Big Machine

One of those books that makes me realize that sometimes it's harder to talk about a book you love than a book that didn't do much for you. Objectively anyway.

Something this book does well is the first-person narration of Ricky Rice. The feeling is that he's right in the room with you, talking to you personally about his story. He's also amusing. It's not a hilarious book, but Ricky's way of looking at the world includes seeing the absurd and the humor even in the darkest situation.

When trying to categorize, I initially put this book into “horror” because there are references to cosmic horror/Lovecraft. Reading again, I'm thinking perhaps magical realism as the supernatural stuff is there to draw out Ricky's character development and not as the main focus of the story. We see Ricky go through two traumatic, near-death experiences and how they affected his life. The supernatural elements guide him towards believing in something outside of himself.

There are a lot of different themes here: faith vs. doubt, survivor guilt, fatherhood and parenting issues, revolution, and economic disparity are just a few.

I found this by chance at the library one day; the unusual cover attracted me (the red line that wraps around), and the blurb on the back sold me on reading it. I'm glad I did. It's a quirky, offbeat novel that's worth a shot. My enjoyment of The Big Machine inspired me to track down everything LaValle had available.