I Am the Light of This World

by Michael Parker

“A GUT PUNCH OF A NOVEL—lyrical, mordantly funny, and wrenching.” —Kelly Link, author of Get in Trouble

The searing and unforgettable story of one decision that irrevocably changes the course of a young man’s life.

In the early 1970s, in Stovall, Texas, seventeen-year-old Earl—a loner, dreamer, lover of music and words—meets and is quickly infatuated with Tina, the new girl in town. Tina convinces Earl to drive her to see her mother in Austin, where Earl and Tina are quickly separated. Two days later, Earl is being questioned by the police about Tina’s disappearance and the blood in the trunk of his car. But Earl can’t remember what happened in Austin, and with little support from his working-class family, he is sentenced for a crime he did not commit.
 
Forty years later, Earl is released into an America so changed that he can barely navigate it. Determined to have the life that was taken from him, he settles in a small town on the Oregon coast and struggles to overcome the emotional toll of incarceration. But just as Earl finds a chance to begin again, his past returns to endanger the new life he’s built.
 
Steeped in the music and atmosphere of the 1970s, I Am the Light of This World is a gritty, gripping, and gorgeously written story of the impulsive choices of youth, redemption, mercy, and the power of the imagination.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Audiobook, Literary Fiction

302 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 15, 2022

About the author

Librarian Note: There are more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Kyra Leseberg (Roots & Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seventeen-year-old Earl is a loner in a sleepy Texas town who sees the world in a different light. He loves music and books ...and Tina. Tina talks Earl into driving her up to Austin to see her mama who was put in an asylum.
Earl eventually rolls back into Stovall and is promptly picked up for driving a stolen car (his cousin was pissed when he didn't return it a couple days ago), Tina is nowhere to be found, and there's an alarming amount of blood in the trunk.
Earl's lawyer tries his best to help the teen out, but Earl can't seem to remember what happened over the course of those three days in Austin and while Tina can't be found, there's damning enough evidence to send Earl to prison for forty years.
The world is a much different place when Earl is released from prison. The kid has turned into a man navigating a lifetime he missed and now that he remembers what happened during those days in Austin, he considers the choices he made.
Making a fresh start in Oregon, Earl finds the past is never far away.

Wow, this story packs a bold punch. Earl is one of the most well-defined characters I've read about in quite some time; he's flawed, relatable while also oddly quirky, and genuine. I Am the Light of This World is a heartbreaking story that is quiet but gripping from start to finish.

Thanks to Algonquin Books for sending me an ARC in exchange for my honest review. I Am the Light of This World is scheduled for release on November 15, 2022.

For more reviews, visit www.rootsandreads.wordpress.com

[Stephanie (aka WW) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The writing is terrific, poetic and lyrical with classic song lyrics peppered throughout. I rushed through the book to see how things would turn out for Earl, the main character. The book opens with 17-year-old Earl falling hard for Tina, a pretty new girl in Stovall, a very small town in Texas. In a fateful decision, Earl agrees to drive Tina to see her mother, who is in an asylum in Austin. Earl borrows a car from his cousin and the narrative of this story begins in earnest. Before he knows it, Earl has spent two days awake on drugs, Tina is nowhere to be found and there is a lot of blood in the car’s trunk.

Forty years later, Earl is released from prison and sets about making a new life for himself in a small, coastal town in Oregon. Just as he is settling in with friends he couldn’t have dreamed up, his past catches up to him.

Part of the fun of this novel lies in overseeing Earl as he navigates a world that is 40-some years older than when he was last in it. For instance, never having seen a computer, Earl refers to the computers at the library as “monitors” and everyone gives him strange looks. The book is unusual in that it skips Earl’s years in prison, leading to a direct comparison between the world as it was in the 70’s to as it is in the 2010’s. I had a lot of fun with Earl’s 70’s classic song memories, too. After picking up an old turntable, Earl and a friend spend considerable free time searching for 70’s vinyl. The recall of these albums and songs made me smile.

