A Place Without a Postcard

by James Brush

Paul Reynolds, a photographer who creates fake photos for tabloid magazines, wakes up with no idea where he is or how he got there. He canÂ’t even recall his name. A strange man lurks nearby, breathing heavily and slowly flipping through a book. Paul hears the manÂ’s breath, but he cannot see him. He realizes with mounting panic that his eyes no longer function. He remembers racing down a desolate West Texas highway. He remembers a cop who pulled him over for speeding. He remembers a shotgun-brandishing cook chasing him out of a diner. And he remembers a life abandoned, but he cannot put together the jigsaw puzzle that brought him where he blind, wanted by the law, and in the company of this invisible stranger. In the backcountry town of Armbister, Texas, where temperatures hover around a hellish 110 degrees, PaulÂ’s memory, intangible as a heat mirage, lies just beyond his reach, and God may be a coyote.

Genres: Fiction

216 pages, Paperback

First published January 13, 2003

About the author

James Brush lives in Austin, TX and posts things online at Coyote Mercury where he keeps a full list of publications. He also edits the online literary journal Gnarled Oak.

Reviews

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book through a Goodreads first reads giveaway in exchange for an honest review. A bit outside my normal reading zone, but conceptually an interesting novel. The story follows the trail of a drifting freelance photographer who manufacturers fake tabloid UFO shots in the western dessert. He avoids the cops looking for him for perhaps getting crossed up in a love triangle (and in the process loses his sight) after being rescued by an off the grid fugitive who is possibly a mass murderer and cares for a coyote who is actually God.......so there, you hanging on so far?

For me personally, there were parts of the story that were captivating and drew me in, and other places I felt like I was just along for the journey. An enjoyable read, but not an "I can't wait to see what happens next" one. I am certain there was some spiritual message the author was attempting, but I am not exactly sure I got it. I did like the ending, how the loose ends tied up in unpredictable ways. I am glad to have read it, but I would recommend to only those friends who enjoys a bit outside the normal lines kind of books. For me a three star, for others it would get a mark or two higher.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was very excited to win A Place Without a Postcard from a goodreads giveaway. This was such a compelling read. I was hooked by the descriptions of the scents and sounds of the desert as the main character learns to rely on his other senses as well as the odd people he encounters.