Killer Diller

Having read Walking Across Egypt, I knew that this would be a funny, touching novel. On the back cover blurb, it references "cornpone" characters, but I found the characters true to life, and the social analysis is on target as well. Highly enjoyable!

I wrote the above before reading the comments about it being a racist novel. I have to say i am very puzzled that anyone would find it racist. Perhaps the concern was in the portrayal of Shanita, the young black woman who resents the white people around her and calls them names inside her head. I found her a rather sympathetic character, and felt that what we were seeing was s young woman who would mature over time and whose portrayal was realistic. Her thinking is not nuanced, but that show more seemed an accurate characterization. When my brother saw me reading this book, her said, "Oh, that's a great book," and that is from someone who reads only a few books a year, if that. Our mother gave it to him when he was young and I can think of at least one other person I would like to share this book with. show less

Recognizable characters in a scathing portrayal of modern white Southern Baptist culture. I could easily imagine a tv series based on Killer Diller. The novel did fizzle out as if Edgerton couldn't figure out an ending. Great dialogue with greater thoughts behind the oratory, but there won't much to the well-reviewed dialect.

I usually really like this author's books. This one was a little different. I couldn't get into the plot and the characters were too simplistic and one dimensional. Previous books included some humor, especially with some of his older characters. There is an older character in this book, but she did not play a very big part in the plot.