Smoke City

In the near future, ghosts referred to as “smokes” have started appearing in southern California and northern Mexico, with Los Angeles as smoke central. These ghosts don’t go ‘boo’; they do not interact with people at all. They just show up, do their thing, and disappear.

Mike Vale lives in Portland, OR. Once the most highly praised young artist in the US, for years he’s been a self-destructive drunk who hasn’t painted a thing. Upon getting word that his ex-wife has suddenly died, he feels he must get down to LA for her funeral. He begins a guilt driven road trip.

Marvin Deitz owns a vintage record store, and is being evicted by the mob connected landlord. He is on a short leash with his therapist, because he’s been open show more about his belief that he is the reincarnation of the executioner who lit the fire that killed Joan of Arc. He also figures he’s about to die, since not once in his many, many lifetimes has he lived past 57- and his birthday is in a few days (he remembers every one of his lives). When he sees a woman on a TV talk show who claims to be the reincarnation of Joan of Arc, he feels he must talk with her and maybe, at long last, be forgiven for what he did. He needs a ride to LA.

Casper is a nerd who dreams of being a ghost hunter. He figures that the smokes are a great opportunity to become one and have his own reality show- but he has no car.

So this odd trio ends up on the freeway heading south to LA. Everything that can go wrong, does. While all three are on quests, it’s pretty much a character driven book. It’s sort of like a grail quest mashed up with “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas”.

I really enjoyed this book. For all the grim story lines dealing with guilt and alcoholism, it was amusing. I ended up liking all the characters (even Mike), and was happy with how the story turned out. This is only the second book by this author, and I see he’s grown since the first one (which was also very good). Four and a half stars. show less

Mike Vale was once the hottest young artist in an over-heated artistic world; now he’s a raging, self-destructive alcoholic who has pushed away everyone and everything that he ever loved. When he learns of his ex-wife’s death, he resolves to drive from Portland, Oregon, to Los Angeles for her funeral. He picks up a passenger, Marvin Deitz, who has troubles of his own: aside from losing his record store, he’s plagued by memories of his life as Geoffroy Therage, the executioner who burned Joan of Arc to death. Marvin believes he’s found Joan’s reincarnated spirit, in a woman who happens to be in LA, and he sees Mike’s offer of a ride as a portent. So these two strangely damaged men go on a road trip, one that also involves the show more increasing presence of “smokes,” ghosts of ordinary people doing ordinary things in extraordinary times….I was given an ARC of this novel, to be released in January 2018, by Meerkat Press, and I’m very glad they chose to send it to me. Quite profane for much of the time, our two anti-heroes are not the most likable of characters, but they’re compelling and, in the end, beautiful in their own ways. I found "Smoke City" to be a highly original and deeply human novel of barely controlled chaos and the surprising power of human connection and love. Look for it when it arrives in January of 2018! show less

Keith Rosson may have a new fangirl in me.

This was such a weird & fascinating tale & I say that with the highest praise. Cool concept, well-done, & straddles the line between literary fiction & odder elements weaving through the story. It's quite character-driven & these characters really do confront their pasts, presents, & futures, digging deep to face some ugly truths, examining themselves, reckoning with their acts, atoning, & offering some serious, some funny, & definitely some heartfelt moments from start to finish. There are many topics at play, lots of fodder for thought & discussion; I won't go into all that & will, instead, suggest you just read it.

I'll also say that I love the cover art & was impressed to find out Rosson did show more his own art. After reading a little more about him, I learned he's mainly an illustrator & graphic artist (designing artwork for bands such as Green Day & the Goo Goo Dolls). If writing is his side gig, wow, what absolute talent! (Read this article he wrote a few years ago: What It’s Like To Be A Legally Blind Illustrator And Graphic Designer.)

Oregon Public Broadcasting did an interview with Portland-based Rosson in 2018: Take A Weird Road Trip In Keith Rosson's Latest Novel, 'Smoke City'.

