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mwgerard's review against another edition
3.0
Ben is a delivery driver, bringing sundry items to a forgotten stretch of road in the Utah desert. His days as a driver are likely numbered if he isn’t able to collect some of the money owed to him, but he can’t bear to pressure the odd assortment of people on his route.
Walt is grumpy old man who tinkers with his vintage motorcycles. He owns the Well-Known Desert Diner that is almost never open. A pristine, retro roadside stop, Walt only gets behind the counter for certain people. Ben is one of the few people Walt will talk to — sometimes.
On a long stretch, Ben suspects he is being set up for a theft so he pulls into an abandoned neighborhood in an effort to throw them off. He accidentally finds a woman named Claire holed up in one of the empty homes. Confused and enchanted, he adds her temporary home to his list of stops.
Please read the rest of my review on my site:
ACCENT: THE NEVER-OPEN DESERT DINER
http://mwgerard.com/accent-the-never-open-desert-diner/
Walt is grumpy old man who tinkers with his vintage motorcycles. He owns the Well-Known Desert Diner that is almost never open. A pristine, retro roadside stop, Walt only gets behind the counter for certain people. Ben is one of the few people Walt will talk to — sometimes.
On a long stretch, Ben suspects he is being set up for a theft so he pulls into an abandoned neighborhood in an effort to throw them off. He accidentally finds a woman named Claire holed up in one of the empty homes. Confused and enchanted, he adds her temporary home to his list of stops.
Please read the rest of my review on my site:
ACCENT: THE NEVER-OPEN DESERT DINER
http://mwgerard.com/accent-the-never-open-desert-diner/
francomega's review against another edition
4.0
A review led me to believe that this was more noir than it is. It is noir-ish--a lot of the elements in place, plus a suitably nowhere desert locale. It's about a lonely, down-on-his-luck truck driver who stumbles upon a mysterious woman in an abandoned house along his anonymous desert route. And the most expensive cello in the world.
The writing is terrific and the story builds to a tense climax. It's probably more melancholy than noir, but there's nothing wrong with that.
The writing is terrific and the story builds to a tense climax. It's probably more melancholy than noir, but there's nothing wrong with that.
lanarafaela's review against another edition
5.0
I added this book to my to-read list years ago. I remember the exact moment it piqued my curiosity: I was at a conference in Boston and spent the time browsing the shelves of Barnes & Noble rather than actually participating in the conference.
It was then that I picked up a copy of a Mystery Scene Magazine that covered crime fiction titles in depth.
Now, I like chocolate, I like good music, but I like crime fiction best.
And from the first moment I saw The Never-Open Desert Diner's cover and the review, I knew I'd love it.
A paradox in the title?
Desert?
Diners?
It sounded like the right recipe!
Now, it took me four years to actually read it. And I probably wouldn't have, had it not been for my newfound fascination with southwestern gothic.
(For me, southwestern gothic is all about paranormal events in the desert, so you get why The Never-Open Desert Diner sounded just like my cup of whiskey.)
And here's the thing: The Never-Open Desert Diner both was and wasn't what I was expecting.
What I loved the most were the desert dwellers, the characters.
A self-proclaimed preacher carrying a cross through the desert.
A trucker who's somehow a confidante of everyone who ran away into the wild.
A mysterious woman playing the cello without playing the cello. Living on her own in an unfinished housing project.
If Anderson only talked about these characters for the entirety of his book, I'd still give it five stars.
In general, I find characters and people who said: "Fuck no, fuck this, and fuck you too" fascinating, and Anderson's characters reminded me of a passage from Ann Boyer's poem:
I think it'd be wrong to call these characters kooky. Once you've gotten to know them, you'll develop a deep understanding for them - even if you don't know why they had chosen to escape, or done what they did.
The second thing I really enjoyed was the atmosphere.
I did get a taste of my southwestern-gothic-weird from The Never-Open Desert Diner, thank you very much!
The desert is treated as a character, as something primordial.
It's the fertile soil for belief, even of the strangest kind.
Or, as Anderson puts it: "The place was a kind of odd shrine."
But there's plenty of humor on the account of living in the desert. The characters are human but they're not too serious. They light up imaginary cigarettes, burn each other cello music CDs, and end up helping each other even if they're struggling with their own shit.
In many ways, the book wasn't as serious as I expected it to be, and that's a good thing.
It jokes at its own expense, and I deeply respect that.
Finally, the plot took a while to develop but when the oven pinged, it was well-baked!
The plot would've been great on its own, but the characters really drove it forward. And if you've ever read my reviews, you know how much I like character-driven plot. There's nothing like it.