[Slight spoilers] Despite its interesting subjects, however, this book is not “fun”. We root for Earl to settle down and make new friends, but he can’t seem to catch a break from his past. The ending, when it comes, is fitting, but hardly makes for a happy story. (I would be remiss if I didn’t comment on the ending, as it is the only issue that I have with the book, other than that its title doesn’t seem to fit. I don’t require that everything is wrapped up nice and neat in order to appreciate a story, but this book’s ending was as abrupt as it comes. And, it’s why I give the book 4 stars instead of 5. As I reflect on the reading experience, though, it becomes less and less important that the ending wasn’t satisfactory. I appreciate the ride more and more, and lament the sudden stop less.) Recommended.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Algonquin Books for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinions about this book.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book's jacket blurb has it described as a 'gut punch of a novel.' There were definitely some grim moments where I noticed my stomach turning, but I wouldn't necessarily label it in this way.

"I Am the Light of This World" by Michael Parker is narrated by Earl, a teenager from Texas in the 1970s whose fate is completely upended when he travels to Austin with his girlfriend. After a wild couple of days filled with some major debauchery, his girlfriend has gone missing, and his trunk is filled with her blood. Plus, it seems he can't quite remember what took place. It's a great set-up but the novel wasn't written in a way that felt cohesive to me. There's a lot of jumping back and forth in time in the first half of the book, which takes the reader away from the action in some places. Some of the scenes are pretty graphic too, so it's not for the faint of heart.

There were some elements of the story that I thought were intriguing. Earl has a completely unique mind (possibly on the autism spectrum?), so the way he views the world is interesting and makes him both an unreliable but quirky narrator. It was difficult at first to get used to the fractured thoughts and tangents, but eventually, I respected the way Parker decided to create such a different character. I did also appreciate how the story followed a large chunk of Earl's life so we can see where he ended up after some decades have passed.

This would have a been a four-star read for me but then...I read the end. I absolutely hated the ending of this book. There was too much ambiguity, and I was left with way more questions than answers. I'm not sure whether the plot holes that weren't tied up was an intentional choice or not. I closed the book and just felt this utter frustration that I had spent time invested in this story for it to end up this way. I don't think I'd recommend this book to anyone because of this.

*Free ARC provided by Algonquin Books in exchange for an honest review*

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a beautifully written book about Earl, a poor teenage boy with his head in the clouds in 1970s Texas, who finds himself at the center of a murder investigation, his memory of the events of those terrible few days, and his life more than 40 years later. Earl is one of the most fascinatingly different characters I’ve read in a really long time, and his difference is precisely what makes him suspicious to small town cops. Written in poetic prose, there is much here about music, emotion, memory, and how dreamers with an open hearted way of thinking and being in the world are failed by society. I rooted for Earl all the way to the last pages and I’m still not sure just what to make of the ending.

[Susan Ballard (subakkabookstuff) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 🌟

Earl Boudreaux is a teenager in Texas in the 1970s. He’s a bit spacy - inside his own head at times, and his brothers pick on him, but he loves music and he’s falling for Tina.

Tina asks Earl to drive her to Austin so she can visit her mother who is currently in an asylum. While in Austin, Earl attends a drug-infused party without Tina. He even partakes in group sex with strangers. Of course, Earl remembers none of this.

When Earl returns home he is arrested for Tina’s murder.

What follows is Earl being incarcerated for forty years for a crime he didn’t commit. Released in 2018, the world has changed dramatically for Earl. Earl’s only real support is his lawyer, who helps him settle in a town in Oregon and navigate re-entry.

The topic of false convictions is heartbreaking indeed, but I needed more depth if that was what I was to take away from the book. For me, I connected more with the hazy, adrift coming-of-age portion of Earl’s early life in the ‘70s.

Thank you @algonquinbooks for this gifted copy.

