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whatthefridge's review
4.0
This can be a hit or miss depending on your familiarity with the dark side of folklore and the repercussions of making deals with other beings.
Allen is a forty-something gay man working at a dead end job, and he has come to terms with the fact that, just as his penis will never get bigger, his life won't ever get grander. Destry chooses him, of all people, to bring into his world of money and power.
Their relationship is gripping in an uncomfortable way. Allen is submissive to Destry because he lacks confidence. His penis being small becomes symbolic, a constant reminder that Allen is a nobody in a world of successful, virile men. He objectifies himself, and it's scary because he has a void Destry can exploit. Allen is magnetized to Destry, almost against his will. Destry, meanwhile, is overbearing and domineering, putting Allen in highly awkward situations, and when Allen tries to lash out, Destry begs for forgiveness. You want to hate him, but you can't.
Destry is a warlock, as the title implies. He's a business man who is ruthless when it comes to manipulation, but he didn't get to be this way on his own. When you bargain with supernatural beings, you lose more than you gain. Allen finds himself immersed in this world of supernatural, and the "others" are quick to start their schemes against him as well.
The colorful descriptions are paired with a stream of consciousness I can relate to. It's that urge to step outside of yourself paired with the burden of a low self-esteem. The roller-coaster of emotions Allen feels is coupled by the constant questions of Why. The answers, however, come at a high, painful cost.
I would have given this novel five stars if it weren't for two reasons:
1) That cover. As awesome as it is to look at, it captures only a fraction of what the story is about. Additionally, I couldn't read it on the train for this reason.
2) The narrative is supposed to wrap around itself because it starts at the end, but it doesn't quite achieve this (at least for me). Don't get me wrong, the beginning is highly compelling and the ending evokes intense emotions with great closure. I just think it works best as a purely linear narrative.
{Check out this review at Entropy Alarm Reviews}
Allen is a forty-something gay man working at a dead end job, and he has come to terms with the fact that, just as his penis will never get bigger, his life won't ever get grander. Destry chooses him, of all people, to bring into his world of money and power.
Their relationship is gripping in an uncomfortable way. Allen is submissive to Destry because he lacks confidence. His penis being small becomes symbolic, a constant reminder that Allen is a nobody in a world of successful, virile men. He objectifies himself, and it's scary because he has a void Destry can exploit. Allen is magnetized to Destry, almost against his will. Destry, meanwhile, is overbearing and domineering, putting Allen in highly awkward situations, and when Allen tries to lash out, Destry begs for forgiveness. You want to hate him, but you can't.
Destry is a warlock, as the title implies. He's a business man who is ruthless when it comes to manipulation, but he didn't get to be this way on his own. When you bargain with supernatural beings, you lose more than you gain. Allen finds himself immersed in this world of supernatural, and the "others" are quick to start their schemes against him as well.
The colorful descriptions are paired with a stream of consciousness I can relate to. It's that urge to step outside of yourself paired with the burden of a low self-esteem. The roller-coaster of emotions Allen feels is coupled by the constant questions of Why. The answers, however, come at a high, painful cost.
I would have given this novel five stars if it weren't for two reasons:
1) That cover. As awesome as it is to look at, it captures only a fraction of what the story is about. Additionally, I couldn't read it on the train for this reason.
2) The narrative is supposed to wrap around itself because it starts at the end, but it doesn't quite achieve this (at least for me). Don't get me wrong, the beginning is highly compelling and the ending evokes intense emotions with great closure. I just think it works best as a purely linear narrative.
{Check out this review at Entropy Alarm Reviews}
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