The book opens following after car accident, with Patrick encountering two angelic beings, whose influence he feels through a series of bizarre relationships and psychedelic psychological experiences. Soon after moving out of his parents’ home into his first apartment, he also meets Cat and Jonas, two free spirits with their own issues and competitive tendencies, who haunt Patrick’s life for the next several years.
Patrick’s inner life is richly imagined and fantastically sublime. The author is expert at drawing word-pictures, and the stream-of-consciousness style gives the reader the illusion of really being inside Patrick’s head. The characters are complicated and interesting, with only enough of their personalities revealed to make them intriguing and three-dimensional. The extra-worldly experiences Patrick undergoes blend seamlessly with his “real” life, adding richness and color.
This is not a book, however, for those seeking an exciting plot or a vigorous series of events. Very little actually happens, other than people hooking up with other people in relationships devoid of much emotion or sense. The effect is one of wandering through an emotional haze, which can get a bit tedious. The reader is left wondering exactly what is going on, and why it is in any way important. The resolution is odd, poetic, and interesting, but does not seem to have much relevance to the rest of the story.
This is a difficult book to understand, and perhaps, like some things in life it is better to simply experience it. But a reader looking for a way into someone else’s head for an interestingly psychedelic experience will no doubt enjoy it.
Reviewed by Catherine Langrehr for IndieReader