[Amanda G. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank you to Goodreads, the author, and the publisher for this giveaway.

Wow. I’m not even really sure where to start. I figured this would read like a sort of mystery novel, where the past catches up to the main character and he has to figure out life again. That’s the impression I got from the plot anyway. Boy was I wrong.

Part 1 has a lot of very graphic, sometimes violent, sex scenes and a ton of drug use. Maybe others would see this coming in a book that takes place, at least partly, in the 70s. I did not. But I journeyed though, hoping part 2 was better.

At the least, there was no disturbing sex scenes in part 2, but the story kind of stopped when Earl did. And the book could’ve ended there and I would be feeling the same way about it as I do now - like I wasted a few hours I won’t get back.

Overall, the whole thing reads like the short stories I was assigned in college English classes that are out for shock value and not really any story you want to remember. I will say that I enjoyed the first 15 pages or so, which read like poetry verse and flowed smoothly off the page. Fool me once…

[Aimee Dars]

Thank you to @algonquinbooks for including me on the book tour for I AM THE LIGHT OF THIS WORLD by Michael Parker.

Earl Boudreaux, a teenager growing up in East Texas during the early 1970s, drifts aimlessly, neglected by his parents and tormented by his older twin brothers. He falls for Tina, a newcomer who has come to town to live with her aunt. Tina convinces Earl (who has no license) to drive him to Austin so she can visit her mother who is in an asylum there.

He returns home without her and is quickly arrested. When the police find blood in the trunk of the car he borrowed, his fate is sealed. Earl can’t immediately remember his time in Austin, though pieces of his memory gradually return; additionally, he doesn’t seem to understand the gravity of his situation. Earl gets an unreasonably lengthy sentence for a crime he didn’t commit.

He is released in 2018 and heads to Oregon for a new start, but he has difficulty acclimating to a modern world outside prison. (Although some things seem unlikely—he doesn’t know what a computer is, but I can’t imagine him not encountering one in the correctional system or via television commercials.) Earl wants to take swim lessons but he struggles to get the required ID: he can’t vote, he lives in a hotel, he doesn’t drive. But when he finds something he doesn’t want to lose, the past ricochets and threatens the life he’s created.

Early in the novel, Earl’s lawyer describes him as odd or at least unto himself. Earl is an unreliable narrator navigating trauma and drug use. Music, one of the only ways he connects with his father, scaffolds his identity, and the impressionistic writing reflects these influences.

Earl’s lawyer, one of the few people in his life who supported him, was a complex, multi-dimensional character. Not all the characters, especially in Part II, had the same level of development.

The book is heartbreaking but offers provocative questions about the inadequacy of the justice system, false convictions, and preparing prisoners for re-entry.

CW: sexual assault, drug use, alcoholism, violence

[Lala · Rating 4 out of 5]

Earl is a 17 year old boy who is infatuated with Tina, a new girl in town. Tina asks Earl to take her to visit her mother and they get separated. Two days later Tina is missing and Earl is in jail for her disappearance. Without any evidence for his defense, Earl is sentenced to prison for 40 years.
Earl gets out of prison and has to navigate a new world and find himself again after spending most of his life incarcerated.
I enjoyed all the characters in this book and Shannon’s writing style. It was interesting to see how Earl gets adjusted to the modern world. I only had an issue with the ending. It was a little abrupt and felt a little untruthful to the characterization previously written.
Thank you to Algonquin Books for the arc in exchange for a honest review.

[Bill Silva · Rating 3 out of 5]

1970s music lovers (we’re talking classic rock and its country/blues roots) will certainly be entertained, and they might even find poor Earl’s story (at least its first half) engaging in a can’t-take-your-eyes-off-a-car-crash way…but there’s so much repetition and rehashing of the plot as to frustrate even the most patient reader. The second half of the novel spins off in an unexpected way…or maybe an inevitable one, depending upon your perspective. I enjoyed listening to the audiobook…and getting most of the song references made me feel pretty good!

