Joe: A Novel Book

"Coke, then whiskey, Coke and then whiskey. He wiped his mouth and capped the bottle and lit another cigarette."

I felt hot and sticky, grimy, parched, and a bit reckless while in the company of Joe and this cast of down-and-out, law-breaking, drunken, gun-toting, and sometimes vile cast of characters. I wanted to crack open a beer (I don't drink beer!), swig it down in three gulps and toss the can over my shoulder without a care in the world. I wanted to jump in the shower and wash off the filth and dust of a day's work. I craved a shot of bourbon so I could finally unwind before revving up my Ford F-150 and raising some hell in town! Of course, I didn't do any of those things, because honestly, this New York gal is not really cut out for the redneck life. I've never even driven a pickup truck much less owned one, and I don't keep a bottle of whiskey under the driver's seat of my car either. Not that we don't have rednecks in this part of the country, but that lifestyle is more foreign to me than living on the moon would be. And yet, I've spent a bit of time there thanks to author Larry Brown and now understand a little bit more about what makes these folks tick.

Joe is not the sort of guy you want to bring home to mama. She just wouldn't approve. Nevertheless, I couldn't help but feel for him. You want to help him get his life back in order. Step away from the booze, especially while driving, quit the gambling and womanizing, keep the hands off the cops, and try to settle down - at least mellow out around the edges just a bit. He's got a couple of kids that he loves but rarely sees, and an ex-wife that might still have a soft spot for him deep down inside. He's a hard worker. We meet up with him about the same time that an even more lowdown, bedraggled family limps into town to squat in a long-abandoned log cabin.

"They trudged on beneath the burning sun, but anyone watching could have seen that they were almost beaten."

They're a miserable lot, this Jones family. Wade Jones, the patriarch, makes a perversion of the titles 'dad' and 'husband'. He's of the most loathsome, worthless variety of man one will ever come across.

"He lay limp as a hot noodle, quietly exuding a rich reek, a giddy putrefaction of something gone far past bad, a perfect example of nonviolent protest."

Their mother is powerless, and the youngest daughter is insubstantial. The eldest daughter has some fire to her. And then there's Gary. You'll pity and love this kid. If you don't, then you might want to figure out where you left your heart. He's fifteen and not what you would call a strapping fellow. What he lacks in education, refinement and size, he more than makes up for in integrity, determination and an eagerness to learn and work. Joe and Gary form a bond. Whether that bond will uplift one or the other, you will want to decide for yourself. You can't but hope that it will indeed do just that. They most certainly have an affinity for one another. Joe 'gets' Gary, and Gary looks up to Joe.

"The boy's name was Gary. He was small but he carried the most."

There's not a distinct plot to this novel. However, the fantastic storytelling paired with sharp characterization won me over. It's sometimes savage, and if I could have closed my eyes during a couple of scenes I just might have! The heat is oppressive, the landscape feels primitive, and all of it so tangible that you'll want to wipe the dust from your eyes and slake your incessant thirst. This is my second Larry Brown novel, with Dirty Work being my first. I'm both surprised by how much I've taken to such visceral and often violent writing, as well as impressed by it.

"Into each life a little rain must fall but perhaps it monsooned in his."