Think you have an off-color sense of humor? Like Archie Bunker? Chris Rock? Do you enjoy South-Parkesque inappropriateness openly, or do you hide it in the closet?
Rhetorical questions, but important ones if you are faint of heart. After finish Practical Demonkeeping, I have to say I am thrilled to have 3 more of Moore's books on my reading list this year.
This was an incredibly fun book, and apparently the first one he wrote. I seriously hope they make this into a movie because it is hard to read when I'm laughing and my eyes are squinty from the giggles. The characters are relatable - small town folks, transplants, everyone with a secret or a past. Small town myths and legends upset by things so unfathomable that they are readily believed, yet a naivety that reminds me there are good people in the world.
One of the subtle messages I enjoyed was of the main character, Travis. Perhaps it is the wine talking, or just the fact I thoroughly enjoyed this book. However, in Travis it became clear that judging someone on the basis of their actions only partially finished draws the wrong conclusions. Spoiler alert: Travis spends his entire lifetime trying to make things right, sacrificing so much of his own life and joy along the way in order to protect as many people as possible.
In Travis I found myself connecting as I reflect on my own story, my own journey. Thankfully I didn't use Solomon's Seal and unleash a demon that is bound to my will for the next 60 years - but it is interesting to reflect on how quickly we are conditioned to judge others, and what possibilities can exist when we set aside those judgments to let the story unfold. (Another spoiler alert - there are good people in the world who do let stories unfold, and I'm so thankful to be growing from their examples).
Practical Demonkeeping is entertaining, and I'm looking forward to when my boys are old enough that they can laugh right alongside with me reading Moore's work.
Happy Reading!
Jennifer
No comments:
Post a Comment