Water, Wasted, Alex Branson, Rare Bird Books, 2020, 283 pp
The final Nervous Breakdown Book Club selection of 2020 is possibly the weirdest novel I have ever read, but there was a lot I liked about it. As in Lord The One You Love Is Sick, it is set in a small town, this time in Missouri, right on the Missouri River.
The author grew up in Missouri, he likes to work for nonprofits that actually help people, and he runs an unusual podcast where every episode is the first episode without any sequels, or something like that.
Central to the story are a middle-aged divorced couple, Barrett and Amelia, who lost their only child, a daughter named Edi. That loss destroyed their marriage leaving them each to become rather isolated eccentrics. The violent death of a teenage boy touches both of them in different ways but prompts them to reconnect and reflect on Edi's passing.
Several other odd characters of the town turn out to have their own connections to Barrett, including an involved story concerning lots of dogs, a talking goat, a Bigfoot-like entity that ravages the countryside, and a G-man (supposedly a government agent who acts more like an alien.)
The story circles around, back into the past, and through many instances of the Missouri River flooding. During her short life, Edi wrote several fantasy books in which the goat, Bigfoot and the G-man figured. When these entities show up in town, Barrett and Amelia read Edi's books for the first time, trying to make sense of it all. What did she know and was it connected with her death?
I only recommend the novel to those who truly love the weird. It is like China Mieville decided to write a story set in small town America. I can't quite explain why I liked it, but I did. It made me think of some of the people and ideas that seem to have taken over our country in recent years and wonder if they didn't come out of a speculative genre or some parallel universe.
Thanks once again to another Los Angeles based indie publisher, Rare Bird Books, and to The Nervous Breakdown for sending the book out.
this sounds like its right down my alleyway! if i could get it free, i'd read it, cheapskate that i am, haha when was it published?
ReplyDeleteI thought you might be intrigued! It was just published at the end of 2020 as a paperback. You might be able to find it cheap at a used books site. I like Better World Books. Always free shipping.
DeleteWow, what a book!! Can't quite decide if I want to add this novel to my ever growing reading wishlist or not. I do like weird books.
ReplyDeleteI understand your indecision. For what it is worth, I never regret adding books to my TBR lists, even when I am pretty sure I will never get to them. Sometimes when I can't figure out what I want to read next, I read through some of those lists and find just the thing. Maybe I should make a list of weird books, but how would I know until I read it?
DeleteLOL - Wait to you see my 2021 Reading Plans... [grin]
DeleteWe are waiting!
DeleteDoes it get the award for your weirdest book ever?! The story of Edi sounds sad ... but I sort of had to laugh about Bigfoot and G-man ... sounds like someone was into the marijuana brownies hmm
ReplyDeleteActually after I posted the review I started thinking about the weird books I have read. This is up near the top of the list. I have read weirder. But yes, it also made me laugh, it has a sort of humor and a lot of intelligence behind it. I think the brownies have a good chance of being involved. LOL!
DeleteWeird certainly seems to be an apt descriptive word for this quirky plot as you summarize it. Not sure I'm up for that right now, but I'm placing it on my back burner for later consideration.
ReplyDeleteI understand. Back burners are a fine place to keep possibles.
DeleteI do like weird but it hasn't been working for me lately - probably too much interference in my reading and inability to focus. But I'll pencil it for future. I like the whole plot idea - how the strange events help the parents heal (if it does).
ReplyDeleteI have not been able to read much for two days. That is so unusual for me. Looking forward to less stressful days.
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