Some of my favorite books (Miami Purity, Miami Blues, Speed Queen and Tough Luck) are populated by characters that evoke no sympathy, empathy or humor.
These characters emit nothing but trouble. They are self serving, without scruples and impulsive. And somehow in the midst of reading books with these porcupine protagonists, I become entranced. I can't put the books down until I find out what happens. It's that same, twisted fascination that makes people slow down at a car crash for a glimpse of the destruction. Now I've another to add favorite to the list.
Eve's Men by Newton Thornburg.
Brian Poole, a kid raised on trouble washed away with a charming grin, used to date country-music star Kim Sanders. Sanders died of a well-publicized drug overdose in which Poole played the Svengali druggie boyfriend in the publics eye.
Hollywood is making a movie about Kim, and Brian is unhinged. Obsessed with stopping the production, he bulldozes the set of the Colorado town where Kim's death took place. His distraught girlfriend, Eve, calls Brian's brother Charley and begs for his help. The straight and narrow Charley, bored with his straight and narrow life, flies out to help.
Charley is sucked into the vortex of Brian's destruction of everything to do with the movie but just can't seem to make his way to the airport to fly back to his safe and less than happy existence. Brian lies, cheats, steals and runs away to blow up another day with Charley and Eve at his heels, wondering what they hell their doing there. Like moths with scorched wings dancing mid-air around the heated source of their own possible demise, the two can't seem to shake free.
And in the midst of the chaos, they turn to each to find the answers they didn't know they'd asked.
I'll assume you've read Cutter and Bone. You'll want to read this.
No comments:
Post a Comment