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Loading... Freezer Burn (2001)by Joe R. Lansdale
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. Earlier book(1999) from Joe R. Lansdale, the writing wasn't quite as good as his more recent books; seemed to have a good many odd similes and metaphors. The story was obviously inspired by books like The Postman Always Rings Twice and Double Indemnity, but with a twist I didn't see coming. Well worth the read and searching out (seems to be out of print, I found this one at our library) ( ) "Bill Roberts decided to rob the firecracker stand on account he didn't have a job and not a nickel's worth of money and his mother was dead and kind of freeze-dried in her bedroom." Great first line to this novel! Freak show and carnival! Dog-man and bearded lady having sex on the roof of a motor home! Deputy Cocksucker! James Dean/Jimmy Dean conundrum! All strange and fun to read! I'd have given this 5 stars but I didn't like, nor really understand, the ending. At his best, Joe R. Lansdale is a rollicking read, full of humour and a dash or two of weirdness. "Freezer Burn" isn't quite his best but the book still delivers some laughs and a fantastic array of characters, including pinheads and chaps with hands growing out of their back. A dumb but handsome man gets involved with a travelling circus, and even more involved with the wife of the owner of said circus. Certainly worth tracking down if you're a fan of Lansdale, or even if you just want more laughs than usual out of a book. While I have been a fan of Joe Lansdale since my first viewing of Bubba Ho-Tep, this was the first novel of his I had the chance to read. His irreverent, mildly off-putting brand of storytelling and strange characters were a pleasure. This is pure pulp, both in story and delivery, and it delivers a hard-to-put-down read. I found myself staying up at night just to read a few more chapters. If you're a fan of oddball characters with serious flaws, freaks, or just enjoy a good hard-boiled, pulpy crime novel; this book is for you. no reviews | add a review
Bill is a loser. He has no job and no money and no mother ... his mother was dead and kind of freeze-dried in her bedroom. She doesn't smell as bad as she used to, but her welfare checks are piling up and he doesn't feel smart enough to forge her signature. So he decides to rob the firecracker stand across the highway from his house, for cash and maybe a few loud bangs into the bargain. The heist goes horribly wrong and Bill winds up on the run with a freak show: Ulysses S Grant the bearded lady, Double Buckwheat the Siamese twins and Conrad the dog man. Plus Gidget, the trailer-trash hot blonde; could it be that Bill's loser days are over? Nope... No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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