DIG THAT: THE GOOD AND THE GHASTLY

AUTHOR | JAMES BOICE
PUBLISHER | SCRIBNER
RELEASE | 6.14.11

The title might suggest zombie cowboys, but The Good and the Ghastly is some serious shit. Mostly. It takes place long after a nuclear war, in a world remade with slight changes and bad history.

Dylan now composed the “Ode to Joy.” Palin invented evolution. Everyone’s poop is gray.

The bizarro-America thing gets silly. Good thing it’s overwhelmed by Junior Alvarez, who’s not so much a character as he is a raging monologue, all thoughts and plans. He enters, humiliated, through the back door of juvie and ends in Whitey Bulger territory. In between the two there’s the gaining of the world, the losing of the soul and plenty of the old ultraviolence. One day, Junior bludgeons the son of Josefina Hernandez.

Big mistake.

Josefina’s landlady-gone-vigilante isn’t totally convincing, but serves as Junior’s mirror. He’s disgusted by the masses and their “harried, Sissyphean” lives. She’s disgusted by their acceptance of evils like Junior. And Boice, he’s right there with them, venting about us masses and our misguided society. It’s a smart rampage for the strong of stomach.

JAMES BOICE

THU 7.21.11
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