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A review by emilypoche
Two-Step Devil by Jamie Quatro
4.0
Thank you to Grove Atlantic for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own
This book does contain a few themes that merit mentioning in a trigger warning (TW: sex trafficking, rape, sexual coercion, abortion, infant loss, drug abuse)
I think the most important piece of information a reader could have before embarking on this, admittedly well-crafted work is that it’s very stylized in its prose and does not follow conventional narrative forms. The style of narration changes and at one point switches to play with stage directions and costuming given. The language used changes and ultimately the book creates a large sense of ambiguity. If that is something that immediately puts you off a book, this is not the selection for you. However, if open-ended, more challenging writing is something you embrace, this is a very compelling read that generates a lot of thought-provoking discussion.
The story is that of the Watchman, a prophet and painter living in the rural south and the teenaged sex worker he ‘rescues’ and identifies as critical to the mission related to spreading his visions. At the heart though, the book touches on themes of morality, relativism, salvation, alienation, loneliness, and the way we understand religion. (Particularly traditional Christian narratives of good and evil.)
The most successful part of this book in terms of creating tension while at the same time establishing atmosphere are the sections narrated in first-person by Michael. The weak point of the book is the stage-play section in the later half of the book. I thought it was a very high-concept addition, and while it did add to the philosophical element of the book, it was a laborious read.
Two-Step Devil is a more ambitious read and is, frankly, a little weird. But it’s very well crafted and a compelling story and well worth the challenge.
This book does contain a few themes that merit mentioning in a trigger warning (TW: sex trafficking, rape, sexual coercion, abortion, infant loss, drug abuse)
I think the most important piece of information a reader could have before embarking on this, admittedly well-crafted work is that it’s very stylized in its prose and does not follow conventional narrative forms. The style of narration changes and at one point switches to play with stage directions and costuming given. The language used changes and ultimately the book creates a large sense of ambiguity. If that is something that immediately puts you off a book, this is not the selection for you. However, if open-ended, more challenging writing is something you embrace, this is a very compelling read that generates a lot of thought-provoking discussion.
The story is that of the Watchman, a prophet and painter living in the rural south and the teenaged sex worker he ‘rescues’ and identifies as critical to the mission related to spreading his visions. At the heart though, the book touches on themes of morality, relativism, salvation, alienation, loneliness, and the way we understand religion. (Particularly traditional Christian narratives of good and evil.)
The most successful part of this book in terms of creating tension while at the same time establishing atmosphere are the sections narrated in first-person by Michael. The weak point of the book is the stage-play section in the later half of the book. I thought it was a very high-concept addition, and while it did add to the philosophical element of the book, it was a laborious read.
Two-Step Devil is a more ambitious read and is, frankly, a little weird. But it’s very well crafted and a compelling story and well worth the challenge.