[D.K. Hundt · Rating 3 out of 5]

ALGONQUIN BOOKS TOUR – Scheduled – November 21, 2022 – 3.5 Stars


I AM THE LIGHT OF THIS WORLD – by Michael Parker

The year is 1973; seventeen-year-old Earl Boudreaux, and his family, formerly from Louisiana, moved, for reasons unknown to him, to Stovall, Texas, where he lives with his twin older brothers, Cary and Larry, a phone-addicted mother—who pays little to no attention to her growing boys as she jaws the ears off of her sisters via Ma Bell what seems like 24/7 (an area Earl reflects on frequently throughout the narrative)—and a father who is vaguely around.

Earl spends his life and time as a loner, preferring to listen to music on the radio his father gave him—he has a penchant for pedal steel and quoting songs lyrics—would rather read a book in the woods instead of socializing that is until he meets Tina.

When Tina talks Earl into driving her to Austin to see her mother, Earl’s world turns completely upside when the two get separated, and Tina goes missing; the police find blood in the trunk of his car, and Earl is sentenced to a crime he didn’t commit.

The novel's second half jumps forty-four years when Earl is released from prison and must learn to navigate this new world he’s been thrust into, concluding with an ending I didn’t see coming.

I have to admit; I had a Pollyanna mentality regarding how the storyline would play out, but, as in real life, that isn't always the case which makes Earl a character I had no trouble empathizing with…Uhhhhh, let’s just say—to a point.

Thank you, NetGalley and Algonquin Books (Workman Publishing), for providing me with an eBook and a paperback ARC of I AM THE LIGHT OF THIS WORLD at the request of an honest review.

[Vanessa McLean · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weeding :)

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michael Parker, acclaimed short fiction writer, presents I Am the Light of This World, a gut-wrenching, evocative piece of literary fiction guaranteed to stir up emotion and questions in its readers. This story of a small town Texas teen who gets himself mixed up in a situation that sends him to prison for 44 years is nothing if not thought-provoking and harrowing. It requires readers to examine the criminal justice system and its effects on the imprisoned, their friends and family, and society as a whole, and begs the question, "Can we ever truly escape our past, or are we just made up of the bits and pieces of everything that has ever happened to us?"

This story follows Earl as both a young and old man, before he went to prison and after he got out. Earl, a music aficionado who doesn't know much about the world beyond his small town of Stovall, Texas, meets a girl named Tina in the woods in the early 1970s and they start a relationship. Tina comes from a hardscrabble life much like Earl and the two hit it off. But when Tina asks Earl to drive her to Austin to see her mother in the asylum, Earl's life goes completely off-course. He ends up in prison and Tina ends up dead.

Now 44 years later, Earl is out on parole and thrust into a world unrecognizable. So much has changed from those lazy, hazy days of the 70s, leaving Earl, a man who perceives the world through a unique lens, scrambling to find footing. He decides to leave Texas and heads to Oregon, where he settles down as the tenant of a woman who some may also call a bit odd and peculiar, just like Earl. But just as Earl is beginning to make roots for himself in his newfound hometown, his past catches up to him and forces him to make a life-altering decision.

There's so much to be said about Parker's I Am the Light of This World. Absolutely a conversation starter, this provocative novel would make an excellent literary book club read due to its controversial subject matter and jaw-dropping ending. There are so many lessons to be learned and discussed about poverty, privilege, sexuality, criminal justice, and reformation on these pages. Parker has left me much to stew over in the coming days.

Content aside, this story is lyrically written and is quite atmospheric and enveloping. Furthermore, Earl is a wholly unique and intriguing character, who at times reminds me of a saner version of Karl Childers from Sling Blade. Parker has a poetic way of telling a story and I was fully absorbed in this unsettling tale.

