'One D.O.A., One on the Way' by Mary Robison is, in my personal opinion, a Tour de Force. The story is focused on the main character, Eve Broussard, her husband Adam, who was recently diagnosed with acute Hepatitis C, and his side of a well-to-do, dysfunctional family residing in post-Katrina New Orleans. Eve is a location scout by profession and the story revolves around her relationships with the various family members: her crumbling marriage to Adam, her affair with Adam's identical twin brother Saunders, her attempts to maintain her friendship with Saunder's wife Petal, trying to protect and understand her niece Collie, and luke-warm attempts at establishing a successful working relationship with her intern Lucien.

The cynical and jaded view of the world Eve lives in sets the tone for this witty, sarcasm-laced novella. The story is unpredictable, written as a disjointed compilation of events with a "Pulp Fiction' feel to it, minus the excess blood and gore. While a work of fiction, Robison has interspersed throughout the book factoids regarding New Orleans and the state of Louisiana post-Katrina that remind the reader of the true devastation Katrina caused.

In all, a brilliant work of fiction with raw, minimalist language that screams from the rooftops for all to hear. ( )