John the Revelator

Standards in music journalism ain't what they used to be. Peter Murphy is a music journalist. I probably wouldn't have read this if I'd come across all the promotional wank the publisher had to go with it before finding the book. Faux-gritty peatbog goth trailer (why the f* does a book need a music......more

First, hear this: [URL not allowed] So, that's a great song, and is in no way reflective of the theme, atmosphere, or context of this book. But I love Blind Willie's raspy vocals, and the way the woman trills the "-or" of revelator. If there was no God, what would the Irish wri......more

A cover blurb by Colm Toibin was enough to get me to read this first novel, and by and large, I enjoyed it. I only kept it out of four-star territory because I think the story was meant to be a deeply profound exploration of the protagonist's relationship with his mother, and that didn't come throug......more

There were periods of good writing that shows promise, but the overall impression was of a creative writing class -- stuff being experimented with that didn't really hang together. Things didn't make sense -- the age of John's mother, who at first seems a very young mother, run away from home to fol......more

This one didn't really work as a "novel" for me, as I didn't really feel the overall arc of the story. However, Murphy has a wonderful voice and one that I read with pleasure. Even if the book had gone on for another 100 pages, I would've followed his voice right along. Really, his voice carried this......more