a copy here.
Celluloid Cowboy by Scott C. Rogers
14/09/09 19:22 Filed in: Independent | Self-Published
171 pages, Black Coffee Press $14.95
Reviewed By Mike Attebery
I was rooting for Celluloid Cowboy right up until page 91.
That’s the moment. The precise moment, when the whole thing jumped the tracks for me.
The signs were there early on, particularly in the pages just before author Scott C. Rogers threw in one non sequitur too many, but up until a two page rumination on Milton Berle’s manhood, I kept holding out hope that this book would prove to be something akin to ‘The Big Lebowski’ as written by Charles Bukowski. Unfortunately, while the spirit of the book and the world the characters inhabit might be something the dude and various barely-functioning alcoholic postal workers might think of as home, the characterization and story just aren’t anywhere near what I had hoped for.
Mr. Rogers can write. He has clear style and definitely has a lot of cultural knowledge to bring to this tale of a mid-thirties slacker facing a serious turning point in his life. The problem is that none of it seems real, which would be fine if the story were meant to take place is a type of detached dream state, one in which fantasy and reality swirled together in a whimsical world of the down-trodden, but that’s just not the case. This is a book that revels in the seedy elements of life: Trashy bars, down and out lowlifes, drug dealers, blue-collar bigots, and a narrator who tosses off racial slurs with apparent indifference. But there are other elements, a midget with a sword, a physical attack on a supervisor, and a totally unbelievable scene in which the main character takes his revenge out on a lover’s violent cat, by urinating on it -- that all just seemed totally unbelievable, like elements written on notecards over the years and tossed in a shoebox, only to get hauled out and thrown into the author’s first published novel.
The Milton Berle segment in particular feels like a story the author has long told at bars or joked about with his buddies, and which he has included here as a sort of random bubble of ridiculous, archaic pop culture trivia that has nothing to do with the business at hand.
Getting back to the main character’s comments. One racially charged phrase is particular is tossed off repeatedly throughout the book, and in all honsty, it doesn’t seem to fit the story, the character, or anything surrounding it. Were the protagonist portrayed as a rascist ass, who doesn’t know better, and just is who he is, I might have viewed this unpleasant element as an unfortunate characteristic of a rotten character, but really, it just feels like something that sounded cool coming from Samuel L. Jackson’s mouth in ‘Jackie Brown,’ another tough crime story adapted from an Elmore Leonard novel, but here it serves no purpose. It’s just one more ill-fitting element in an overall disjointed book.
Celluloid Cowboy starts out feeling like lighthearted, trashy fun, but you eventually limp through to the conclusion looking forward to the literary equivalent of a hot shower. When the entire book is only 171 well-spaced pages, well, that just is not a good sign. If you’re itching for Bukowski and Lebowski, do a shot of cheap whiskey, then pop in a copy of The Dude’s 1998 misadventures (be sure you have White Russian ingredients in the house, I’ve learned that lesson the hard way) and savor the feeling of character, tone, and story together in perfect harmony.
Under by Bradd Quinn
14/08/09 19:22 Filed in: Independent | Self-Published
220 pages, Lulu. $15.40
Reviewed By Stephanie Attebery
(Note: This review refers to the first edition of Under. A revised edition has since been released.)
Jacob Drake is the kind of hero you can get behind. He's as typical a Joe Schmoe as you can get. He works as a plant manager, although we don’t get to see him in action because the book takes place during a mandatory leave from work following a moment of verbal indiscretion during a meeting. Jacob Drake it turns out has many such moments.
He also has an adorable wife and even more adorable daughter who are clearly the loves of his life. Oh, and a dog that he loves to pretend to hate. It may not be a surprise to many that the dog later becomes one of his most useful allies.
Maybe it's mid-week boredom during his suspension, but Jacob begins to feel that something is not right and that perhaps this something is lurking below his home. His dog agrees loudly and often, and as a series of domestic animal killings plague the neighborhood, it becomes increasingly urgent to Jacob to convince the rest of his family and community of the danger they all face.
Quinn does an interesting thing by weaving two stories together in opposing chronology. While our hero Jacob’s story moves forward, the unfortunate fate of a neighboring town is revealed in reverse, beginning with the ultimate outcome, and working back to the early signs and events before the town was overrun by creatures. Many of the events are similar to the ones that are occurring in Jacob’s community.
As for the creatures, described by Quinn in adequate detail, they have the right creepy mix of spider, human, and otherworldliness to give you goose bumps.
