James Wilcox

The first and so far only James Wilcox work I have read. Understated, charming prose which reserves its greatest affection for the Louisiana landscape. Its people are rendered as grotesques, albeit with a deft and sensitive touch. The book is without plot, although not necessarily to its detriment, and certainly not without tension. No real ending, and no real profundity. A young Joyce pulled it off in Dubliners, this sort of "superficially superficial" social observation, but Wilcox doesn't show more quite crack it. There may be very little at the heart of this book beyond the talented traducing of the young writer's home and upbringing, to please the metropolitan readership to which he aspired. It is very gentle all the same. Not unenjoyable, and short. show less

Subtle, humorous and just a great little book. Will definitely be reading more by James Wilcox if they're all as clever as this.

A slight fiction, but entertaining. Sometimes it tries too hard (and tries too hard in the specific field of eccentric Louisianans). But the tale of an odd man, his odd brother, his odd not-so-girlfriends was amusing.

His writing style is a little disjointed, but once I got used to it I really enjoyed it. The plotline was minimnal, it was mainly just a comical slice of life of these interesting, quirky characters in a Louisana town. Not your typical Southern book though; these people are complex.