I AM Clean!

Here we are: Another month, another book review. I can't believe it's already July!! I was just getting used to June before July had to rear its ugly head and wring all of June's pleasantries from the summer wash cloth. I'm going to pretend that it's still June 15th, and that I'll have a job for the next two months. Much better!

I just flew back to Ohio for the 4th of July weekend (so much for pretending it's still June...), and of course its raining! Still, I'm very much looking forward to relaxing, spending time with the fam, and continuing work on my new script. A little note that pertains to the previous post: My next project isn't going to be the sci-fi story I'd written about. I've put that one on the back burner to officially begin work on a project that's been baking in the womb of my mind for nearly a year like a fetus ready to claw its way to the light. These things just happen. I got side-tracked. While I was putting the finishing touches on WARLAND, I desperately needed to start on something new because I was about to go blood simple and jam the whole thing into a paper shredder. While thankfully that feeling has subsided, the sci-fi project has shifted to numero dos in my script queue. It's on deck. Still alive and baking in the womb.

So, while I'm here at home in the motherland, I also have a bit more time to reflect on some of the books I've read since my last review. I know you've missed it dearly, so I won't keep you waiting any longer. You've been patient. The least I can do is reward you with a heaping helping of Flannery O'Connor.

Flannery O'Connor's WISE BLOOD is a fantastical examination of religion, nearly separating its characters into two categories: Those who need a god and those who claim they don't. Lines are blurred, people not who they seem - everything is askew in O'Connor's universe - but isn't this what you'd want from a summer jaunt through the gothic south? This is the first piece of O'Connor's work I've been lucky enough to sample. While I hear her novels don't hold a candle to her short stories (most notably A GOOD MAN IS HARD TO FIND), WISE BLOOD still manages to make one think about his/her own beliefs.

Hazel Motes, the title character, is a boy en route to a small Southern town following a recent tour of duty for the army. He is determined to prove to everyone that god does not exist. Little does he know, he'll happen upon a blind preacher and his degenerate daughter, who will both mold Haze's destiny. Haze also meets Enoch Emery, a boy a few years his junior, and who in many ways is Hazel's complete religious opposite. I'll keep it brief and won't etch out a super-detailed synopsis, but suffice to say - Flannery is one sneaky writer. The first 150 pages of the book are always interesting, albeit slow-moving, deliberately paced - but what keeps it fresh is her composition - her description is raw and cuts right to the bone. Then, just when you think the story isn't going to really take off or go anywhere, everything gets fucked up. Characters begin to show their true colors, do heinous, morbid things all in the name of religion. Enoch is a very reactive character. While he is driven by an unseen, internal force that wills him to commit crimes, Hazel is more proactive, and believes that he guides his own destiny.

WISE BLOOD is a really intriguing book, and I highly recommend it to anyone who values character studies and seeks novels that inspire thought. You may not LOVE it, but you'll walk away with a full head ready for digestion.
Until next time...