The high-action moments of the book are very good, such as the dum-dum moment when the town eccentric/cat-lady decides to turn her car around even though she is in imminent danger because she must go back for one of her precious kitties….with Jacob’s young daughter in the passenger seat.
Jacob talks rough and tough, but Quinn takes measures to show his vulnerabilities and this view into humanity lends the reader a reason to keep rooting for the characters. Jacob fears that he will not have what it takes to protect his family, and that he may be a big wimp when the “moment for action” inevitably arrives. Another moment in the book that manages to be both creepy and heart-wrenching involves a dying trooper reflecting on his fatherly failures as he slips into death alone and in the dark.
One of the final scenes, when some of the creatures’ more bizarre motivations are revealed, helps to answer some of the earlier questions, yet there is enough left untied to leave something to the imagination, if not room for a follow-up book.
One unfortunate note: As apparently mentioned by other reviewers, this edition of the book is legion with typos. And despite Mr Quinn’s humorous comment in the beginning about egg hunting for such mistakes, I suggest the more thoroughly edited follow-up edition! Buy your copy here.
POD PEOPLE - Beating the Print-on-Demand Stigma by Jeremy Robinson
142 pages, Lulu. $14.99
Reviewed By Mike Attebery
Jeremy Robinson penned the previously reviewed “Didymus Contingency,” which remains the bestselling fiction book published through Lulu. Therefore, his book detailing the nuts and bolts of self-publishing and marketing your book to overcome the naysayers, is the perfect first non-fiction title to review for Digital Dust Jacket.
At 142 pages, the book is thin, but it fits in quite a lot. Broken down according to the print on demand process, it starts with a common sense reality check. Namely: don’t self-publish if you expect to strike it rich overnight. The first section “Why POD?” discusses money, gaining publishing experience, and the possible exposure to be gained in having a book out in the marketplace. The second section, “Are you ready?” delves into a more traditional writing and publishing discussion, including developing your craft and some advice on writing development and writing groups. The third section, “What comes next?” can really apply to all writers, whether self-published or not, and breaks down many of the necessary steps in spreading the word about a book, whether it be a title published through Lulu or one put out by Scribner, Random House, or any of the major publishing houses. This section will likely be eye-opening for publishing newcomers, but may seem all too familiar to those who have already spent time out in the publishing world trenches hunting down blurbs and trying to get their work reviewed in the media.
The Fourth section is where this book becomes more useful for POD writers who wish to market their books as best they can. With discussions of word of mouth marketing, book signings, tactics for creating an online presence, the use of blogs, email, mailing lists, press releases, awards and contests, Robinson shows some of the easiest and most effective ways to help your title make some waves. Again, much of this can be found in other titles, but his success in the POD realm certainly lends his comments and advice added credibility. The next section is really the other half of the book marketing process in today’s writing world: How to market you stuff on Amazon. In a quick discussion of tags, lists, guides, reviewing other works, category listings, and all the other Amazon sales tools, Robinson shows what tactics he found effective,and which ones might not be worth your time. He also emphasizes a point I think it quite important. Many are blinded by the idea of getting a title on Amazon, but really, it’s not all that exclusive a club, and you’re still gonna have to work to make your book stand out and actually sell. Oh, and actually ripping some of your money out of Jeff Bezos’ hands can be a lot tougher than you would expect. One point I’d really like to add (and one which Robinson doesn’t even touch upon): If you have a website setup that links to your books on Amazon, and you do not have an Amazon Associates account set up for referral payments, you are literally giving money away to that corporate monolith in Seattle. This is where I think Robinson’s book may show a few weaknesses, as well as signs that it’s due for an update.
The final sections offer tips on design, making your book look as professional as possible, “cover no-nos,” and thoughts on making the interior layout look like a traditionally published book. Other topics include scams and a list of POD publishers (one which really needs to be updated).
Overall, this is an interesting tome for newbies. As a self-published author, I certainly found some of his advice helpful, and many of his Amazon tricks were news to me at the time I originally read this book. Like I said, I do feel that POD PEOPLE is due for an update. Aside from failing to mention Amazon Associates referrals, Robinson could also stand to mention CreateSpace as a publishing option, and one that makes a great deal of sense for authors who wish to offer their readers the convenience of buying a book through Amazon, while still making a little more money on each sale. In short, if you’re publishing you book via Lulu, you should really consider publishing it through the Amazon-owned CreateSpace as well. The CreateSpace listing will supersede the Lulu listing on the online retailer's site, and if you go for the Pro option (which you should!) you will make substantially more money as Lulu’s cut of the retail price is lopped out of the mix and mostly handed over to you. Also, having ordered many of my own titles through Amazon already, and noticing the difference in the printed products, particularly the covers (which I feel actually look more professional than those printed on Lulu -- it’s the texture!), I already suspect that the editions Amazon mails out for Lulu listings, and the ones they send out for CreateSpace listings, are all but identical, so you really should take advantage of any opportunity to keep more of the money for yourself.
