kcmoss's review
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Hal Bennett’s Lord of Dark Places is an older book, published in 1970, that you won’t find on TikTok, that I doubt many have read. Still, it is a book that will stick with me forever. The writing was perversely poetic, funny, and touching. Hal Bennett is criminally underrated as this is undoubtedly one of the most original, thought provoking books I’ve ever read. Like the back cover says, it’s truly eclectic as it’s part satire, myth, blues, bildungsroman, detective thriller, social commentary, and parable. For these reasons, I’d rate it 5/5 stars. But this book is not for the faint of heart as it can be extremely hard to read (tw: incest, child SA, cult religion, racism, lynching, homophobia, war, body horror, murder, rape).
If you’re still interested, this book follows the life of a Black man, Joe, from 12 to 30 whose grandfather was lynched and castrated by white men for winking at a white woman, whose father (a product of incest) witnesses and kills his wife (Joe’s mother), and starts “grooming” his son as the next Black Messiah, or “the one who comes before Him.” Joe’s father creates this new religion based on his critique of Christianity centering the naked Black male and his penis as an affirmation of Blackness and the repudiation of the subhumaness of Blackness the religion teaches. Joe’s father teaches him to “always give in when you’re tempted. That way you’ll never have problems with your conscience” and Joe proceeds to live a life stained by sex, drugs, struggle, and brutality. The novel contains different stories and stages of Joe’s life, several themes, and a pointed discussion about what it means to be Black in America. It is as important as it is graphic and violent.
I was really hesitant to recommend this book, but I think it’s a satisfying challenge for even the most avid reader. If you decide to pick it up, PLEASE let me know what you think. If you’ve already read this- I like your taste and trust your book recommendations implicitly.
mess_egress's review
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
commykaze's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
fne's review
challenging
dark
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
elturko64's review
5.0
This is a strange, incredible, thought provoking book. It's probably one of the greatest books I've ever read yet at the same time I don't know if I can recommend it due to its intense, messed up scenes. Right away this book shows you how twisted and disturbing this book is going to be and it doesn't stop until the last page. The story is about a man named Joe Market and how messed up his life is and that's pretty much it. The style is a mixture Cormac MacCarthy and Iceberg Slim with a lot of lustful themes thrown in.
However not everything is all doom and gloom in this book. It can be loving, hilarious, sincere and the author try to bridge the divide between races, sexes, politics and religion. What really stuns me is that the book goes into so many different genres within a snap of a finger. comedy, detective murder mystery, romantic fatalism, southern gothic, a Vietnam story, and even a buddy comedy. The characters are well written even though most of them are jaded, warped characters they are still fascinating. Then there's the actual writing itself which is perfect. This book is filled with powerful quotes that left me reeling. Without a doubt this is the greatest transgressive novel I've ever read. There is no other book like this and this story will stay with me for the rest of my life.
"The human condition sometimes it carries us to salvation in strange ways. And it requires so many sacrifices, so many. it's the only proof that we love, when we sacrifice. If sacrifice is strange enough, great enough, we say that a man or a woman is a hero. Are you a hero, my son?"
"I found out a long time ago that the duty of the church is not to save sinners, but to make a man sin. It is a fear of the example of Christ that causes good men to turn bad. Follow the example of this man, the church says, and you'll wind up on the cross just like he did. The promise of heaven is pale indeed when a man has to die in order to achieve it."
However not everything is all doom and gloom in this book. It can be loving, hilarious, sincere and the author try to bridge the divide between races, sexes, politics and religion. What really stuns me is that the book goes into so many different genres within a snap of a finger. comedy, detective murder mystery, romantic fatalism, southern gothic, a Vietnam story, and even a buddy comedy. The characters are well written even though most of them are jaded, warped characters they are still fascinating. Then there's the actual writing itself which is perfect. This book is filled with powerful quotes that left me reeling. Without a doubt this is the greatest transgressive novel I've ever read. There is no other book like this and this story will stay with me for the rest of my life.
"The human condition sometimes it carries us to salvation in strange ways. And it requires so many sacrifices, so many. it's the only proof that we love, when we sacrifice. If sacrifice is strange enough, great enough, we say that a man or a woman is a hero. Are you a hero, my son?"
"I found out a long time ago that the duty of the church is not to save sinners, but to make a man sin. It is a fear of the example of Christ that causes good men to turn bad. Follow the example of this man, the church says, and you'll wind up on the cross just like he did. The promise of heaven is pale indeed when a man has to die in order to achieve it."
bcrumpton's review
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5