Order PLASTER CITY here
(also reviewed)
Order DOVE SEASON here
Order BIG MARIA here
I didn't know people still wore wristwatches. As the old saw says, you really learn something new every time you get punched in the face.
I don't think anybody's ever been jealous of me, therefore I'm always afraid people perceive any form of criticism on this blog as the product of jealousy. I mean, I get jealous sometimes like when I'm awed by a James Ellroy novel for example. Otherwise, I got a sneaky good life and I don't get jealous all that much. At least I don't think I do. So, I decided to try something. This week, I've read Johnny Shaw's latest Jimmy Veeder fiasco PLASTER CITY and I have a lot of things to say about it. I'll try going through my observations without alluding as to whether or not I liked it and you get to decide in the comment section or on Facebook. As you might already suspect, the answer lies somewhere in between 0 and 100.
PLASTER CITY picks up two years after the legendary events of DOVE SEASON and much has changed for Jimmy Veeder and Bobby Maves since then. Jimmy's been living the happily ever after with his girlfriend Angie and his son Juan * on his father's farmland and Bobby wasn't so bad either until he broke off with Griselda. Since then, he's been a drunken and belligerent mess, looking to down his sorrows in chaos. It's a difficult situation for Jimmy who's been his acting guardian angel, but things are about to take a turn for the worse when Bobby gets a call from his ex-girlfriend Becky about his estranged daughter Julie, who disappeared.
I can't say PLASTER CITY's a crime novel. At least, it's not a conventional one. Think about it like a hardboiled superhero story. The father figures here are metaphors for superheroes, as the authority of what they're doing cannot be contested as long as they're acting for the good of their family. It's a very different stance from DOVE SEASON, which was a violent but borderline literary coming-of-age novel. DOVE SEASON wasn't immoral per se, but PLASTER CITY is more moral and preaches traditional values a lot more than its predecessor both in the form and the content. It suggests, like many other novels, that family is the ultimate goal one should strive for. It's a pretty clear (and somewhat defensible) statement.
"I got an idea."
"Is it a Molotov cockthail?"
Bobby stared at me but didn't answer.
"You are not making a Molotov cocktail," I said.
Bobby and I watched a mangy orange tabby dart under one of the Dumpsters.
Bobby laughed. ''I have an idea that's so crazy it just might work.''
''You've been waiting your whole life to say that.''
''I'm surprised it's taken me this long.''
''I'm surprised it's taken me this long.''
PLASTER CITY is considerably more influenced by Joe Lansdale's iconic series Hap and Leonard, as it focuses a lot more on the dynamics between a smart, savvy friend and a wild one than on Jimmy's coming to term with his roots in the Imperial Valley. Only difference is that Hap and Leonard didn't have the moral high ground of being dads. It gave PLASTER CITY a frantic narrative pacing that DOVE SEASON didn't have. It's more focuses on dialogue, timing and fluid action and Jimmy and Bobby are at least as competent as Joe Lansdale's East Texas outlaw detectives at it. In that sense, PLASTER CITY is influenced by the Western, a literary tradition that uses dialogue and setting for exposition.
My knowledge of the superhero realm is limited, but I think only The Punisher doesn't have supernatural powers. He's just a pissed off, well-equipped and super trained vigilante with a taste for blood. The Jimmy and Bobby of PLASTER CITY reminded me of Frank Castle, except that they are more disorganized and overall nicer people. PLASTER CITY will always be the little brother to DOVE SEASON in my heart because the original Jimmy Veeder fiasco stole my heart and remains one of the best novels I've read since the inception of this blog. I've heard that the next fiasco of being written right and I can't wait to see how Johnny Shaw will out-do himself in scope, but in changes and consequences for his two heroes.
So, how did I do?
So, how did I do?
* Gotta read DOVE SEASON to understand why Jimmy's son has an hispanic name.
