Maybe I would understand it better in French...

When I started reading this book, I honestly felt like I was reading the Rosetta Stone. The country music references, lack of grammar or punctuation, and incessant mentioning of Johnny Cash were totally overwhelming. I would normally associate this style of writing with novels about the Civil War (i.e. Huckleberry Finn) or perhaps Reconstructionist southerners. NEVER would I imagine this literature with any place north of Maryland or east of Ohio. But, sure enough, here it is.

Perhaps this is Jennings' point: the idea of the least likely thing in the least likely place. His relationship to music clearly propels him throughout the novel, some metaphors and allusions seem more fitting than others. Yet, he makes all of these associations as a caucasian male from New Hampshire. You look at the cover of the book and think it's going to be about some country music fanatic and/or artist. But no. He's an educated writer living (currently) in suburbia. Don't judge a book (even one about country music) by its cover.

So far, my favorite part of Jennings' novel is "Hillbilly Fever," in which he makes paragraphs worth of metaphors relating country music to horseshoes, Johnny Cash (of course), two-stepping rats, and poverty-stricken existentialists. He breaks up this dense yet poetic diction with "Are you listening?" or "Listen!" These interruptions either shock the reader (as they did for me when I first read this passage because I felt my eyes glazing over the words) or they simply remind the audience of what they're reading, and of course, that they should pay attention. Many of these allusions come back later in the book.

The first few chapters were rough to get into and actually begin reading, but I think his diction and figurative language are amazing. I am no fan of country music (unless you count the Dixie Chicks), but Jennings really does, in my opinion, convey the impact of country music on his life to his audience effectively. Does he do it efficiently? That remains to be seen...