Krishna
Not just the title, but the story has a nice beautiful ring to it.
The narrator Cory is a milkman’s boy who grows up with his dad and his dad has visions of his going to college and making something out of himself. The idyllic existence is roughly shaken when a car almost collides with their van during one of the deliveries and goes off into the lake and when dad goes to rescue the person, he sees that he had been dead long ago and someone had strapped him to the seat and faked an accident.
It impacts the father tremendously.
Cory describes life as a small boy in a small town in the forties. Nice to read how the boys freak out after seeing an Alien-Invasion themed movie! When the real life horror of Ben’s father’s drunkenness is juxtaposed against the make believe horror, it is stark and interesting.
And there is that scene where wasps invade a church Easter sermon that is described in hilarious detail.
Vignettes like the death of Cory’s bike and the colourful characters like the rich Vernon Thaxter who goes buck naked around town from spring to fall populate the story. But does the story itself go anywhere? Is there a central plot that the author is trying to expand on, apart from life in a small town? Perhaps not. It has a sound more like Roddy Doyle’s books on childhood but in the US small town, but you do not expect this story from Robert who is more known for action packed gore, and so it is very surprising to read this kind of book from this author.
There is a flood in the town where the shantytowns exist and the townspeople, after an argument help out to build sandbags to contain the water. When he gets stranded with a black boy Gavin on a table waiting for his mom to come back and rescue him the tale turns gory; the dog he tries to rescue gets cut in half in front of his own eyes. When you realize who did it and the boy’s visit to the Lady, it gets interesting. Well, more like the other McGammon books, but only a little.
The first day after school where the boys grow wings and fly, and the dogs with them, is nice! The narration is cute. You realize how this “happens” but enjoy it just the same.
Owen Cathcoate, who swore he saved the life of the famous Wyatt Earp’s life at OK Corrall makes up another interesting character in the story.
Cory gets a new bike as a gift and names it Rocket. He meets a new boy called Nemo Curliss who has a wonderful throwing arm belying his puny frame and young age.
Reverend Blessett railing against the Beach Boys song (“I get around”) as the devil’s work and trying to get a monkey named Lucifer dance to it is described in funny detail. The difference with people like Roddy Doyle is this : all these incidents in this book could not have happened in the life of one boy – too rich to be credible whereas Roddy is credible as hell. You say ‘Hmph’.
This story even gets weird many times. The bike called Rocket takes a life of its own and takes the owner cleverly to foil one of the bullies. A ghost car comes to save Cory in a sticky situation involving mafia. In addition, even when he is trouble with the mafia and they know he knows a secret, he goes on with life as if nothing will happen and suddenly the enemies (mafia or bullies) catch up with them. How the mafia gets their comeuppance is well told but has a lot of supernatural in it, courtesy the Lady, another interesting character in the book.
The story about dinner with Vernon is very good. Then there is a carnival visit where they see an ill treated monster that seems to be Triceratops, and it gets very murky.
One thing though: If it is hard for a writer to write about the evils of change and modernity – big box stores killing off the poor milkman’s wages for example, without seeming preachy or take sides overtly, but this author pulls it off very well. The point is made forcefully and with effect, without the aftertaste of ideological preaching coming in at all.
Cory faces the death of his friend Davy Ray in a hunting accident by going wild, hitting a teacher and running away on a freight train. My God, it is very artificial and too pat. When Cory runs away, he meets three tramps in the train and they give him a readymade tour of the evil big city with all its problems. A kind of a “walk in and see the summary” kind of exhibition within two blocks. And what do you know? It is all a dream! Well, that makes it all OK, then.
Then you start thinking the whole story is too pat. Old Moses comes for Cory at the right time, the bicycle is a miracle one with a Golden Eye, the ghost driver and the car appear only to Cory, and you realize it is one of those Forrest Gump kind of movies where all exciting things happen to our child Cory and he behaves better than most adults (until he rebels in order to get a lesson on how ugly big city life can be plus a bonus lesson on how to have faith).
He untangles the mystery of the murder partly – all armchair reasoning and pesky questioning of elders without giving any reason – this kind of ‘detective work’ would not work in the real world at all.
Mr Lightfoot, the glacially slow repairman is an interesting caricature. That stands out.
The mystery of the green feather is unravelled simultaneously by the father and son independently. Nice touch.
The ending is a nostalgic visit many years later.
Parts of it are interesting but the author seems confused about the kind of story he wants to tell. I would give it a 5/10
– – Krishna