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Stones in My Passway
Wood Sweeney needs to find a way out of the deal he just made with the devil. Or a just way to slay the prince of darkness. He wanted to know who he could have been if he’d done one thing differently, and the devil deal was too tempting to turn down. And why wouldn’t he be tempted? He’s perfectly dissatisfied at work, he’s been fighting with his wife, and his daughter just got picked up by the police. The grinning devil makes a quick snip-snip life story alteration, and Wood lives a life perfectly forged for his own pleasure. But can he dodge the deals, the devils and the hellhounds? Stones in My Passway – like the blues it was born of – is a harrowing transcendental journey. Sometimes sexy, sometimes comical, sometimes heart-rending – always enjoyable.
214 pages, Paperback
Published October 11, 2017
5 people want to read
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
January 9, 2019
Stones in My Passway is written with a distinct bluesy influence that shines through clearly in the smooth, rich prose. It follows the story of Wood Sweeney, a family man who sells his soul to the devil—in this case, the fast-talking Papa Scratch—at a crossroads in exchange for the chance to see how his life might have been if he’d pursued artistry instead of domesticity.
One thing I found particularly interesting about the execution of this premise was that, for the most part, Papa Scratch’s deals with humans involved trading souls in exchange for a glimpse of an alternate life, that “what if” something in our past had turned out differently or we’d made a different choice. It delves deep into the heart of regret, human sentimentality and yearning, and our obsessions with our own histories and how we come to feel trapped by the choices we’ve made instead of recognizing our own agency to make new choices. I found this to be a powerful premise, as opposed to, say, trading souls for abilities or powers in the present or prosperity in the future, which in Papa Scratch’s world seems to be more of a novelty. This is definitely done on purpose and to great effect, indirectly leaving the reader to consider what aspect of their own past they might have changed given the opportunity and whether the past should really mean so much at all.
Beyond the premise, of course, the book is beautifully written and engaging. The scenes and action are consistently exciting and never predictable. Each of the characters are unique and distinct, and I’ll admit Papa Scratch was my favourite!
It’s interspersed with a few “Interludes” throughout the book which act as almost independent short stories giving us insight into the origins of some of the secondary characters. These may have been my favourite parts of the book even, as they were so expertly and vividly crafted, containing such brilliant lines as this opening hook: “Sarah Osborne had never once poked children with knitting needles like they said.”
The plot was very satisfying, as was the worldbuilding, and the conclusion wraps up the main storyline while setting the stage for an exciting Book 2 premise leaving the reader salivating for the next installment in the series. I’m definitely looking forward to the next book and more bluesy prose! Gorgeous cover as well! Highly recommended for fans of horror, supernatural/paranormal fiction, literary fiction, and if there is such a genre (I suppose there is now) “blues fiction.”
One thing I found particularly interesting about the execution of this premise was that, for the most part, Papa Scratch’s deals with humans involved trading souls in exchange for a glimpse of an alternate life, that “what if” something in our past had turned out differently or we’d made a different choice. It delves deep into the heart of regret, human sentimentality and yearning, and our obsessions with our own histories and how we come to feel trapped by the choices we’ve made instead of recognizing our own agency to make new choices. I found this to be a powerful premise, as opposed to, say, trading souls for abilities or powers in the present or prosperity in the future, which in Papa Scratch’s world seems to be more of a novelty. This is definitely done on purpose and to great effect, indirectly leaving the reader to consider what aspect of their own past they might have changed given the opportunity and whether the past should really mean so much at all.
Beyond the premise, of course, the book is beautifully written and engaging. The scenes and action are consistently exciting and never predictable. Each of the characters are unique and distinct, and I’ll admit Papa Scratch was my favourite!
It’s interspersed with a few “Interludes” throughout the book which act as almost independent short stories giving us insight into the origins of some of the secondary characters. These may have been my favourite parts of the book even, as they were so expertly and vividly crafted, containing such brilliant lines as this opening hook: “Sarah Osborne had never once poked children with knitting needles like they said.”
The plot was very satisfying, as was the worldbuilding, and the conclusion wraps up the main storyline while setting the stage for an exciting Book 2 premise leaving the reader salivating for the next installment in the series. I’m definitely looking forward to the next book and more bluesy prose! Gorgeous cover as well! Highly recommended for fans of horror, supernatural/paranormal fiction, literary fiction, and if there is such a genre (I suppose there is now) “blues fiction.”
Displaying 1 of 1 review