Sky Full of Sand

by Rick DeMarinis

From Publishers Weekly
Like a cold lake, this novel by the author of such books as Cinder and Year of the Zinc Penny is best entered by a plunge. Bleak, brutal, demented and cruel, the El Paso world inhabited by Uriah Walkinghorse shocks the system, sets nerve-ends tingling, numbs, then drags you into its thrall. Uri is suspended somewhere between a "normal" existence and a descent into the bizarre and desperate world that surrounds him. Strained but strong ties still bind him to his odd assortment of adopted siblings-black and white and Korean-who include a school principal, an addict, a delivery driver and a corporate lawyer. At 42, he has lost his wife, abandoned his quest for a master's and manages derelict apartments of derelicts in exchange for rent. His one accomplishment was a bodybuilding title, Mr. West Side, and he still maintains a diet and exercise program. DeMarinis's exceptionally sharp wit slashes through the prose as Uri undertakes an odyssey through a world of kinky sex, drugs, high finance and the most vicious, most wasted dregs of humanity on either side of the border. The argument between a huffer and a doper over which addiction is better is brilliantly macabre. Alternately trapped and fueled by futile dreams of a better life, Uri stumbles, perseveres and survives. DeMarinis somehow manages to invest even the most degenerate of characters with recognizable humanity in spite of his savage and bitter satire.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Genres: Crime

280 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2003

About the author

Rick DeMarinis (1934-) is an American novelist and short-story writer.

Reviews

[🐴 🍖]

for the record i think the notion of a noir centered on a bodybuilder slumlord in a texas border town is just, like, *chef kiss*. that being said i think this suffers from (a) the plot line re: uri's family being utterly inert, (b) doofy generalizations about "the mexican soul" (not to mention spanish-speaking characters going way overboard on the "como se dice"s), and (c) a weird structural flaw whereby the natural climax is like 100 pgs in instead of near the end. you'll see what i mean if you read it. or instead you could read coming triumph or v.o.a. or under the weeds or burning women of far cry or cinder orrrrrrrrrr you get the idea

[Gary L. Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rick DeMarinis is one of the most underrated authors.

This book is gonzo noir. It is drop dead funny. It is full of twists and turns. The author wields language like a blast from a shotgun. You never know what is going to come next. The plot and characters are a full tilt full of surprises.

[Electric · Rating 3 out of 5]

noir. It never gets old even if the elements are still the same after 60 years. DeMarinis adds his own flavour by portraing a bodybuilder as his investigator, contrary to the anti-health cliche of most run down guys that got mixed up with the wrong people. The whole mexican drug thing has been done to death already but it was a qood read. some memorable characters, the plot a little too classic for my taste. I liked the passages about his family but it woukd have been much better if he connected this subplot with the main plot of the story. a missed opportunity. but you know "bad things happen to good people".