Robinson writes in a candid and straightforward manner. He admits his own mistakes in creating and marketing previous books as well as POD PEOPLE itself. Copyediting and layout are vital, vital if you want readers to take you seriously. My overall feeling is that he has a lot of experience to share, but much of this advice can now be found online for free via other authors and sites. Robinson should update this, give it a newer, more professional looking cover (honestly, the current cover is AWFUL!) and there are a lot of new outlets, namely Facebook, Twitter, Google/Facebook ads, and youtube promotional videos, that he himself utilizes heavily in promoting his more recent fiction releases, and their mention would really serve to beef up the content of this book, while make it a much more valuable source of information for authors interested in entering the POD realm. In summary, the book does a great job detailing much of what brings about the Stigma of POD publishing, but unfortunately, a few of this book’s design qualities and deficiencies, namely the previously mentioned cover art, the lack of a barcode, and the thin, somewhat overpriced nature of the book itself, highlight some of the problems Robinson points out in the book itself. This one is due for an update, but you can buy your copy here.
The Didymus Contingency by Jeremy Robinson
02/05/09 19:00 Filed in: Independent | Self-Published
289 pages, Lulu. $18.00
Reviewed By Stephanie Attebery
Our latest review tackles the #1 fiction title published through Lulu.
“Tom’s head ached as he thought that Megan was killed because he went back in time…but he only went back in time because Megan had been killed!”
This is the kind of mind-bending twist readers encounter throughout Jeremy Robinson’s novel, The Didymus Contingency.
The story starts with a sweeping rush, in the remote African brush. We are introduced to Tom, the protagonist, who witnesses his wife’s murder by a band of lawless Zambian men because of her religious convictions. Then we quickly flash forward 20 years to present-day Tom, never-remarried, bitter and fiercely agnostic. His longtime research partner is David, a Christian who shares Toms’ Jewish-Isreali upbringing, but not his lack of belief in God. The two men are scientists who work on a top-secret project at the high-tech research company LightTech in an underground lab beneath the Arizona desert. And they have just secretly cracked the code to time-travel.
David and Tom take advantage of their discovery by orchestrating a controlled event which will enable their future selves to send high tech devices back in time... to themselves, thereby allowing their earlier selves to use devices they have perfected since their current research breakthrough. Those devices are watches that can dial the wearer (plus one carry-on item) back to virtually any time and location with just a few easy button taps.
Shortly after their discovery, and during a drunken rage-filled discussion about Megan’s murder, Tom impulsively decides to disprove the notion of Jesus, son of God, and jumps back in time to witness the death of Jesus, believing that Jesus will not rise after a few days as the story goes. Actually, Tom arrives in the past, around 2 years before the persecution of Christ, in order to befriend him and his disciples and travel with him to observe his “trickery”. Following close on Tom’s heels into the distant past is David, who fears that Tom’s poor choice will cause the very fabric of humanity to unravel.
What makes this story so interesting is the fact that David knows the Bible in and out, and Tom knows virtually nothing of the story, so while David sits back and observes the events that occur through a spoiler’s eyes, Tom is constantly unsure of what will happen next. The differing but parallel vantage points allow both Bible-buffs and the Bible-ignorant to be engaged readers.
At least one of the characters in every time period in this story is troubled by the same band of demons, know as “Legion,” who jumps from one victim to the next. Legion weaves in and out of the story, at various times possessing a role in the actions of the characters, from the lawless Zambian men who “murder” Megan, to the biblical troubles of Samuel, a man who is sentenced to death by the Romans for some recent strange behavior, to the bootlicking toady researcher, Spencer, who attempts to turn the scientists’ urgent travels into a ladder-stepping career move for himself. Robinson illustrates Legion creatively by writing Legion’s dialog as that of a gaggle of arguing demons competing for speaking-time in whatever body they are possessing at the moment.
The romance between David and Sally, his hard-ass boss, could have been cut out of the story all together. It would have been nice to get to know more about Megan, Tom’s first wife, and the catalyst for all adventure travels in this book, but Robinson is interested in keeping the reader’s heart rate up and there just is no time for that kind of “warm-up” development.
