Village Prodigies

March 1, 2017

Jones's latest (after Imaginary Logic) is not so much a novel-in-verse as an episodic exploration of consciousness and memory. Cast in a series of 110 poems and flash prose sections, this book presents a multifaceted, impressionistic history of an extended, "backcountry genteel" Southern family as glimpsed through "portals": recollected moments in time spanning the last six decades. It's no accident that the first character we encounter is a family matriarch suffering from dementia. As stories change, perspectives shift, and "Many times exchange places in the portaltime jumps," we come to suspect that the fragmented omniscience of the narrative may well be hers. Holding the work together is Jones's vivid ("oil derricks in the wheat fields near the cemetery/ like elephants doing pushups in dreams") and pithy ("It is how we see that composes us") poetic diction. VERDICT Readers who seek out experimental literature will appreciate Jones's challenging approach to storytelling, as will those in search of richly realized, imaginatively crafted poetry.--Fred Muratori, Cornell Univ. Lib., Ithaca, NY

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2017
Jones (Imaginary Logic, 2011) presents a novel-in-verse that is wonderfully complex in structure and reach and lively in its characters and setting, the imaginary southern town of Cold Springs, Alabama. Jones portrays Cold Springs over a century as he tracks six boys as they grow beyond their ancestral home. With a mix of reminiscence and inventive points of view, Jones illuminates time slips, multiple experiences, the inner recesses of the southern mind, family mythology, mental illness, war, even Facebook. Any James Dickey connoisseurs or fans of the films of David Lynch or Chris Nolan will feel right at home on these pages. An accomplished poet, Jones is also a founding member of the stalwart, under-the-radar writing program at Southern Illinois University, which has included the likes of Kent Haruf and Lucia Perillo, and he continues the rich tradition he and his colleagues have forged. This is a gorgeous, thought-provoking, and evocative book of narrative poetry.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)