Summary:
The American dream is dead, and Los Angeles is burning.
Stoned and porn-addicted Baxter Kent is terrified of women and anxious to make things work with a sex robot. Acid junkie Arden Coover has a useless philosophy degree and a doomed relationship he believes might save him. His younger sister Tess is considering, or resisting, a convenient but loveless marriage to a wealthy, narcissistic novelist. Richard Richter, an alcoholic insurance executive with too much money and too few scruples, is seeking toxic solace in the arms of a dangerously unhinged subordinate.
As wildfires rage, this lost and hopeless cast makes their way through the embers of Los Angeles and beyond in a desperate search for meaning and connection in a world without a future.
My Thoughts:
I really love Morrison's writing, so I jumped at the opportunity to get this book. I was not disappointed in his writing.
Baxter is probably the least developed character in this book, so I never really cared what happened to him. But the rest of the characters are more developed. The second least developed character is probably Arden, but I do care about him. He is in a sort of relationship with Rebecca, who begrudgingly tolerates his addiction, but often makes comments that if he keeps going, she won't stay. He keeps going, and she does leave, but Arden is a likeable character, so it feels crushing when it happens. Tess has a boyfriend, but she doesn't love him and considers leaving him to find actual love. However, when she finds out he cheated on her, and on top of that her mom cheated on her dad, Tess decides to end it all. Her brother is the one who finds her. Richard is a lonely guy with no friends but Lyssi, who he's sleeping with. His ex is extremely sick, and his family hates him for moving to LA and leaving her. Lyssi seems nice at first, but she's definitely not well mentally. After Richard finds his ex in the hospital with her name carved in her arm, he finds that she planted a camera in his house and ruined his car.
While most of the characters are unlikeable, Tess and Richard really stood out to me as the ones I cared the most about. No characters are perfect, and no characters are happy.
My Rating: 4 stars
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