Some nice touches: Robinson’s descriptions of the un-potable water in ancient times and the citizens’ obvious preference for wine. The health of a diet without preservatives, along with plenty of walking, eventually finds the two middle-aged men in the best shape of their lives! But the characters still crave their modern American diet, and make occasional trips back to their present time to consume American beer and BBQ at their favorite desert haunt.
Didymus is an entertaining, thought provoking work that encourages the reader to think about the affect that some individuals have on the world, and the importance of religion, whether you possess faith in it or not, on every life and culture. The writing is exciting, though there are a few mistakes in the text (This was Robinson’s first published book.), but overall, this is an entertaining, enlightening read, one that readers will no doubt compare quite favorably to Michael Crichton’s classic tech-thrillers.
The book is also available in a variety of others editions on Amazon.
Jack Rabbit Moon by Dorraine Darden
12/04/09 01:00 Filed in: Independent | Self-Published
284 pages, Cold Tree Press. $23.95
Reviewed By Stephanie Attebery
Jack Rabbit Moon tells the story of Marnie Evans, a young, destitute Texas girl on summer break in the squalid home she shares with her negligent momma. Marnie frequently escapes to the nearby state park, in search of a home amongst nature-loving people like herself, hoping that they will give her the care and attention that she craves. She thinks that she has found this in the middle-aged childless couple she befriends, Claire and “Ranger Rick” Carpenter, who live a simple and well-nourished life within the boundaries of the park.
Without some exploration into the book, one might dismiss this as a happy-go-lucky story, a too neatly tied-up tale of the little red riding-hood variety. What saves it from that fate is an assortment of characters whose good and horrible tendencies blur in delightfully real and complicated ways.
On the surface, each character possesses some overwhelming good or bad trait. Marnie is a relentless dreamer. She embellishes every event that she witnesses, believing her father’s predictions about the jack rabbits that ominously swirl by before something bad occurs. Claire is a tireless Samaritan, baking and cooking for what seems like the entire town, taking care of an elderly and lonely woman when no one else will. Ranger Rick is a guitar-playing, singing, historian who holds a weekly campfire story and sing-along with all the kiddies, parents in tow. Some possess darker characteristics. Marnie’s ne’er do good mother Jeanie, for instance, and the abusive drunk, Vaughn, who she calls her boyfriend. Marnie’s father, Charlie, fresh back into town for shady, unexplained reasons. Aunt Shelby, who insists she is the protector of Marnie’s sinner soul. And of course, there is Buddy, the un-likeable busy body, always stirring some pot in the supermarket or flower shop.
Darden allows the reader into the private thoughts of each character, enough that it prevents the book from simply becoming a story of good triumphing over bad. She keeps the protagonists from being too perfect and the antagonists too unlikable to bother with. Marnie thinks little kids at the ranger’s nature hour are stupid and wimpy. She knows she can manipulate the heart of Claire, who wants Marnie as her own child right off the bat. Despite being a drunk more concerned with applying her makeup than caring for her offspring, Jeanie is still able to laugh with her daughter when they are home alone together. Marnie’s father Charlie, fresh out of prison (or so she is lead to believe by her mamma), takes Marnie on a trip for ice cream. He is drunk and twitching as she eats her treat, but she is still pleased by him for the simple fact that he is her father. Rick loves his wife and his job as a park ranger, but he begrudgingly welcomes Marnie into the home he shares with Claire, keeping his guard up all the time, and always expecting trouble from the little girl. Claire sometimes tires of the old woman she cares for, and argues with her despite knowing that her senility makes it futile. We all do these things after all, don’t we?
Darden’s pacing is in real-time and the narrative moves in the slightly free-associative way that people’s minds tend to work, especially concerning young Marnie, who while wandering through the woods, could drift from thoughts of the Ranger’s moustache, to an anthill, to wishing her mom’s awful boyfriend Vaughn bodily harm, (a wish that justice ultimately grants).
Living in an urban environment, I always have to judge a book for readability on the bus, and this one is well within compliance of my guidelines. The print is overall very readable, with the exception of a few localized areas of blurred text. The weight of the book and font are pleasant for commute reading.
The cover artwork is very pleasing, showing the stripped, impoverished home of Marnie as a minor part of a big wild landscape, brown-eyed susans in the foreground, a misty twilight full moon in the background. In fact the cover simply complements the spirit of the book and the characters within it, who thrive and sink in this terrible, wonderful world. The park, in all its beauty, is a great location for this kind of tale, and Darden describes it beautifully. Without spoiling anything, there is plenty of action to boot, showcasing the Texas wilderness in all its beauty and deadliness.
I look forward to more Garner Park Stories in the future!