What another great book. This man is awesome.
Spoilers down there:
Pepper gets thrown into a mental hospital for roughing up some off-duty cops. He's a big guy, so some damage was done. He's welcomed by Dorry, a "friendly face." She's the longest serving inmate in this hospital, save one: the Devil in silver.
The cast of characters is varied. Loochie the teen with a hair-pulling problem, Mr Mack and Frank Waverly, roommates and, best friends? We'll see. Heatmiser and his obsession with finding typos in close-captioning, the Chinese lady (Sue), and her friends Redhead Kingpin and Still Waters, and the late arriving Sandra Day O'Connor and Doris Roberts, and of course, Pepper's roommate Coffee (Kofi).
A 72-hour stay becomes four months (at least) for Pepper. Lots of strapping down, lots of lithium, lots of hazy days and nights. Around this time I was pretty sure the author had an issue with mental hospitals. (I'm pretty sure he confirmed it in his author's note, right St. Luke's-Roosevelt?)
The Devil in Silver, according to Dorry, is simply an old man. And it turns out she's right. But when you add doses of psychedelics and an unkempt old man, sure, then you've got a bison-headed creature out to eat all the residents.
The author seemingly broke the fourth wall several times during the book. But I think it was really the narrator, after reading the author's note. I thought for a bit: "Ugh, another book about race, and white guys thinking racist things." Granted it was just a couple times, but still, I get so tired of this.
But I was wrong. LaValle's note...so happy I read it. (I normally don't.) LaValle talks about growing up working-class white guys, his friends, and their depiction in books, movies, and television as drunks, abusers, or drunk abusers. He wrote Pepper to correct that. And he did a great job.
Spoilers done.
Four and a smidge stars.
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