It feels real. It makes you want to shrivel up and die when something bad happens to the characters.
And this book, despite its eerie atmosphere, has plenty of heartfelt characters you'll sympathize with.
So, should you pick it up?
Absolutely.
Just don't disturb the folks out on Route 117.
It was then that I picked up a copy of a Mystery Scene Magazine that covered crime fiction titles in depth.
Now, I like chocolate, I like good music, but I like crime fiction best.
And from the first moment I saw The Never-Open Desert Diner's cover and the review, I knew I'd love it.
A paradox in the title?
Desert?
Diners?
It sounded like the right recipe!
Now, it took me four years to actually read it. And I probably wouldn't have, had it not been for my newfound fascination with southwestern gothic.
(For me, southwestern gothic is all about paranormal events in the desert, so you get why The Never-Open Desert Diner sounded just like my cup of whiskey.)
And here's the thing: The Never-Open Desert Diner both was and wasn't what I was expecting.
What I loved the most were the desert dwellers, the characters.
A self-proclaimed preacher carrying a cross through the desert.
A trucker who's somehow a confidante of everyone who ran away into the wild.
A mysterious woman playing the cello without playing the cello. Living on her own in an unfinished housing project.
If Anderson only talked about these characters for the entirety of his book, I'd still give it five stars.
In general, I find characters and people who said: "Fuck no, fuck this, and fuck you too" fascinating, and Anderson's characters reminded me of a passage from Ann Boyer's poem:
"History is full of people who just didn’t. They said no thank you, turned away, ran away to the desert, stood on the streets in rags, lived in barrels, burned down their own houses, walked barefoot through town, killed their rapists, pushed away dinner, meditated into the light. Even babies refuse, and the elderly, too. All types of animals refuse: at the zoo they gaze dead-eyed through plexiglass, fling feces at the human faces, stop having babies. Classes refuse. The poor throw their lives onto barricades. Workers slow the line. Enslaved people have always refused, poisoning the feasts, aborting the embryos. And the diligent, flamboyant jaywalkers assert themselves against traffic as the first and foremost visible, daily lesson in just not."
I think it'd be wrong to call these characters kooky. Once you've gotten to know them, you'll develop a deep understanding for them - even if you don't know why they had chosen to escape, or done what they did.
The second thing I really enjoyed was the atmosphere.
I did get a taste of my southwestern-gothic-weird from The Never-Open Desert Diner, thank you very much!
The desert is treated as a character, as something primordial.
It's the fertile soil for belief, even of the strangest kind.
Or, as Anderson puts it: "The place was a kind of odd shrine."
But there's plenty of humor on the account of living in the desert. The characters are human but they're not too serious. They light up imaginary cigarettes, burn each other cello music CDs, and end up helping each other even if they're struggling with their own shit.
In many ways, the book wasn't as serious as I expected it to be, and that's a good thing.
It jokes at its own expense, and I deeply respect that.
Finally, the plot took a while to develop but when the oven pinged, it was well-baked!
The plot would've been great on its own, but the characters really drove it forward. And if you've ever read my reviews, you know how much I like character-driven plot. There's nothing like it.
It feels real. It makes you want to shrivel up and die when something bad happens to the characters.
And this book, despite its eerie atmosphere, has plenty of heartfelt characters you'll sympathize with.
So, should you pick it up?
Absolutely.
Just don't disturb the folks out on Route 117.
dashausfrau's review against another edition
2.0
It barely held my attention & then fell back on the all-too-real cliche of child molested by her stepfather, even if it wasn't the protagonist & he never would.
Also I found myself picturing all the characters as Ed Harris.
It's possible this is brilliant & I just can't process that.
Also I found myself picturing all the characters as Ed Harris.
It's possible this is brilliant & I just can't process that.
kaybee435b2's review against another edition
4.0
I loved the first two-thirds of James Anderson’s debut novel “The Never-Open Desert Diner”. It is a well-written story about a independent trucker who makes deliveries along a desolate highway in the Utah desert. There are a wealth of colorful loners and iconoclasts, a few touching love stories, and a couple of shocking revelations and mysteries. The best part – it is truly a funny book, in fact, the best dry humor used in a desert setting that I’ve read. For me, the book hit a high point in the plot a little too early and then it slide into a desert storm washout. But life isn’t always a gorgeous sunset and sometimes, it’s enough just to stumble upon a good debut novel along the road. Anderson is a writer to check out.
debnanceatreaderbuzz's review against another edition
4.0
Ben Jones delivers packages in a remote region of Utah. His clients are odd, unsociable people. He owes money to many, and very little is coming in. And then he meets Claire, a beautiful mysterious cello player, and suddenly he is lost, much more lost than he has ever been.
