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A review by richardbakare
Deacon King Kong by James McBride
3.0
My opinion on this one is right down the middle. Deacon King Kong has many well written and entertaining moments but is also saddled by too many subplots that in the end are hastily wrapped up. The first third of the book delivers that same kind of swirling tall tale madness that you see in books like “One Hundred Years of Solitude.” The odd mysteries along with the time and setting combined for a strong pull that initially keeps you turning pages.
By the middle of the book, things get a bit predictable and the tone changes a lot. In some parts, things get downright predictable. The draw of the book wanes off like many of the small supporting characters. These supporting parts and plots are in themselves intriguing but the random style of their weaving in and out gave it a disjointed and meandering feel. Where you want the author to go deeper, he stays in the shallow end. Likewise, he dives headfirst into other areas that are wholly uninteresting.
I can’t decide if the book should have been longer or shorter to make it better. If longer, I picture the story of Deacon growing into a sprawling scale that could be a contemporary reimagining of Don Quixote. If shorter, it could have been a great novella with fewer subplots and characters. A lot like some of Philip K. Dick’s best works. This was one occasion where I though the material would make play better in film format than written.
By the middle of the book, things get a bit predictable and the tone changes a lot. In some parts, things get downright predictable. The draw of the book wanes off like many of the small supporting characters. These supporting parts and plots are in themselves intriguing but the random style of their weaving in and out gave it a disjointed and meandering feel. Where you want the author to go deeper, he stays in the shallow end. Likewise, he dives headfirst into other areas that are wholly uninteresting.
I can’t decide if the book should have been longer or shorter to make it better. If longer, I picture the story of Deacon growing into a sprawling scale that could be a contemporary reimagining of Don Quixote. If shorter, it could have been a great novella with fewer subplots and characters. A lot like some of Philip K. Dick’s best works. This was one occasion where I though the material would make play better in film format than written.