Infinite Joe

3.5 stars.

A challenging book to read, mainly because of the author’s mastery of the language and impressive prose. I almost stopped reading because of Jethro’s ‘stream of consciousness’ section in the earlier part of the book which was not only a difficult read, but carried on a bit too long. But I persevered, and in the end, was glad I did.

For me, the story was reminiscent of the witch hunts, where someone with evil in their hearts or psychopathy in their brains can single handedly turn a community against a single person.

I like how the Jethro Furber, who was a bit “off” as a child, found comfort in the murder, violence, genocide, rape, and incest in the old testament, so much so that he became a reverend not for the belief in a loving god, but for the perversities he could relate to in those “holy” texts. He then hid behind his occupation as he jealously carried out his scheme against Omensetter.

This book included an afterword, which I thought was just as good as the book. It’s crazy to think of what the author went through to finish his book and get it published.