SPOILERS AHEAD ... The ending of this novel has to be discussed because it came out of left field and left me with so many questions. Parker wrote Earl as a likable character; a man who was wrongly accused and wholly reformed. But then that ending happens and it made me doubt and question everything I had just read. Are we supposed to believe that Earl was in fact responsible for Tina's death or are we meant to assume that prison hardened Earl into the very thing of which he was falsely accused? Was a murderer imprisoned or did prison turn him into a murder? There's so much to think about here!

Recommended to readers who enjoy novels that are both gritty and disturbing, yet oddly beautiful at the same time.

[Sascha · Rating 5 out of 5]

4 1/2

At the opening of I Am the Light of This World by Michael Parker, Earl, a small-town-Texas-17-year old boy, frequently described by others as being apart, a dreamer, is falling for a girl named Tina who he met in the woods. She weaves a story about a mother in an asylum, who she must visit. Despite not having a license, Earl borrows a car from his cousin, Leif, and drives Tina to Austin where it soon becomes obvious that Tina doesn’t want to visit her mother, but actually an old boyfriend who can give her the party she wants. Things take a bad turn with Earl ending up in prison. When he gets out, forty years later, the world has changed so much that he feels like an alien, although in some ways, he always has been.

Because of Earl’s “otherness,” it’s difficult to know just how reliable of a narrator he is, even insofar as to wonder if his recollection of events in Austin was real due to the ending of the novel, which I’ll not share here. If we assume that what Earl says happened, really happened, then he becomes part of a system that doesn’t work. He’s a tragic character who has been let down by society. He’s a gentle dreamer who’s had to survive in the worst part of America. However, the ending points to more than just a gentle dreamer but to a do-anything-to-survive-type of person or has this part of Earl always existed? I don’t know. I certainly would never have had that thought until the end. But things happen when Earl is under the influence, some not-very-nice-things. And, yet, after Earl’s release from prison, he associates with some perceptive people who seem to think the world of him. Is he that? Is he a kind, good person? Gentle? Or is he deceptive? And maybe this reading is just me (probably, as well as my current mindset) because I certainly haven’t read any one else voice this.

When I read the title “I Am the Light of This World,” I truly thought I was reading an inspirational novel. I did a little search and discovered it’s the title of a religious blues song (is that a thing?) and presume that’s where the title came from since Earl’s obsession with music may be even greater than mine. (ha.) I Am the Light of This World is sometimes sarcastically funny but mostly it’s sad with a predetermined sadness, so, no, not inspirational. It is the stuff of a blues song, however.

Apart from characters and plot, there is the writing that is seriously beguiling. There is something entrancing about Michael Parker’s writing style that made me want to keep reading despite not actively enjoying the story. Feeling compelled to read material that is sometimes painful suggests, to me, a very gifted writer and makes me want to read his back titles. Perhaps this will give me a further clue as to what I just read. Ah, yes, I am willing to concede cluelessness (again).

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Karissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the first page, I could not put this book down. I kept it on me at all times so that I could read a few more pages at every possible opportunity- while waiting in line for coffee, in the pickup line at school, even while cooking dinner. The story has an unusual rhythm and it took me a minute to get used to it, but once I surrendered to the flow it carried me through effortlessly to the end.

I Am the Light of This World follows the life of Earl, a boy from rural Texas. We initially meet Earl as a 17 year old in the 1970s who is deeply in love with a girl named Tina. His love for her is pure- he thinks he knows her completely and he wouldn't change her for the world. But we quickly realize that Tina may not be all she seems, and an attempt to do something kind for her results in Earl's life changing irrevocably. More than 40 years later Earl is released from prison and attempts to start over in Oregon. As he begins to build new relationships and develop a life for himself the question arises- can he truly have a fresh start, or will his past return to haunt him?

Michael Parker's writing style is lyrical and poetic, with song lyrics and musical references dropped like breadcrumbs throughout. He narrates the story in a stream of consciousness style mixed with dialogue, an approach that gives an intimate feeling to the reader. However, the stream of consciousness is in third person as opposed to the usual first, which gives the entire story a somewhat dissociative feel. We're getting to hear Earl's most intimate thoughts and see his perspective without him actually owning any of it.

