I've always been fascinated by the occult and secrets hidden away in manuscripts/books. The Ninth Gate is one of my favourite movies even though the acting in the movie is absolutely lazy. So when i searched for similar movies I came across a few. Fallen and Angel Heart are some of the movies that have something related to the occult.
In May, I finally saw Angel Heart and immediately searched through the boards of IMDb for any similar movies. I couldn't find any that were interesting but I came across a board that recommended reading The Devil All the Time and I went forth and bought it.
The Devil All the Time by Donald Ray Pollock
I really didn't bother reading a synopsis of the book as I didn't want anything to be spoiled but most of the headlines of the reviews around the web rated the book quite highly. Here I was expecting a book on the occult and dark arts but a few chapters in I was left with a bewildered look on my face when the book had nothing to do with anything I expected. I kept thinking something was bound to happen and each page kept disappointing me.
I finally gave up and read the synopsis on the back. The book is a Southern Gothic novel. No occult, no dark magic, no summoning up the devil.
Now the problem here is that I've already approached the book in the wrong manner. I had to start from scratch again. Again my stop-start approach hindered me but I finally finished it on the flight last evening.
It's not hard to believe that this novel was written by a first timer. The characters, however small their role are extremely well etched out. The main narrative is set in the 1960's and follows a teenager, a sheriff , a couple of preachers and two serial killers.
The plot itself is straightforward without any twists. It's the approach though that makes the book worth a read. The book has three major plot lines. The first involves Arvin Russel's journey to manhood. His father Willard who is deeply religious goes over the edge when his Mother falls ill. Arvin is then sent to live with his grandmother in Coal Creek, West Virginia. The rest of the plot line follows Arvin's life and his relationship with his "adopted sister" Lenora. The second plot line involves two preachers Roy and Theodore as they make their way across the south in search of a livelihood. Theodore is a cripple who is cared for by Roy. I found this plot line the least interesting of the three and felt the book should probably have concentrated more on the other two plots. By far the most interesting of the three plot lines is the third. Carl Henderson and his wife Sandy are serial killers who seduce young men. Lee Bodecker, the local sheriff in Ohio is Sandy's brother. He has a broken relationship with his sister and is oblivious to Sandy's other life.
Their paths don't intertwine until the last few pages and several chapters are dedicated to the development of these characters. Carl is brilliantly written by Donald. He invests a good portion to unraveling Carl's state of mind and his penchant for photographing his victims.
For all of Mr. Donald's writing, there were several moments throughout the book where the character transitions were clumsy. That was probably my major gripe with the book. My other gripe was that the ending however exciting was abrupt. It was sort of watching a Coen Brother's movie. You'd think there's more but there really isn't.
I would recommend the book to anyone who is a fan of Southern Gothic novels. Its well worth a read. Shame about the title though. The book really could have used a better one.
- Anil
