"Death ain’t picky when it comes to things like that. It takes you when it takes you and then leaves you to cope without the least bit of instructions on how you’re supposed to do it."
The story places the reader in the Dust Bowl (Nowhere, Oklahoma) in the mid-1930s. Daily dust storms are sapping the town of hope and energy and despair is on the rise when Jeremiah Goodbye returns home. Convicted of killing four men and turned in by his twin brother Josiah, a freak storm saves him during his electrocution. Dubbed the Coin-Flip Killer, he rescues a young Peter Cotton (and his typewriter), who is being sold by his own mother, on his way home.
Peter seems simple in mind, repeating whatever is said to him. Jeremiah's return is controversial with some remembering his contributions to the town while others, including the local sheriff, remember his drunk and disorderly behavior. Josiah worries that his wife Ellen still carries a torch for Jeremiah. When a really bad black duster hits town, almost all residents become catatonic until Jeremiah, Peter and a reporter named Rose lift the town up with their love, forgiveness and kindness. Engaging characters, strong symbolism, with an underlying element of magical realism - a mesmerizing combination of supernatural and real.
Striking descriptions plucked at all senses while sharp visuals danced through my brain. I could almost hear the wind and smell/taste/feel the grit of the relentless dust that permeated every scene. Their despair and exhaustion wafted across the pages. I also felt low-energy as they grew increasingly listless and despondent. But in addition to all that was the eeriness of the sixth sense and unexplainable good/evil type forces at play. I was fully invested in this startling and peculiar family drama from beginning to end and despite the arduousness of the tale; I was well pleased and fully satisfied with the journey.
