Deacon King Kong

This author never disappoints.Good enough for use in any book club

McBride expertly drops the reader into the projects in Brooklyn in 1969. His level of descriptive writing ability is rare and impressive. McBride plays on several themes as he weaves multiple story lines into a fully connected, cohesive plot. This is a technique that I personally enjoy seeing play out and I was overall pleased with the journey.The primary themes in this story are friendship, family, humanity in criminality, mentorship, loss, poverty and home. The story immediately opens with action when a church deacon shoots a drug dealer. This is the primary plot line around which all other plots play out, until most are connected and resolved by the end of the novel. There are three main character groupings which are criminals, church attendees and police officers. The story illustrates the interesting complexities of relationships between these groups. For example, the drug dealer that the church deacon shoots is a 19-year-old young man that the deacon has known since the drug dealer was a small boy, and the deacon used to coach him in baseball and teach him at Sunday school.There are multiple characters to keep track of in the novel and many of the characters have at least two names, one nickname and their actual name which is more rarely used. At points I wished I was reading an e-book, so I could highlight a character name and see where it had first appeared in the novel so I could recall the character’s relationship to others and origin.McBride effectively crafts dialogue that sounds like it authentically portrays each group which helps to get the reader into the story. The dialogue is at times so funny that I laughed out loud. The characters live in a dangerous place but despite the fact the plot was life-threateningly serious, McBride paints characters that seem accustomed and desensitized to the constant danger, and they still have moments of joy, celebration, and happiness despite it.The “Cause Houses” as a setting is practically another main character in the story. Most of the characters live in the Cause Houses and some are responsible for the care taking of it. If you are a reader who enjoys a strong sense of place, and you want to learn what it is like to live in a housing project, then you will appreciate this aspect.If you are considering reading this book, be aware that McBride subjects the reader to periodic seemingly pointless rants on what appear to be disconnected topics such as lengthy descriptions of ants and cheese. I will admit I started to feel frustrated during these points, and wished McBride wasn’t quite so descriptive, as I was left grasping to connect these random descriptions to the plot line. However, if you continue to follow the through line, McBride will lead you to the connection eventually. (I still wish I hadn’t read the ant portion, however, as it painted images in my mind I’d rather forget.)

As all the other books that I have read by James McBride this one is comical, entertaining, and written to hold your interest. His books are fast reads and have social issues written in an interesting way.

This is a very visual story set in New York during the late 1960s. It's about a community made up of beautifully drawn and varied characters, who sometimes feel like caricatures of themselves. Given the author grew up in the same city around the same time, I wondered how much might be based on people he knew. The cultural melting pot of New York is evident with Blacks, Italians, Jews, Irish and people from many other countries and cultures living alongside each other. New York's wealthy skyline is forever present in the background contrasting with the poverty of the 'cause' housing projects where the action happens. Violence is also ever present as a back drop, with organised crime and the more recent rise of drug importation and dealing. However, the violence is sketched out and is never gratuitous, which felt refreshing. Big themes including race, crime, alcoholism, love and religious faith are touched on lightly, present in the story without becoming the focus of the story themselves. It's a very funny novel with lots of slapstick humour and some snort out loud dialogue. The relationships between friends and partners are beautifully observed, tender without being clichéd. Satisfyingly, the various plot lines are tied up neatly and - spoiler alert! - the "goodies" generally end up ok while the "baddies" get their comeuppance.

Great book really enjoyed the character development, a simple story told with great description , great fun.