A review by jnzllwgr
Entropy in Bloom by Jeremy Robert Johnson

4.0

Years ago, I read Johnson’s novella ‘Extinction Journals’ — something about a post-nuclear survivor wearing a trench coat with live cockroaches sewn to it to provide a protective barrier against the radiation seemed absurd but immensely creative. And Johnson continues to prove how much of a lateral thinker he is with this collection of shorts. I was really impressed at how elegantly crafted each story was. One minute, a narrative might feel like a memoir, next minute it was pivoting to noir-ish mystery, then pivot again to fold in a haunting. Musically, perhaps it could be considered very prog, or like an electronic mash up. Nothing is off the table in terms of devices to explore topics on our author’s mind. Word choice is straightforward, but rhythmically varied; the dude’s a good contemporary craftsman! Violence and cruelty all serve a purpose, nothing is gratuitous and graphic descriptions are avoided. It’s Bizarro fiction, after all, not exactly horror and certainly not gore. My favorite tale was Swimming in the House of the Sea which traces the account of a frustrated and angry young man who has become a caregiver for his mentally challenged brother. It takes off in one direction where you might expect some kind of extreme confrontation between the narrator and some other guests in the hotel pool and ends up in a place of deep empathy and vulnerability. First thing I said after finishing it was, “Boy, that would make a great movie with a bit of that Rainman vibe.” According to the notes, the story was, indeed, close to being turned into a movie except the director got offered the chance to adapt a New York Times bestseller and, knocking that out of the park, became extremely famous. JRJ’s not holding his breath, but that story alone is worth picking this one up.