The characters in this story feel as deeply real as they do desperately strange, and they seem perfectly suited for this desert region. I liked Ben Jones. I liked all the characters, in fact, and it was these peculiar characters that are the charm of the book.
The characters in this story feel as deeply real as they do desperately strange, and they seem perfectly suited for this desert region. I liked Ben Jones. I liked all the characters, in fact, and it was these peculiar characters that are the charm of the book.
tonstantweader's review against another edition
4.0
There is something old-fashioned about James Anderson’s The Never-Open Desert Diner. By old-fashioned, I guess I mean honorable and by honorable, I guess I mean something that would star someone like Humphrey Bogart or Gary Cooper. The men who were honorable even when they weren’t.
Highway 117 stretches through a hundred miles of Utah’s high desert, the home of people who will not put out mailboxes because they don’t want anything to do with the government, not even the postal service. These are people who want to be alone, who don’t do kaffeeklatsches or potlucks. They are independent people, who will lend a hand when needed, but will wait until asked. And they are slow to ask.
Ben Jones is an independent trucker who connects these people, driving up and down 117 every day, delivering their equipment, motorcycle parts, and their butter brickle ice cream. Walt Butterfield is the 79 years-ol owner of The Well-Known Desert Diner, an immaculate diner with an intractable owner that has not been open since 1987, hence the angry scribble on one of its roadsigns that gives the book its name. Walt is reserved and intimidating, a man of few words. His life has been marked by tragedy and seems to keep fighting to live because he’s too ornery to die.
There are several other characters that enliven The Never-Open Desert Diner, all of them deserving their own book someday, but not today, not while there remains the mystery of Claire. Claire, the mysterious and enchanting woman who seems to be squatting in an abandoned housing development hidden off 117. She captures Ben’s interest and eventually his heart. She is hiding from her husband, a musician like her, and Ben is careful to keep her secret.
Too many people are interested in Ben all of a sudden, an overly-friendly road side temptress, a reality TV show advance man, a mysterious older man named Doc who harassed a young friend of his for information. Something is up and the timing makes it seem as though Claire’s arrival must be the cause.
The Never-Open Desert Diner is one of those novels with a strong sense of place where if it were anyplace else, it would be a different story. There are subtle hints, too subtle to be foreshadowing, more of an adumbration in the landscape. Ben takes a turn-off and finds a new road that he follows and spots a beautiful hidden canyon with waterfalls. Another side road reveals an abandoned planned community, hidden out of sight behind the gentle slopes of the desert for more than twenty years. This high desert keeps revealing new secrets even after he has been driving it for decades. The land is telling us something, but we don’t know what.
Anderson’s prose often reminds me of Hemingway, the simple repetition. Take this short quote below. I chose it because it is just a bit of straightforward storytelling, not something designed to be highlighted or stuck on a meme picture card in a pretty font.
It was dark by the time I reached my duplex. It had been a dark drive. The inside of my duplex was dark. If I had ever locked the place it would have been tough to find the keyhole. I’d lost the keys years before, back when I used to drink. Back then I couldn’t get the key into the lock under a searchlight. I tried to remember the last time I had paid the electric bill. I held my breath while I fumbled for the light switch.
Notice the repeated use of dark. Before Hemingway, or more accurately, Gertrude Stein whose ideas influenced Hemingway, writers would avoid that repetition, thinking they needed to break it up with synonyms. They had little writer demons on their shoulder telling them “You’re being repetitive.” But after Hemingway, bold writers knew repetition had a force of its own. The active sentences, the implications of things not said, the insistence that the reader infer rather than receive information, all those hallmarks of Hemingway are on display. To me, this is the best kind of writing.
There are a few weaknesses. There is one character, that mysterious “Doc” (whose real nam is Welper) who Anderson tries to make more three-dimensional than he should be. Instead of being multi-dimensional, he seems more like he has multiple personalities. Then, too much of the “intrigue” is not just out of sight, it’s out of the book. It ends up being explained by the personality-shifting Welper and it is just too much. International intrigue, Chinese mafia, adultery, kidnapping, attempted murder. Bah, humbug. The story on Hwy 117 is what we care about, that other stuff seems unreal and a poor choice. Anderson should have chosen a simpler, less sensational excuse to bring in the mystery.Something more on the incredibly human level at which all the rest of the book is written.