I loved it. Not sure it would be quite to everyone's taste, but if you're in the mood for a weird & intriguing road trip book, take a look at this one. I think it might surprise you. show less

Marvin Deitz is struggling: his landlord is trying to evict him from his record shop; his therapist is concerned about his sanity and his heart is being broken by the suffering he sees on the children’s oncology ward where he volunteers for four hours a week. If all of that wasn’t enough he knows that he won’t live beyond his imminent fifty seventh birthday. He knows this for a certainty because he is the reincarnation of the French executioner who lit Joan of Arc’s pyre in 1431 and, for over six hundred years, he has lived countless other lives, many of which were very short but none has ever lasted beyond fifty seven, the age he was when he lit the fire. Then a chance viewing of a woman on a Los Angeles chat show, claiming to show more be a reincarnation of Joan, fills him with hope that he will finally have an opportunity to make reparation, to rid himself of the guilt he has lived with for more than six hundred years. He just has to go and track her down so he immediately sets off to hitch a lift to Los Angeles. Within minutes of sticking his thumb up he is picked up by Mike Vale, a previously successful but now alcoholic, non-productive artist who is fighting his own demons and is on his way to the city for his ex-wife’s funeral. Along the way they give a lift to Casper, a young man who is also desperate to get to the city because he wants to make a show about the “smokes”, ghostly apparitions which have been appearing throughout Southern California and New Mexico. Who are they? Why have they suddenly started to appear? What are they looking for?
Keith Rosson has created three flawed but memorable characters in this compelling novel – even his more minor characters felt fully-formed and convincing. The story switches from the present day to past events, from first to third person; it combines history with magical realism and the paranormal; it is full humour often deliciously dark, reflections on the meaning of life, of the search for forgiveness and redemption, of political satire – and much, much more. There are so many genre-defying elements to the story that when I first started reading I wondered how it could possibly be translated into a convincing whole but, in a quite brilliantly inventive way, the author has managed to do just that.
From the powerful opening introduction to the final sentence I felt totally engaged, with both the storyline and with the characters, so much so that I felt a real sense of loss when I had to leave them behind as I turned the final page. The author’s writing is so evocative that, not only did I feel a strong sense that I was accompanying these characters on their journey, but I also felt that I could see the countryside they were travelling through and felt caught up in their experiences of the ethereal and compelling “smokes”. There was never a moment when I didn’t believe in the developing story and I think this is a reflection of the author’s skill in creating such multi-layered characters who seem to leap off the page to make themselves known. I loved the way in which he explored their developing friendship as they travelled towards their respective “destinations”, and how he made even their most deviant behaviour understandable and worthy of empathy. I enjoyed the way in which he creatively wove historical events into the story, his use of allegory and I appreciated the hint of the Jungian concept of a collective unconscious, of patterns repeating themselves down the generations and an ongoing search for resolution. The passages where he described methods of torture in 14th century Europe made for very disturbing reading, not only because they captured the degrading nature of man’s inhumanity to man in such a powerfully visceral way, but because they served as a reminder that men are still capable of similar outrages.
Keith Rosson tackles so many themes in this book that it feels impossible to do justice to all of them but some of the major ones focus on the nature of guilt, shame, despair, forgiveness, absolution, redemption, addiction, the search for salvation, our inter-dependence as human beings and a need to make the most of the life we lead. At times, there is an almost Kafkaesque nature to the writing which makes the story-telling not only convincing in our increasingly complex world but, for this reader, even more compelling. There is so much in the story that is thought-provoking, full of ironical observations and which challenges corruption and complacency. Yet, ultimately, this felt like a story about hope, about love and about the essential decency of people.
This was a hugely satisfying, cohesive and enjoyable personal read and it would make an ideal choice for reading groups, not only because of the varied themes, but also because the literary quality of Keith Rosson’s writing is truly remarkable and, at times, quite breath-takingly beautiful. This is his second published novel (although he has written lots of short stories) and I find myself hoping that his third won’t be too long in coming! A final point, but one which added to my enjoyment because it somehow set the scene for the “quirky” nature of this story, I must mention the author’s own design for the book jacket – it feels perfect!
I cannot praise this book highly enough but I hope that what I have written will convince you to buy yourself a copy and discover for yourself what a remarkable writer Keith Rosson is and what a unique, highly imaginative voice he has as a story-teller.
I received my copy of this book from Library Thing, in exchange for an honest review. show less

