""[I]magine a huge block of cold black steel suspended directly above you and the feeling that it's about to drop, that it's always about to drop, and crush you flatter than a page in a book."
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On Anvil by Jim Herity West Cornwall Publishing Company
book review by Omar Figueras
This is a novel divided into three named sections: Departure, Dissolution and Destination. The book's main character, Cal, is a wanderer in search of solace. He has deep, profound reflections about his past, namely a woman named Gayle, and he is hesitant to move forward with his life, all the while traveling through the desert.
Herity's writing style is smooth in its flow and rhythm, taking unexpected turns in descriptions and subject matter. The author's storylines are fresh and original, and his images have bite. The author constantly weaves his narrative between past and present, including a third, liminal safe space in the main character's head that is neither physically here or there, but a psychological haven where the main character retreats into the safety of his thoughts and memories. Each section opens confined in a time designation: day of the week, early or late placement in the week, month, and year; and number of weeks since previous incident occurred.
Despite Gayle's absence, she is constantly in Cal's immediate present, brought to the forefront through his thoughts and perceptions. He misses her but lives as though she was still by his side. Other characters drift in and out of the narrative as the Cal goes through present space and time, but Gayle remains common denominator. Cal's thoughts hold him back, engrossing him to the point where they affect the forward trajectory of the story, hindering the momentum of the present action, and at times unduly slowing the plot.
Constant obsession with a missing character lends to the haunting, drifting tone of the story. Essentially, Cal is a tumbleweed lost in a desert of his own creation. The author's poetic writing is strong and potent, engaging his audience to follow his character's painful struggle through his personal wasteland.