Louisiana Power and Light Book

Three parts comedy, two parts tragedy, one part religious essay. That's how I would describe this very unique telling of the somewhat over-told tale of the prototypical Southern familial line of rejects, misfits, and goons. By his own admission in the author's forward, we learn that this book started as a story about a specific place- Monroe, Louisiana. That story then grew into a novel focusing in on a particular family, which only sired male offspring, and had a long, long history of screwing up, burning out, imploding, and exploding. You know the ones, they probably exist in your parts as well……"Well, did you hear what old _____________ messed around and did last week?" Response: "No, but it doesn't surprise me, that bunch has always been wired that way." In this story, that blank is filled by the last name "Fontana", but in your life there may be another name substituted.

So, is it genetic, environmental, voodoo curse, or God's master plan? That's what we (narrated from a dual person plural perspective) try to cipher as we journey through the last remaining male in the line as he tries to discover, come to grips with, and overcome the Fontana curse. Does he accomplish it, can he rise above? Well, in ways he can and in others he can't. That's where I would refer you back to the recipe that started this review. It is a wild ride. You will certainly laugh out loud in coveys, you should probably shed a tear or two along the way but I never got there, and you will on occasion wonder what point exactly this author is attempting to make about the divine. A fresh take on some of the broader jumps other authors have tackled headlong by some of Southern literature's more heralded works. Save this one for that junction in your literary grind when searching for a break from laborious, deep reading….it's good salve for that.

It's a 3.5 star rating. Somewhere between "I liked it" and "I really liked it". I enjoyed the first two sections more than the last, but others will, I suspect, find the opposite true. Don't shy away because of a "3 star".