With I Am the Light of This World Parker has created a poignant, deeply human masterpiece which perfectly illustrates the destructive power of decisions and which will stick with the reader long past the last page.

*I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to read an Advance Copy of this book with no obligation to write a review. All opinions are honest and my own.

[Carly McGowan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story was described as "a gut punch of a novel" so I had high hopes. While I can see where some might feel that way after reading it, I did not. The story dragged on forever for much of Part 1, it seemed, and many chapters of Part 2. Until very abruptly it didn't, and the scenes became so graphic and horrifying I wasn't sure whether or not I wanted to continue. Earl's "spacey" "here and not here" POV makes the book hard to follow many times, and while it was probably the author's intent to paint him as a more prophetic character than how his peers see him, I mostly felt annoyed by him, truthfully. The ambiguous ending was the cherry on top, really. Like, of course there's an ambiguous ending to a story that was overall pretty vague, distracting, and slow.

I gave it 3 stars because while I was annoyed by a lot of it, I can understand why the author chose to tell the story in a particular way. In Part 1 especially, Earl is quite literally on a drug binge for days in a row, so the reader is meant to be taken on that same delirious, time-bending ride. But the constant callback to graphic scenes or getting hung up on excruciating details about his past began to feel redundant (perhaps a nod to his stunted maturity and/or internalized guilt?) Regardless, Earl is a frustrating character to love, and I repeatedly felt like I was being forced into feeling sorry for his circumstances vs. recognizing his honest mistakes. Of which there were many.

Overall, I am having a hard time liking the book for a variety of reasons, but I know it's one that will stick with me despite that. 3 stars felt fair for how it's left me sorting through those emotions.

[Sandie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Earl has lived two lives. Before, he was a teenager with his first love, Tina. Known as a loner and a dreamer, his family is poor and he is astonished that Tina is interested in him. He is willing to do anything she asks so that she will stay.

After, Earl is an older man. His dreams are to learn to swim like an Olympian does, to have a small apartment where he can watch the river and listen to music and have some true friends.

Between there is the crime. Earl takes Tina to Austin to visit her mother. Two days later, Tina is dead and Earl is charged with her murder. It turns out that Tina lied to him about everything, starting with her name, her mother's location and everything in between. Earl knows he didn't kill her but he spent his two days in Austin in a drug filled haze and can't account for much of his time. Coming from a poor family and the victim having been from a wealthy one, he is sentenced for a crime he didn't commit.

Michael Parker is one of my favorite authors. He writes of those who are often forgotten and ignored by society and his character creation is superb. The small details he includes brings a character to life and he is non-judgmental about their flaws. Readers will find themselves sympathetic to Earl and interested in his life. This book is recommended for literary fiction readers.

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Earl is 17 years old and a loner, dreamer, and lover of music. His father has abandoned the family, and his mom essentially abandons her children, too. Left to his own devices in Stovall, Texas, he meets Tina and becomes her lover and friend. But when he borrows a cousin's car and drives her to see her mom in Austin, things begin to unravel. Two days later, Earl is arrested for Tina's death, which he can't remember. Despite the assistance of his lawyer Arther, Earl is sentenced for the crime and spends over 40 years in prison. After his release, he struggles to fit in. Eventually, he settles with a family on the Oregon coast. But he cannot escape his past.
The book's description says that one decision can irrevocably change the course of a young man’s life, but in this case, it was way more than one decision. Yes, Earl makes several decisions that affect him, but his family and "friends" are involved too.
This novel does not meet its PR as a gritty, gripping and gorgeously written story. Instead, it's filled with graphic sexual images and content, plus plenty of profanity and drug use. I spent most of my reading time cringing.
I also don't get the title. It should have involved water rather than light.

