Reviews

Jesus' Son: Stories by Denis Johnson

cody240fc's review against another edition

4.0

DJ liked to write about strange people. Whenever I read his work, I find myself wondering what kind of guy he was. Was he as strange as the people he liked to write about? Well, for one thing he was a great writer. On a sentence by sentence nature, I have a hard time of coming up with someone I like more. Salter maybe.

This is my fifth time reading DJ, and this is probably his most well regarded work. I liked it quite a bit. It reminded me of McCarthy's 'Suttree' in a way. Focusing on the down-and-out types. Fuckhead comes across as too eloquent for a dope fiend, but that's a minor complaint. Surprisingly full of wry humor for stories focused on a dark world. I probably prefer his last short story collection, 'The Largesse of the Sea Maiden', but this is excellent as well. Low four stars.

"Generally the closest I ever came to wondering about the meaning of it all was to consider that I must be the victim of a joke...I had a moment's glory that night, though. I was certain I was here in this world because I couldn't tolerate any other place."

edecarlo's review against another edition

"All of these weirdos, and me getting a little better every day right in the midst of them. I had never known, never even imagined for a heartbeat, that there might be a place for people like us."

Johnson's prose is outstanding. Feeling like this might be the start of a kick

ebussa47's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Emergency is a killer story. Also liked The Other Man. Some good stuff in here, but unfortunately, the last story ended the collection on a low note.

witchshark's review against another edition

dark emotional funny reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

theflamingopriss's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

mayacydney's review

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

nicofish's review against another edition

dark emotional funny inspiring reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

All these weirdos, and me getting a little better every day right in the midst of them.

fairchildone's review against another edition

4.0

Not sure how to rate this. Really wonderful prose, chaotic and seemingly disconnected but compelling stories, memorable characters you only get a flash, ever-present death and rock bottom junkies, but a lingering, ever-present chance of redemption. Deeply funny at times, but also deeply sad. Lots of life in this short book.

yongxiang's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

emilyreadsdetroit's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0