All Liquored Up
Well, I haven't quite gotten through McSweeney's No. 12 yet, and I'm still smarting from my recent, er, naivete, when I took a joke literally and started the old gnashing of the teeth. So I delved into Poppy Z. Brite's novel Liquor, which has been on my bought-waiting-to-be-read pile for a long time.
What a fun read. It's very New Orleans-centric, centering around a) food and b) liquor. Protagonists Rickey and G-man are incredible likeable characters as they embark on their dream, to open a liquor-centric restaurant (i.e., all dishes feature liquor in the recipes). They encounter a quirky cast of characters as they go about achieving their dream -- they make a few friends, and make a few enemies, and there are even a few murders to thicken the saucy plot. (Saucy -- I couldn't resist!)
Although it was sort of presented as a satire, I am not sure I found it to be all that satirical but maybe I was missing some points. However, I thought it was a fun romp more than anything else, and enjoyed the act of reading it. (Though I will warn, don't read it hungry. Food is a prominent character, and I got a few cases of the munchies while turning the pages.)
And of course, it is a far cry from Lost Souls. I know Brite still fields questions about Lost Souls (check out her blog), and it seems like the popularity of her earlier work has both been a boon and a menace. I suppose there's nothing like success and fans to create that irony, where your fans aren't happy with your decision to evolve. Especially when it concerns vampy lit.
Thanks for reading,
LLB
What a fun read. It's very New Orleans-centric, centering around a) food and b) liquor. Protagonists Rickey and G-man are incredible likeable characters as they embark on their dream, to open a liquor-centric restaurant (i.e., all dishes feature liquor in the recipes). They encounter a quirky cast of characters as they go about achieving their dream -- they make a few friends, and make a few enemies, and there are even a few murders to thicken the saucy plot. (Saucy -- I couldn't resist!)
Although it was sort of presented as a satire, I am not sure I found it to be all that satirical but maybe I was missing some points. However, I thought it was a fun romp more than anything else, and enjoyed the act of reading it. (Though I will warn, don't read it hungry. Food is a prominent character, and I got a few cases of the munchies while turning the pages.)
And of course, it is a far cry from Lost Souls. I know Brite still fields questions about Lost Souls (check out her blog), and it seems like the popularity of her earlier work has both been a boon and a menace. I suppose there's nothing like success and fans to create that irony, where your fans aren't happy with your decision to evolve. Especially when it concerns vampy lit.
Thanks for reading,
LLB
posted by LadyLitBlitzin at 1:01 PM
5 Comments:
I'm one of those guilty people who's only read Lost Souls. Loved it, meant to read more and never have. This sounds interesting, though. So much of New Orleans is about food and drinking, it seems really appropriate.
I'm one of those guilty people who's only read Lost Souls. Loved it, meant to read more and never have. This sounds interesting, though. So much of New Orleans is about food and drinking, it seems really appropriate.
Yeah, I was one of those guilty people who had only read Lost Souls, until now, anyway. Lost Souls was awesome (it sounds like you agree). The part about vampires being "born" -- ew, and brilliant, really.
Actually, the McSweeney's Enchanted Chamber of Astonishing Stories has a Brite short story in it, so I'm extra looking forward to it.
The first Poppy Z. Brite story I read was "His Mouth Will Taste of Wormwood". The title pulled me in and I never left.
Hi Patina -- I never read that one! I've always meant to read more Brite but never did, until Liquor. I have a lot of catching up to do. I had heard of that story and yeah, it's one hell of a title!
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