Ford County and The Lovely Bones

I hope your day has been good. I had a half-good, half-strange day today. So I'm going to try to forget the latter by getting in bed in five and reading one of these two.

Will update as I finish them.


THE LOVELY BONES
I thought the book was 100% a thriller, especially after seeing Stanley Tucci's character in the movie trailer, but it's not really. This part-moving, part-chilling story is narrated by 14-year-old Susie, who was raped and murdered by her neighbour. It's her perspective from heaven, watching the lives of people that she left behind: how her death affects her family and friends, and how she wishes she, too, could grow up, fall in love and do a lot of the things her siblings and friends do. It's a haunting read but also, in kind of a strange way, told in a hopeful point of view.


FORD COUNTY
The book is a collection of seven short stories set in Ford County, Mississippi, the same fictional town used in Grisham's first book, A Time to Kill.

Blood Drive
Blood Drive is Pineapple-Express-funny, and it's my favourite in the book so far. (I'm currently at the fourth story, Casino.)

Aggie, Calvin and Roger embark on a road trip to Memphis with the task of donating blood to Bailey, a man from their town who got into an accident at work. It's a straightforward enough mission if the three exercise some common sense and have at least an average self-control.

On their way, they almost get caught for drunk driving and almost get shot by a homeowner whose yard they try to hide in when they are being chased by the police. Then they get sidetracked by a strip club in Memphis twice.

In between, they are too drunk to remember which hospital they were originally supposed to go to; they sell their blood for money; all of them pass out at some point; two are involved in a brawl at the club, get injured and are charged with assaults; and one is trapped in the middle of a gang shooting and goes missing for a month. They never get to donate their blood to Bailey.

Fetching Raymond
This is another road trip, but with a darker background.

Leon and Butch drive with their mother Inez to Parchman to witness the execution of their younger brother Raymond and spend the final hours together. Despite the looming dark fate, there are some hilarious moments in the story. And Raymond is a huge character. Just like he often overestimates his talents, he also overestimates his chances to get out of the sentence, even in those final hours.

Raymond is executed. He's brought back to Ford County and buried in a quiet, simple funeral. The whole event takes less than 24 hours, and by 8.30 the next morning, Leon is back at his work as usual.

Fish Files


Casino


Michael's Room


Quiet Heaven


Funny Boy
It's a story of a man's final days living with AIDS in 1989. It reminds me of Tom Hanks and one of my favourite movies, Philadelphia.

Adrian Keane came from a wealthy Southern family. But he had to leave his hometown because he was gay. He spent his 20s in New York and California, and eventually San Francisco where he contracted AIDS. He returns home to die as he has run out of money and, having seen many of his friends die of AIDS in the past years, he doesn't want to burden the others with his own death.

His family sends him to live with Emporia Nester, a 75-year-old, single, Black woman who's renting the family's home, promising her the house if she cares for Adrian till his death.

Adrian's shunned by his family and practically the entire town. But in that short period of time, he and Emporia become friends. He commits suicide after a few weeks, not wanting to prolong his deteriorating condition.

It's a cruel and sad story, but I'm glad Adrian -- this sweet, funny and gentle soul -- had Emporia during his last days.

Image: jgrisham.com, DreamWorks Pictures