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Albert Lucky, the hero of this quirky, narrative-driven tale, is a man stuck in his ordinary and often dismal life, defined by his mid-management job stocking shelves at Magnificent Maurice’s Discount Drug Emporium #23, a Midwestern retail chain. As the title suggests, Albert experiences a profound level of spiritual transformation, triggered in part by building displays of Real Cola cans “in such a way that it would so entice the cola-consuming public that they would feel negligent if they were to leave the Emporium without a twelve-pack of the darkly colored, carbonated sugar water to suck on.” The dialogue-lean, magical realism of the story is reflective of similar works by Kurt Vonnegut and Haruki Murakami and is also reminiscent of Wes Anderson’s whimsical films. The setting in northeastern Ohio also plays a vital role, as events at the discount store are tied to the location’s indigenous cultural past and to settlers who later populated the area.
DeLong’s detailed descriptive prose captures well the nuances of both the suburban culture and the natural world beyond Albert’s home and workplace. The novel also features an unforgettable cast of strong characters who experience various levels of spiritual transformation as they’re touched by the energies spiraling about Albert, including his obnoxious boss, Maurice Bordochek—a wealthy magnate of 430 stores—and Autumn, a customer of Native American heritage. Autumn’s bland, depressive life nearly overtakes her spiritual legacy until she encounters Albert stocking shelves one fateful day. Albert’s wife, Lydia, and his two children are also beneficiaries of his newfound transcendence, intensified by his obsession with gradually digging a pothole in the avenue outside his home when he’s not on the job. Readers looking for an unusual, inspiring, and well-written tale of disconnection and discovery will find much to enjoy in DeLong’s work.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review