Thursday, May 26, 2011

I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive / Steve Earle 243 p.

Surprising? This is a novel that features the ghost of Hank Williams, JFK's stop in San Antonio the day before he was assassinated, characters who consume more heroin than food, and an illegal immigrant with mysterious healing powers. The sinister priests are the only unoriginal element of the plot, but the rest was so engaging that I'll forgive Earle one cliche.

The surprise, for me, was how much I liked this story about people on the margins of 1960s society. Earle has a great sense of humor, and humanity, and has created a cast of hopeful and unforgettable characters.

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