[Lynn Strickland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Earl is a seventeen year old loner and a dreamer in a small town in Texas in 1970s. He meets up with a new girl in town. Sye convinces Earl to drive to Austin so she can visit her mom. Earl and Tina after a hazy night of partying he and Tina get seperated. Two days later Earl finds himself in custody of the police asking him about Tina's disappearance and the blood in the trunk of his car. Earl cannot remember what happened in Austin. The police arrest Earl for a crime he did not commit and off to prison for forty years. Earl is released after serving his time into America so changed he can barely navigate through all the changes of the America he knew forty years before. Earl is determined to get his life back that was taken from him in a small town on the Oregon Coast. He works to overcome the emotional toll of being incarcerated. Just as Earl finds a chance to begin again, his past returns to endanger the new life he has built for himself in Oregon. This book will keep you on the edge of your seat waiting to find out what happens next in Earl's life. This book would appeal to most readers of mystery and suspense with the ijmpulsive choices of youth, redemption, mercy, and the power of the imagination.

[Amy Lively · Rating 4 out of 5]

Earl is easy to root for. He’s the kind of guy you would want to “have a beer with” and listen to the classic rock that is very much part of this story. His supporting cast is not as fully developed, but it’s his story so that is not such a big deal.

Is it plausible that a prisoner who had been locked under for 44 years wouldn’t know who Trump was? No. His lack of understanding of current events is even less plausible considering how many prisoners were set free during Covid (a mention of someone in a mask lets us know that Covid wasn’t simply ignored.) However, the point is this: How would you navigate through the world as a middle aged man if you had spent your entire adulthood “in the in-between?” It’s hard enough to understand the way the world changes once you reach middle age and I’ve been living in it as a free person.

So, I rooted for Earl as a reader knowing I wouldn’t have fully trusted him in reality because he was a bit too much like someone who dropped in from another planet. I recommend this for anyone who’s a fan of clsssic rock and can relate to what it meant to Earl, as well as fans of books about lost souls trying to find their place in the world.

[Betty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I struggled with this book. It is dark, very dark. There’s a lot of drug use which always turns me off. Finally, some of the narratives are just too graphic for me.

Earl was a dreamer and easily taken advantage of. Part One is the story of Earl growing up in the 1970s poor and making lots of poor decisions in his teen years. Then one wrong decision changes the rest of his life. He gets sent to prison for a murder he did not commit.

Part Two is set forty-plus-years later as Earl is released from prison. He enters a world that is totally new to him. (I could relate to him here as I have worked with men released after decades in prison.) As Earl seems to get on his feet, his past comes back to threaten his new life.

I did not care for the writing style and the dark content. I am giving it three stars because I know probably had a strong bias against it. My heart did go out for Earl. The ending did somewhat confuse me.

Thank you to the publisher for the advance copy. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

[Kim McGee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Earl sees the world differently and this makes him a loner and easy to take advantage of in the little town of Stovall Texas. As a teen in the 1970's a potential girlfriend talks him into a roadtrip to Austin that ends in tragedy and Earl is sent away to prison. After 44 years he is released into a world he knows nothing about and must begin again in Oregon. He is helped by a kindly librarian, her boyfriend and mom. This allows him to begin trusting again and feel like he finally belongs. But sometimes you just can't escape your past. The writing forces you to see things from Earl's perspective and it takes a few chapters to get into the rhythm but once you do -you are hooked. Gritty, heartfelt and poetic in the juxtaposition between the violence in his past and his quiet calm demeanor, this is one beautiful and tearful read. Readers of RAZORBACK TEARS and GREEN MILE will find much to love. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

[Natalyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to Algonquin Books for including me in this book tour for “I Am the Light of This World” by Michael Parker. In this book, we follow Earl and the one day that changed his entire life. Falsely sentenced to prison for a crime he didn’t commit, this poetic book is split between the present and the past in a gripping and sad story.

