Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews

An American living in Guadalajara, Mexico travels to New York City to attend a wedding and hang out with his Seattle childhood friends. From beginning to end, the trip is a non-stop drug and alcohol binge. Midtown Madhatter by Mateo Monda tells of a weekend in Peter Walsh’s life along with flashbacks to his relationships with his friends and wife. He’s an unhappy man, and he’s got the addictions to prove it.

Peter’s dissatisfaction with his life comes across with every cigarette he craves, every beer he gulps, and each line of cocaine he hurriedly snorts. Under the surface of […]

Jax Badeaux slowly finds his way through the complexities of racism while growing up in New Orleans in the Sixties and Seventies. A self-described poor Cajun, he doesn’t expect to amount to much more than his drunken father or beleaguered but loving mother. Yet change begins with his friendship with a young man, Mike Guidry, who suddenly has the race laws labeling him black instead of white.

Cajun Chameleon: Reflections of a Recovering Racist tackles weighty issues with a light, straightforward touch. When best friend Mike suddenly can’t attend the same junior high school as Jax because he lacks a […]