I recommend The Never-Open Desert Diner enthusiastically. Anderson has a deep understanding of and compassion for the human condition. This makes his characters rich in detail and subtlety. He writes with a laconic sense of humor, though there are a couple moments of slapstick that are oh-so-enjoyable. I loved everything about his writing and his characters. I want to give it 5 stars because I love the writing so much, but with that bit if melodrama dragged in by Welper, I just can’t. I wish Anderson had continued to focus more on the people and the story and less on the mystery. This is not really a mystery novel, it is a novel with a mystery.
http://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2016/04/01/the-never-open-desert-diner-by-james-anderson/
Highway 117 stretches through a hundred miles of Utah’s high desert, the home of people who will not put out mailboxes because they don’t want anything to do with the government, not even the postal service. These are people who want to be alone, who don’t do kaffeeklatsches or potlucks. They are independent people, who will lend a hand when needed, but will wait until asked. And they are slow to ask.
Ben Jones is an independent trucker who connects these people, driving up and down 117 every day, delivering their equipment, motorcycle parts, and their butter brickle ice cream. Walt Butterfield is the 79 years-ol owner of The Well-Known Desert Diner, an immaculate diner with an intractable owner that has not been open since 1987, hence the angry scribble on one of its roadsigns that gives the book its name. Walt is reserved and intimidating, a man of few words. His life has been marked by tragedy and seems to keep fighting to live because he’s too ornery to die.
There are several other characters that enliven The Never-Open Desert Diner, all of them deserving their own book someday, but not today, not while there remains the mystery of Claire. Claire, the mysterious and enchanting woman who seems to be squatting in an abandoned housing development hidden off 117. She captures Ben’s interest and eventually his heart. She is hiding from her husband, a musician like her, and Ben is careful to keep her secret.
Too many people are interested in Ben all of a sudden, an overly-friendly road side temptress, a reality TV show advance man, a mysterious older man named Doc who harassed a young friend of his for information. Something is up and the timing makes it seem as though Claire’s arrival must be the cause.
The Never-Open Desert Diner is one of those novels with a strong sense of place where if it were anyplace else, it would be a different story. There are subtle hints, too subtle to be foreshadowing, more of an adumbration in the landscape. Ben takes a turn-off and finds a new road that he follows and spots a beautiful hidden canyon with waterfalls. Another side road reveals an abandoned planned community, hidden out of sight behind the gentle slopes of the desert for more than twenty years. This high desert keeps revealing new secrets even after he has been driving it for decades. The land is telling us something, but we don’t know what.
Anderson’s prose often reminds me of Hemingway, the simple repetition. Take this short quote below. I chose it because it is just a bit of straightforward storytelling, not something designed to be highlighted or stuck on a meme picture card in a pretty font.
It was dark by the time I reached my duplex. It had been a dark drive. The inside of my duplex was dark. If I had ever locked the place it would have been tough to find the keyhole. I’d lost the keys years before, back when I used to drink. Back then I couldn’t get the key into the lock under a searchlight. I tried to remember the last time I had paid the electric bill. I held my breath while I fumbled for the light switch.
Notice the repeated use of dark. Before Hemingway, or more accurately, Gertrude Stein whose ideas influenced Hemingway, writers would avoid that repetition, thinking they needed to break it up with synonyms. They had little writer demons on their shoulder telling them “You’re being repetitive.” But after Hemingway, bold writers knew repetition had a force of its own. The active sentences, the implications of things not said, the insistence that the reader infer rather than receive information, all those hallmarks of Hemingway are on display. To me, this is the best kind of writing.
There are a few weaknesses. There is one character, that mysterious “Doc” (whose real nam is Welper) who Anderson tries to make more three-dimensional than he should be. Instead of being multi-dimensional, he seems more like he has multiple personalities. Then, too much of the “intrigue” is not just out of sight, it’s out of the book. It ends up being explained by the personality-shifting Welper and it is just too much. International intrigue, Chinese mafia, adultery, kidnapping, attempted murder. Bah, humbug. The story on Hwy 117 is what we care about, that other stuff seems unreal and a poor choice. Anderson should have chosen a simpler, less sensational excuse to bring in the mystery.Something more on the incredibly human level at which all the rest of the book is written.
I recommend The Never-Open Desert Diner enthusiastically. Anderson has a deep understanding of and compassion for the human condition. This makes his characters rich in detail and subtlety. He writes with a laconic sense of humor, though there are a couple moments of slapstick that are oh-so-enjoyable. I loved everything about his writing and his characters. I want to give it 5 stars because I love the writing so much, but with that bit if melodrama dragged in by Welper, I just can’t. I wish Anderson had continued to focus more on the people and the story and less on the mystery. This is not really a mystery novel, it is a novel with a mystery.
http://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2016/04/01/the-never-open-desert-diner-by-james-anderson/