The Thicket

A bit of entertaining ultra-violence.

I saw the whole book as movie in my head, which is weird for me. I couldn't decide if the Cohen brothers or Tarantino should take a wack at it. Either the meaninglessness of our endeavors are what saves us, or the righteousness of our actions makes us what we are in the end. It could go either way depending on where you get shot and what body part you lose.

Definitely a good book. It made for excellent for summer reading on the porch.

Fleeing the smallpox that kills his parents, Jack Parker, his sister Lula and their Grandfather encounter some very bad men on a river-crossing, ending with Jack alone and Lula carried off. His efforts to rescue his sister are bolstered by an unlikely pair of bounty-hunters and their hog, and he soon finds his faith and his set ideas tested by what he encounters on the trail.

It's Lansdale, so you know to expect the unexpected, but this is a marvelously palatable mix of Tom Sawyer and True Grit, pitching the compassionate against the mindlessly violent, with a little help from the more mindfully violent to keep them more or less alive and whole. It all leads down to a dense green wilderness hideaway and a brilliantly executed, utterly show more shambolic, bloody and chaotic shootout. show less

I may have already stated this in a previous review of a Lansdale book, but even if that's the case, it's worth repeating: I don't believe Lansdale is capable of writing a bad story.

That being said, this book is nowhere near his best. Which means it's still an absolute must-read. For 98% of this novel, he's in absolute top form and Jack, as the narrator, is superb. Shorty is a fantastic creation as well. There were times when I was laughing out loud with the turns of phrase, and times when I was absolutely in utter hatred with the antagonists of the novel and their vile, evil ways. I even quoted a passage that I thought particularly brilliant on Facebook.

That quote was, "Those who refuse to consider what they do are cloaked in the show more shadow of stupidity, but they enjoy the shade." Love that line.

I had two issues with this novel. The first is a minor quibble, however the second one I felt was more impacting due to its absence.

The first was the motivation, or the impetus for the novel. Jack's sister Lula is taken. Every second she remains in the company of the villains, she's that much closer to a horrible end. Lansdale takes pains throughout the novel to keep this top of mind. And yet, none of the characters ever seem to be in much of a hurry to actually get going and stay going. I consider this one minor as Lansdale also did take some time to remind us Jack could only go as fast as his posse. So, minor quibble.

The second is a spoiler, so I'll note it as such:

At the end of the novel, when Lula is saved, she had been with them for days, maybe over a week. Throughout the novel, Lansdale paints a picture of men who would not only rape her, but likely enjoy disfiguring her, if they decided to allow her to live for a while.

And when she's saved, she confides in Jack that she's "not the same woman" as she was. And for the most part, that's it. This is someone that was serially raped, witnessed murders and god knows what else, and it seemed to be given short shrift in favour of a happy ending.



It's the only false note in the entire novel, and the only reason I gave it a four-star rating instead of five.

Still, as I said, Lansdale at his worst (and this is absolutely nowhere near his worst) is still a joy to read. So, read this. show less

I am not a fan of Joe R. Lansdale's Hap and Leonard series of novels, but his stand-alone Texas tales, such as "The Bottoms" and "A Fine Dark Line," are excellent and "The Ticket" (2013) is his best yet, at least among those I've read.

The story takes place soon after the turn of the 20th century, when automobiles have just started to appear on Texas roads, but otherwise the rural areas of the state remain a wild frontier. Jack, a teenager who narrates the tale, loses his parents to smallpox, then sees his grandfather murdered and sister Lulu kidnapped by Cut Throat Bill and his band of criminals. Like Mattie Ross in "True Grit," the boy wants to pursue the villains, but he needs help.

Jack's Rooster Cogburn turns out to be Shorty, a show more former circus midget, and Eustace, an alcoholic black man with a big shotgun and modest skills at tracking. They agree to try to rescue Lulu in exchange for Jack's newly inherited land, plus the outstanding rewards on the heads of Cut Throat Bill and the members of his gang. Along the way they are joined by Jimmie Sue, a young prostitute who falls for Jack and sees him as her ticket to a new life; Sheriff Winton, who would like a share of that bounty for himself, and Spot, a black man who cleans up the sheriff's office and goes along to make sure he gets his small reward for passing along key information about the whereabouts of the gang.

"The Thicket," named for the area where Cut Throat Bill's hideout is eventually found, is by turns a funny and violent adventure, yet it also proves to be full of poignant commentary about the human condition. Explaining to Jack about the justification for killing the bad guys, Winton says, "Life isn't just black of white, here or there; it's got some mud in it, and we're some of the mud." Later Jack himself observes, "To some extent I find sin like coffee. When I was young and had my first taste of it I found it bitter and nasty, but later on I learned to like it by putting a little milk in it, and then I learned to like it black. Sin is like that. You sweeten it a little with lies, and then you get so you can take it straight. I just didn't want to do it all the way. I wanted to keep a little milk in it." Life, in other words, is something of a thicket, a place where you can get lost but also where you can be found.

Lansdale is a fine, under-appreciated writer, and in "The Thicket" he is at his finest. show less

The Thicket - Joe R Lansdale *****

I had never heard of the author before picking up ‘The Thicket’, but he is a writer that I am sure I will keep a look out for. This was such a strange mix up of a book (western/thriller/mystery/horror) that you would never think it would all come together and work, but it really does. From the synopsis I at first thought it would be a bit silly, how can an adult book involving a dwarf and a hog tracking down a murderer make much sense?

There was very little to dislike with this novel, it was almost like reading Lonesome Dove crossed with a bit of Stephen King. The gruesome bits are well written, the action is just enough to make you want to turn the page and the storyline isn’t too predictable show more either. Every character is worth its place and there is no filler between the pages whatsoever. If ever there was a novel that needed to be made into a film, this is it. show less

For me, The Thicket cements Joe R. Lansdale’s reputation as a talented writer. He uses a rollicking action-adventure story to impart literary themes enlightening the human condition. Such is what literature should do.
For example, among the many coming of age truisms, the story forms a powerful uniform consensus against environmental degradation and waste in the reader. The protagonist outgrows the simplistic notions parents teach children about a host of subjects. He must use his moral teaching and instruction to inform his experience to find his understanding of huge concepts like religious belief.
On a personal note, as an East Texan with distant relatives hailing from the Big Thicket, I wanted the setting to serve more as an show more additional character and a more flattering portrayal of those who made their lives therein. There is also a practical plain-spoken nature to the style that some may find a little coarse, though the prose is on a strong literary footing. In fact, I would recommend this novel over Blood Meridian. The depth of man’s inhumanity is well articulated, yet the bleakness of the assertion is tempered by the genius of incorporating absurdity in the narrative. Great Work. show less

Hog, a Dwarf, and Redemption –

Joe R. Lansdale’s The Thicket grabbed me with the first sentence and wouldn’t turn loose.

As a cross-genre “mystery writer” I’m not big on fiction classifications. The Thicket, like most great books defies pigeonholing. Some would say “crime novel,” some “western,” others “thriller,” others still, “adventure.”

Regardless, The Thicket is nothing short of mastery. Character-driven story-telling at its finest, running a reader through the gauntlet of gut wrenching emotions with ease—poignant, gritty, tongue-and-cheek, and often horrific. Perfectly seasoned with Texas cornpone, this coming-of-age western tale is a delight.