This was a bit of a revelation! In the intro they make the point that Wilcox perhaps never attained the same reputation as his contemporaries writing about similar social issues because people didn’t know where to put him because his books were comic and funny. For me, his social comedy is what makes his book so enjoyable!
The premise of the book is that of two Louisiana brothers living together, with one of them having just got out of jail, awkwardly living in his brother’s basement den. FX, the good-looking rogue trying to make an acting career “happen” messes with the life of his supposedly strait-laced, yet also dubious, brother. Working at a local store, the ordered life and fantasies of Bobby Pickens are rocked by people’s reactions to his brother. Things in this novel get a bit questionable, but you get sucked into the drama. Who gets to spend time with who? Who is going to come out on top? Who gets the girl? Where’s the money?
This is a brilliant portrayal of a petty soul, striving to do better, yet failing. Of unemployment and inertia. Of a small community and its tensions (fictional Tula Springs, Louisiana). Of how small town reputations are made.
There’s a lot of very real social stuff here, especially the showing up of bourgeois values and how people lie to themselves about who they are. There’s some questionable stuff here too, real down-and-out chaos and even some violence. Women are objects of desire, constrained by others’ lack of imagination and base instincts. Darkness sits so close to the surface of petty gossip and community dynamics in a way that feels very real.
This kind of anti-hero caper is a great genre and I’m so glad I picked this up at the library! Love it when a random book decision works out.
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