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A review by microbiologist
The Alligators of Abraham by Robert Kloss
5.0
"There was some boy, there, in the dust, and I could not help him, for we were enemies."
This book, in my mind, seemed as if it was written as sort of a Biblical Scripture. It was a Biblical writing of American history. I've personally never been a big fan of the Bible, but I can certainly dig the writing style. It worked very well in this context. For example:
'And your father was considered mad by many for the way he moaned in his sleep, and the way he anticipated enemies in all the shadows of the buildings, and how he bayoneted behind curtains for “spies” and how he claimed, “No man may kill me by bullet alone” and of this, tangled rabble Abraham could only sigh, could only say, “We must use those instruments at hand” and thus they set out to annihilate the enemy.'
And this isn't just one unique paragraph, the entire book is laid out in such a fashion.
As I was reading this book, toward the middle I couldn't help but to wonder whether I loved or hated it. It is definitely not something you can just pick up and casually peruse. To paraphrase Sir Francis Bacon, this one is to be chewed and digested. I wouldn't recommend it for everyone, as it is not a story in the direct fashion. It reminded me of the writing style of McCarthy's Blood Meridian, so if you like that sort of indirect storytelling style, you may very will digest this book as I certainly did.
This is a book that will definitely stick with me for a good long while. Book hangover. No more reading for me today.
This book, in my mind, seemed as if it was written as sort of a Biblical Scripture. It was a Biblical writing of American history. I've personally never been a big fan of the Bible, but I can certainly dig the writing style. It worked very well in this context. For example:
'And your father was considered mad by many for the way he moaned in his sleep, and the way he anticipated enemies in all the shadows of the buildings, and how he bayoneted behind curtains for “spies” and how he claimed, “No man may kill me by bullet alone” and of this, tangled rabble Abraham could only sigh, could only say, “We must use those instruments at hand” and thus they set out to annihilate the enemy.'
And this isn't just one unique paragraph, the entire book is laid out in such a fashion.
As I was reading this book, toward the middle I couldn't help but to wonder whether I loved or hated it. It is definitely not something you can just pick up and casually peruse. To paraphrase Sir Francis Bacon, this one is to be chewed and digested. I wouldn't recommend it for everyone, as it is not a story in the direct fashion. It reminded me of the writing style of McCarthy's Blood Meridian, so if you like that sort of indirect storytelling style, you may very will digest this book as I certainly did.
This is a book that will definitely stick with me for a good long while. Book hangover. No more reading for me today.