Order COLD IN JULY here
(also reviewed)
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Order MUCHO MOJO here
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Author and journalist Malcolm Gladwell stated in his book OUTLIERS that it takes roughly 10,000 hours of practice to become a master at something. How can you become a master at telling stories? Do you have to spend 10,000 hours living through and processing some life-altering stuff? Do you have to spend 10,000 hours observing human nature or just spend it writing like a maniac and hope for the best? Whatever path Joe R. Lansdale took to become a masterful writer, most agree that COLD IN JULY is some of his best work. I had it mind to read it for a couple years now, but since Lansdale's novels are not that easy to find in Montreal, it's not before the movie adaptation was released that I kicked my own ass and ordered it from Amazon. I was a rabid Joe Lansdale fan already, but can the man WRITE or what? COLD IN JULY is another triumph, a fierce psychological thriller that doesn't play by the rules and mocks the conventions of every genre.
Richard Dane shot and killed a burglar inside his house. BAM. Right through the eye. Business as usual in Texas, I can already hear you say. Not exactly. Dane is a quiet family man, a frame shop owner who's principal challenge in life is to not fuck up as a father. The police investigator in charge of his case identifies the victim as Freddy Russel, a local hoodlum who had been taking chances with his life for too many years already. Dane feels extremely shitty about what he's done and inquires about Russel's burial. When he's warned off by the police and informed that Russel's father Ben is out of jail, it doesn't deter Dane from doing what he thinks is right. Sometimes, your conscience is not the best guide, though and there might be more to it than just two emotionally scarred fathers. In COLD IN JULY, the confrontation between Richard Dane and Ben Russel is just the beginning of a fall down the rabbit hole of the underworld.
Here's the wonderful thing about Joe R.Lansdale's fiction. I usually figure out novels about 100 pages in. Tropes are like a series of tunnels a story goes through. Once you identify the trope (revenge, love triangle, coming-of-age, etc.), it's going straight from there and what keeps the story interesting is the characters. COLD IN JULY's use of storytelling tropes is like a pinball machine, it's completely unpredictable. I thought I had it figured out by page 50, as Ben Russel was putting pressure on Richard Dane to confront him, but by page 70, COLD IN JULY did a 180 degrees and added a new, deeper layer to its storyline. Same thing happened 100 pages later, as the story entered its final act and that entirely new thing. That characters of COLD IN JULY were complex and memorable, but they had that crazy, hyperactive storyline to showcase themselves in.
If my review is not convincing enough for you, maybe the FREAKIN' MOVIE TRAILER will be.
Joe R. Lansdale is one of the best authors at seamlessly blending genres. Writing a crime novel in the Far West or a horror story in space is juxtaposing genres, but it's not blending them. COLD IN JULY has this universal appeal. That story could've been told in any possible setting and it would've still been a psychological thriller, psychological horror, a hardboiled novel, a Western and a samurai epic all rolled up in one. Lansdale understands the essence of these genres so well that he can apply them to every possible setting and COLD IN JULY happens to be a perfect storm. Richard Dane is a protective dad and a frame builder, but he's also a knight, a cowboy, a sleuth and a tormented man who lives with the idea of death the way samurais do. COLD IN JULY is so incredibly layered, emotionally and narratively complex, that it has something to please everybody.
I'm king of gushing here. It's no secret I'm a Joe R. Lansdale fan, though. I'd say his work, Tom Piccirilli's and Dennis Lehane's had the most influence on me. COLD IN JULY is one of his most complex, unpredictable and ultimately satisfying novels, so yeah, I'm kind of gushing. Plus, I've read this baby in July! If you're considering waiting until July 2015 to do so, please don't. I know there is a specific month in the title, but it's not a novel that should be stored for eleven months. I know I've given my BADASS stamp of approval to another novel last week, but I'm giving it again for different reasons: COLD IN JULY might not be a transcendent emotional experience, but it's a masterful novel nonetheless. It's an expert blend of genres and a wild and original story. It's Joe R. Lansdale at his absolute best.
BADASS
I'm king of gushing here. It's no secret I'm a Joe R. Lansdale fan, though. I'd say his work, Tom Piccirilli's and Dennis Lehane's had the most influence on me. COLD IN JULY is one of his most complex, unpredictable and ultimately satisfying novels, so yeah, I'm kind of gushing. Plus, I've read this baby in July! If you're considering waiting until July 2015 to do so, please don't. I know there is a specific month in the title, but it's not a novel that should be stored for eleven months. I know I've given my BADASS stamp of approval to another novel last week, but I'm giving it again for different reasons: COLD IN JULY might not be a transcendent emotional experience, but it's a masterful novel nonetheless. It's an expert blend of genres and a wild and original story. It's Joe R. Lansdale at his absolute best.
BADASS