I went out of town for the holiday weekend, so I was able to have lots of reading time during my flight home. Other than Sky Mall, I read Pont Dume by Katie Arnoldi. It covers a little coastal California town and five of its residents. There is Ellis, a native to the town and an avid surfer. She is upset about the uppity and wealthy people that have invaded her sleepy town and changed the sport of surfing from a physical spiritual event in to a traffic jam on the waves. She resents their mcMansions and vineyards, SUVs and everything else that they brought with them. Frank is one of the newer residents with a huge house, a vineyard on the property and drives out to hit the waves in his BMW each morning. Ellis and Frank end up with a relationship of sorts, but they are mostly just using each other during periods of stress in their lives. Janice is Frank's afflicted wife who hates the vineyard and eventually realizes she hates her husband. We watch as Janice delves in to a considerable midlife crisis. Pablo is friends with Ellis and another native. He makes his living by teaching surfing, selling pot and living out of his camper. Pablo and Ellis also have a relationship, but it is initially borne out of their comfort with each other. We meet Felix in Mexico on his family farm. His cousin gets him across the border to grow marijuana in the hills of California just outside this town. We watch his paranoia and isolation dissolve in to madness. All of these characters intertwine in the book and their story culminates with the Santa Anna winds and a large fire.
5/30/11 - 135min
5/31/11 - 20 min
No comments:
Post a Comment