A review by deanna_rigney
Smonk by Tom Franklin

4.0

This is a tough book to describe, but it basically follows two stories, one being that of E.O. Smonk, an outrageous villain who has terrorized the town of Old Texas, Alabama for some time, and that of Evavangeline, a teenage prostitute making her way through the Gulf Coast area. It takes place in 1911, but it reads like a Western set anytime between 1870 and1900. It is dark and licentious, and not for those easily offended, or maybe I should say it’s only for those who are hard to offend. There is a lot of sex and violence, and immorality abounds. Franklin has captured the Southern Gothic, and his novella reminds me a bit of Flannery O’Conner mixed with Cormac McCarthy, with just a dash of Edgar Allan Poe. Like I said, it is very hard to describe but if you’re into any of those mentioned you’ll probably dig it.