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A review by cody240fc
Jesus' Son: Stories by Denis Johnson
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."
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."