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In this fever dream of a novella, the protagonist takes a special interest in a prostitute who he is determined to help and protect. Other characters include Richard, an addict and the prostitute’s sometimes pimp, and Carpenter Wells, a violent man driven by impulse and hunger. This takes place in a city and country consumed by chaos. There are bombings, fires, a general malaise, and madness. The narrator uses vivid language and has a philosophical bent as he tells the story. He is an interesting man, describing himself as “I am not a violent man, but when it is called for it should be quick and to the point, what I think of as an efficient kindness, a concise use of language.”
Watson is an accomplished poet, and that is clear in the writing as it reads more like an extended prose poem than fiction. The sentences are lyrical and meander through images like flipping through a book of assorted art. The pairing of illustrator Charles Moody with Watson is excellent. The two share a kind of harmony, almost as if they shared the original vision. There is a gritty, surreal feel to the work, and it strikes the perfect chord, somehow resonates with violence and poetry, and, underneath all of it, offers a glimmer of hope gripped tightly. There are some instances where the vivid language doesn’t seem to quite grasp the sentiment, distracting from and muddling the narrative, but overall, this is a work of art. This work is easy to recommend for anyone who loves literary pieces and authors who lean into language and wordplay. It is an intense, haunting, and creative work, and it will be remembered by the reader like a hard punch to the gut.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review
A 2024 Eric Hoffer Book Award da Vinci Eye Winner