Peckinpah: an Ultraviolent Romance
2010.01.22
i always feel like i've survived a Psychic War after reading one of D. Harlan's books. They are exhausting, but good for the [mental:] economy
Peckinpah plays out like the manifestation of the collective conscious of the Amerikan Midwest if it were, at times, being raped by the collective unconscious of the same region after absorbing and integrating the mind of a man who is good with words. If you've seen Frank Booth's intro in Blue Velvet, and thought "huh, that's weird," you've never tried to visualize the people of Dreamfield... or Pseudofoliculitis City, or Vulgaria... i have to imagine that it's what Hell must be like, though at the same time, i feel like it's always lurking behind the every-day faces in our every-day world.
Though it's a bit shorter than Wilson's other books, it's not really a collection of short stories, per se... it's a flash of... i don't know, but i feel like if you were to open the Ark of the Covenant and look inside, the entire content of this book would be burned into your mind forever. I usually have to space my reading of Wilson's books out a bit, because they are mentally demanding- which is a good thing. While you're watching reruns of Friends for the 800th time, i'm doing something to my brain that hasn't even been scientifically identified yet. Excellent use of words, outstanding visuals (you have to use imagination, kids), and the fulfillment of the promise of Ultraviolence in one quick read. Well, quick in D. Harlan Wilson terms.
Verdict: While Peckinpah seems like a quicker read than D. Harlan's other books, it's no less demanding. 5/5