Ridiculously original, I can't even think of a book to compare this too. Joan of Arc's executioner has been reincarnated time and again and finds himself living a droll existence as a record store owner in Portland, Oregon. Marvin has never lived past 57 so he knows his time is near. He's all but resigned to the fact when he sees a woman on a daytime talk show claim to be Joan of Arc reincarnated. Is this it? Is this Marvin's chance to break the cycle of reincarnation and make amends for killing Saint Joan? He starts to hitchhike down to LA to find Joan of Arc and in the process joins Mike Vale, a former art icon and current drunk. Their road trip turns out to be more than adventurous. Their trip is dotted with smokes, ghostly show more apparitions that are starting to appear on the east coast. Know one knows what smokes want, but they they don't hang around long. Hundreds appear and disappear and a sense of doom is falling over California. Ghosts, booze, sarcasm, and a 14th century reincarnated executioner make this novel and unforgettable and fun read. show less

A spectacularly wise and smart piquaresque, unlike anything I have read before. It is unquestionably the first book I have read with dual timelines (with the same character) in the 15th and 21st centuries. Marvin is an executioner, in demand and hated, and he is charged with burning Joan of Arc. The universe (God?) sentences him to never die, or rather to keep dying and to come back as other people. We spend most of the time in Marvin's first and current lives, but there are moments spent with his other incarnations. When we meet Marvin he is in his 50's, close to the oldest age he has achieved, and he knows he must get Joan's forgiveness to ever rest. Knowing that he is about to be involuntarily committed to a psychiatric facility show more (even the kindest of therapists is going to have a hard time accepting that he is the reincarnated killer of a saint) he hits the road, leaving his record shop in Portland and heading west where it appears Joan has come back as well. He is picked up by Mike, once an art world it-boy, now an broken down drunk unable to hold on to fast food jobs. Mike is trying to get to his ex-wife's funeral in LA -- she is the only person he has ever loved and he wants to make up a little for being such a terrible partner if only by seeing her off. Mike an Marvin have adventures, one of which connects then to Casper. A weird as hell but healing friendship forms and they all chase their goals to SoCal, a place suddenly overrun by ghosts.

The book is uneven. It drags in several parts. One of the primary characters, Casper, is underwritten as are a few of the secondary characters. There are a few vignettes that do nothing but distract from the story. But all of this is easy to forgive because Mike and Marvin, are enthralling and their stories are brilliantly told and the points Rosson is making are so well made. In the end this is a book about grace, and about accepting that the point of penance is not to be granted forgiveness, the point is to do the work every day of atoning, to be better and to put good things into the world to counterbalance the bad things you have put into the world. Highly recommend this one! show less

This is one of those books you pick up simply because the description is so bizarre you have to see how this is going to come together. Those books are usually train wrecks, but this one...this one is remarkable.

“Smoke City” isn't a book that pulls punches. Its characters start at low points, and you follow them on the way to the bottom. Rosson is painfully honest about what that journey can look like, and I found I had to take a couple of breaks from this along the way. It's not going to be a book for everyone, but I found it to be incredibly imaginative and vivid (some of the description is just breathtaking), and ultimately, touching without being trite or preachy. It's hard to go into detail without ruining some of the show more surprises, so I'll settle for saying: if the description has piqued your interest, give the first couple of chapters a try. If you like what you read, you're in for quite a trip.

Disclaimer: I received a free advance copy from LibraryThing. (Hopefully, the typos have been caught in the transition from advance to final!) An honest review was requested in exchange, but not required. show less