Blackwater: The Complete Saga

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I would have liked to seen more of an ending to the conflict between Eli and his mother and not ending it on a bitter note between the two of them. And a scene were you have Tony and his friend Biff come together again and just see some conclusion towards that. It was nice to see Tony and his dad connect more though. Regarding himself, McDowell once said, "I am a commercial writer and I'm proud of that. I am writing things to be put in the bookstore next month. I think it is a mistake to try to write for the ages." Yet, his work - recently made available again thanks to Valancourt Books - feels strong enough for the ages. He's a marvelous writer and he has more than considerable skill. His writing is vivid, immensely engaging - even, at times, very funny. Some may put it another way: he spins a great yarn. Sadly that was a huge letdown. I expected some cool gay supernatural mystery werewolf stuff with horror and just got a we-need-to-include-everyone-and-everyone-has-it-hard-with-werewulfs-stuff, which was way to rushed at the end. Of course, as I mentioned above, McDowell writes family dynamics like no one else and this book proves it. Throughout generations even, McDowell is at the top of his game writing about this family with its rich men and domineering women. Being from Alabama himself, the authenticity of the family's bearing and standing in their community of Perdido is never in doubt. His insights into human behavior are unmatched and beautifully written-without fail. Here's a quote from the first book of this novel,The Flood, (which takes place in the early 1920's):

The only character I really warmed to was Frances Caskey, and even then, I only started finding her interesting when she began becoming more aware of her nature and realizing who she really is. I would have loved it if this aspect of the story had been explored more deeply, but that thread of the tapestry was snipped off much too soon for my taste.The War reveals family secrets more deadly and devastating than anything Perdido has ever dreamed in its deepest nightmares… I also enjoyed the illustrations and how it said in the start that both creators alternated drawing chapters in this book. And I found the art styles of both creators to not be super drastic in change which was nice. McDowell specialized in collecting death memorabilia. His extensive and diverse collection, which reportedly filled over seventy-six boxes, included items such as death pins, photographs and plaques from infant caskets. After his death, the collection was acquired by Chicago's Northwestern University, where it went on display in 2013. [5] Y'all, this is a Southern Gothic to drown all other Southern Gothics in a bathtub full of muddy river water. And ugh the whole story is over the place I can't even put a summarize here bcs they chars are just so over the top including and all have it so bad. Mimimi.

This was an absolutely fantastic experience, the sort of long book that introduces a large cast of characters over time so you're able to remember (almost) all of them and their stories, and become interested in their lives, their children, their fortunes, and their deaths. And every once in a while there's a scene of gruesome supernatural horror to remind you that this ain't Faulkner or Flannery O'Connor.But there were also some cute things that balanced out the heaviness! The one parent relationship was really touching when it changed for the better. *SPOILER* Tony and his dad had a really sweet moment, and he was immediately supportive when Tony told he had a crush on a guy. *END SPOILER* And the romance! The romance was adorable. For some reason, I thought this would be a bully/victim romance, but I was glad to be wrong. I loved seeing these two make little blushy faces at each other and tentatively exchange little touches or compliments and eventually realize their mutual feelings. And the fact that Eli was chronically ill and trans was a complete non-issue, Tony was just immediately like, “I’ll visit you every day while you’re in the hospital!” which is sort of standard for romance, but still. As a chronically ill person, it was especially lovely to see that kind of acceptance. The writing was fine. The art was fine. The rest was horrible. I need people to listen when I say disabled people are sexy, beautiful, awesome, silly, and so much more because disabled people are people. Which is not what this flaming pile of shit will make you feel. I loved the story and the characters, even the despicable Mary-Love. A good story needs an awful villain. I’ll miss Elinor and all the Caskey Family.