310 pages, by David James DuncanI've read about 40 or so books this summer and I can easily say that this one is in the top 3, but undecided among them. The other two contenders this summer are Mind of a Raven and Holy Wars.
What makes this book so good is the humor, which was quite good at times, and the amazing prose of Duncan. Few wcontemporary writers can compare to the ease of his writing, and so fluid. The themes in this novel are easily understood and appreciated. The character of Gus Orviston is easy to sympathize with, and makes for a rather funny narrator.
And another reason this is an amazing book is the author is one of those rare breeds, an Oregonian. The novel is set in Oregon, and many of the place names are real, and the made up Tamanawis River feels real. Maybe I liked this because it was set in Oregon, and not too far from where I lived and the characters that people the book seem very Oregonian.
Maybe I should do the Oregonian challenge and read 5 books a year by an Oregonian native or transplant. At least this way I will have an excuse to move One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest to the top of my list.
The author's name seemed familiar, then I realized that I have a book on my to-be-read shelf by him: The Brothers K.
ReplyDelete