This book was a lot to take in. Earl is a young man who seems to float through life. He doesn’t see things the same way we do. Lost in his own mind, he seems to become an easy scapegoat for people looking to take advantage of someone.

The language in this book was beautiful. Parker’s expression of Earl is poetic language and unusual questions. While Earl’s detached thoughts don’t help his case, they do help us see the mind of a dreamer, which is endlessly fascinating.

In the end, this book was a 3 star read for me. If you’re looking for a unique read, this book is out now! Check it out!

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

I seldom write reviews, but I must in this case because the average rating for this book - at the time of this writing - greatly understates its quality in my opinion. Some of the reviewers who gave just 1 or 2 stars were turned off by some graphic scenes. I get it, but in my view those few distasteful scenes actually add to the story. Here's why: The most redeeming and endearing quality of Earl, the main character (aside from his dreamy, music-loving nature), is his complete and total honesty. And that honesty comes through the most strongly (and devastatingly) later in the book when he tells others about his role in the earlier graphic scenes. I was blown away by this book. The writing is absolutely brilliant, characters real, and the story deeply moving. This is my first Michael Parker book, and I'm now a HUGE fan.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, so much so I began reading it slowly so I could savor every word, so much so I left this review (my first). Although I was disappointed with the ending, not because it didn't align with the story and characters, it did, it just wasn't the ending I wanted for Earl. Honestly, the beginning was a little slow and confusing for me to follow but it quickly picked up and grabbed my attention. It was so well written, and such an easy read, with well defined relatable characters. I will miss reading about Earl, and his experiences, and only wish he could been taught to trust. Thank you M. Parker.

[Kathleen Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can Earl rebuild his life? He spent 40 years in prison for a crime he did not commit and now he's moved across the country for a fresh start. The first part of this novel deals with his teen years in the early 1970s, when he didn't use the best judgement. The second half, as he navigates a changed world as well as his own changes is more interesting. He's an intriguing character as are the people he meets in Oregon. Things don't go as smoothly as he might have hoped- no spoilers from me. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meanders a bit, but like Earl, it isn’t a bad thing. Book will be too graphic for some, but maybe those types of readers are missing the point that Earl feels and sees everything- therefore the descriptiveness of the acts have to be told. Redemption seemed like a possibility towards the last half of the book, but the ending did not sit well with me. Yes, redemption sometimes eludes us, even those who deserve/need it. Earl should have had a better ending IMO than what we were left with. I enjoyed the book, but the finish left a bad taste.

[Shona Gibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do not know who let me know about this book, but I loved it. A mix of character and plot driven, but definitely more strongly character driven. I grew to love and care about the main character and characters on the last half of the book. This is not an easy or feel good book but it is a good story. Themes of justice, loss, found family, and redemption. And oh my, the 70s music references were just chefs kiss. Makes an amazing play list!

[Gino · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF
I won this book through the Goodreads giveaway. I really tried to get through this but it just did not hold my interest. It is lyrical and "poetic" but it was just so dry and boring. Earl just meandering about and describing everything that he does and encounters but with no oomph. This obviously is not the book for me, at least not right now. Others enjoyed it and that's good but many reviews said the ending was very unsatisfying and I really don't want to waist my time on such a book.

[Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic story of a boy in search of himself only to have his life upended by those around him. The prose is terrific with masterful character development. The narrative can sometimes be a bit chaotic, but is reflective of the events proceeding. And the story is as bittersweet as the protagonist himself. Some other reviewers did not "get" the ending, IMHO, but the author utterly nailed it. Inspired writing.

[Kim Church]

Earl is the most original, imaginative, haunting, heartbreaking character I have come across in years. I can't stop thinking about him. Or humming the Rev. Gary Davis song (Jorma Kaukonen's version, maybe I'll learn to pick it) with this title. Whatever else I might say about the book, the scenes of brutality, the structure, the ending, seems beside the point. I am inhabited by Earl, for better or worse.