What I simultaenously love and hate about SGJ's work

[Caleb]

Specifically with his more literary fiction, what I love and hate about it is the ephemeral quality of his plot, paired against the equally fleeting style of his prose. At any given time, I honestly don't know what is going on. Maybe it's all the characters, the burnt-tongue way he words sentences, maybe its simply the material, but whatever the cause is, I always feel lost.

I do believe this is Jones' intention. And I love it. I love feeling as though I am barely hanging on to something I don't quite understand. It's like overhearing a piece of a conversation and trying to create a context around it.

I've learned to read Jones page-by-page, instead of chapter by chapter. When I think of his novels as story collections, I feel better.

Anyone else?

[Richard]

Astute observation. I was SO lost during All the Beautiful Sinners, but have gone back and re-read passages numerous times (especially the intro) and re-read it twice. It gets better each time.

I always feel like there are at least 2-3 levels going on in every story:

1. Obvious plot
2. Secondary story line(s)
3. Some sort of mythology/history/lore
4. Various voices and POVs even if only "1" POV

I just got done reading It Came From Del Rio, and I always felt like there was a camera, and then, like, a tape recorder on a table somewhere, and then halfway it switches POV from Dodd to Laurie.

To me, that's what elevates his genre topics, or settings, or tone (horrific, fantastic, etc.) to a literary level.

[Colin]

For me, that's the main reason why I end up not liking Jones' work.

[Boden]

I've never really had a problem with any of it, although ATBS was a difficult read.

Del Rio was very straight forward, almost simplistic.

Demon Theory just requires a small understanding of screenplay formatting, but it is very much like reading an extensive prose treatment.

Ledfeather? I'll have to read and weigh in.

[David]

Phew, I thought the confusion was only because was reading it before bed.

I enjoy looking for the common thread, and thought of it in the style of interviews or oral biographies. Then I got to the letters, and got lost all over again. I'm on page 49 but I'm sure by the end of the letters section I'll figure it out and come out of it ready to be lost again.

[Paul]

I've gone back and read several sentences that I thought were key, or that stuck in my head. Like this one for instance:

"My face went hot and for the thousandth time I was glad I'd never had any kids on the reservation, because this is what happens. They drive off every road they can, and then, because it hasn't started hurting yet, whichever one can still walk does, to the nearest light, his face packed with windshield glass."

I'm only on page 20, but I have realized that I don't know if the narrator is male or female. I suppose this will become more clear.

Enjoying the story so far. I haven't become confused yet, but maybe it's because I'm still near the beginning.