Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, August 7, 1994 TAG: 9407310001
SECTION: HORIZON PAGE: D4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Reviewed by NEIL HARVEY
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
`Lucky Town,` a new novel by James Brown, is a sad, cynical, yet subtly nostalgic memoir about a father and child trying to work together to get through some tough times. But by Chapter Five, when Bobby, the 15-year-old main character, sticks up a fast food joint for money to buy chains for the car his ex-con father has stolen, it becomes clear that these guys aren't exactly Scout and Atticus Finch.
The core of the story is Bobby's attempt to form a bond with his father as they dodge police, commit petty crimes, and otherwise try to lead a normal life.
Unfortunately, Floyd, the father, motivated mostly by his do-wrong nature, would rather bond with easy money and with a woman whose picture accompanies Webster's definition for "bad news." Bobby tries to serve as both the familial voice of reason as well as a reluctant accomplice, and his position between these two roles becomes harder and harder to maintain as Floyd escalates the stakes of his criminal activity.
James Brown tells his story skillfully, moving quickly but carefully through the narrative. When Bobby sometimes comes off as shrewder and more perceptive than the average teenager might be, Brown hints that that's the way the grown Bobby chooses to remember the situation; the narrator isn't explaining the events as they happen, he's an adult interpreting what happened in the past.
The juxtaposing of a 15-year-old's actions with the cynical wisdom of that same person at 40 gives "Lucky Town" an edgy complexity and makes the story much more interesting. One section, in which Bobby recreates, with his imagination, a crucial event he wasn't around to witness, is peculiarly, surprisingly effective.
If there's one weakness to the book it's familiarity. Similarities between "Lucky Town" and the film "American Heart" are almost impossible to ignore since both have similar plots and characters, and both are set in Seattle. Also, the concept of two partners on the run, with one always making the wrong move and one always making the right move, has been done dozens of times over, since even before "Of Mice and Men."
Needless to say, the climax is not exactly loaded with surprises. But, given the quality of Brown's prose and his obvious love for his characters, such complaints really aren't all that important. Maybe he'll write a more original book next time, but this time Brown has written one that's sincere and heartfelt, and that's enough.
By the way, in case you were wondering, this James Brown, the author, is not The Godfather of Soul, nor is he in any way affiliated with the Famous Flames.
\ Neil Harvey lives in Blacksburg.
by CNB