frogglin's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Set in 1920s Alabama, "Work Like Any Other" paints a richly detailed picture of the era. The dying farm, the coal mines, the electricity works and the prison are all solid locations, each with it's own character and tone.
The main character, Roscoe, is hard to like. He has been taken from the work he loves and planted on a dusty farm and his sense of being lost and frustrated is strong. It takes a very long time for his bitterness to mellow and honestly most of it doesn't disappear.
The story is told in two time lines, Roscoe's time in prison is written in the first person which works well to mark the difference in timelines as well as giving Roscoe a voice of his own, as bitter as that may be. Although he drifts from likable to unlikable with ease, his actions and reactions always ring true.
Roscoe's wife, Marie, is less well drawn. She exists at a catalyst for some of his actions, and of course the reason he's on the farm in the first place, but her motives and emotions are never examined or explained. It's a shame in a book of so many developed characters with real stories behind them to have a major aspect of the story exist in two dimensions. The same is true of Roscoe's son, Gerald, who is there and then not as required.
Also, the dog lives.
The main character, Roscoe, is hard to like. He has been taken from the work he loves and planted on a dusty farm and his sense of being lost and frustrated is strong. It takes a very long time for his bitterness to mellow and honestly most of it doesn't disappear.
The story is told in two time lines, Roscoe's time in prison is written in the first person which works well to mark the difference in timelines as well as giving Roscoe a voice of his own, as bitter as that may be. Although he drifts from likable to unlikable with ease, his actions and reactions always ring true.
Roscoe's wife, Marie, is less well drawn. She exists at a catalyst for some of his actions, and of course the reason he's on the farm in the first place, but her motives and emotions are never examined or explained. It's a shame in a book of so many developed characters with real stories behind them to have a major aspect of the story exist in two dimensions. The same is true of Roscoe's son, Gerald, who is there and then not as required.
Also, the dog lives.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement
Moderate: Violence and Murder
Minor: Domestic abuse and Animal cruelty
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