All We Need of Hell by Harry Crews

All We Need of Hell by Harry Crews

By Harry Crews

From Publishers Weekly

Crews's tenth novel describes the pissed off rage that possesses inept legal professional Duffy Deeter, who seeks heart's ease via a weird and wonderful actual health routine. His existence is additional complex through a gum-chewing mistress, as soon as a Woodrow Wilson Fellow; a spouse with evidently silver hair who's as glacial because the North Pole; an obese adolescent son; a legislations associate who has been making time with Mrs. Deeter; a mom whose belfry doesn't have 12 chimes for dead night; and a black specialist athlete. What binds those aberrant kinds jointly in a compelling narrative is a striking present for incisive language: Duffy's father, an international conflict II fighter pilot, "bit the large bagel"; "gold used to be solid, a commodity that usually gave an analogous answer"; and, "In the kingdom of the center, there's warfare sufficient for everybody." That Duffy unearths salvation is the main extraordinary twist of all.
Copyright 1986 Reed enterprise info, Inc.

From Library Journal

Crews as soon as wrote in Playboy concerning the joys of having overwhelmed up. Now comes Duffy Deeter, additionally of Gainesville, Florida, additionally husband and father, additionally believing "there was once not anything so fresh as getting your ass kicked." Deeter's athleticism would appear to provide little prospect of reconciling him together with his distracted mom, his boy ("a large, gentle, white slug"), or his spouse, who has develop into frigid (except with Deeter's legislations partner). fortunately, Deeter will get right into a struggle with black pro-footballer Tump Walker; they turn into speedy neighbors and Walker is quickly placing issues to rights within the Deeter loved ones. Crews and Deeter are to be congratulated for his or her suspicion that there should be a greater technique to reside, yet sincerity undermines satire and slapstick. the result's not really to thrill Crews's outdated viewers nor locate him a brand new one. Hugh M. Crane, Brockton P.L, Mass.
Copyright 1986 Reed company info, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

Crews' first novel in ten years (The Gypsy's Curse, 1974; A dinner party of Snakes, 1976), and for the 1st part he's at his bizarre, wacky top; however the ebook thereafter degenerates into sentimentality and antic posturing. Duffy Deeter, a 40-year-old Gainesville, Florida, legal professional, is a actual health nut to finish all actual health nuts--a karate specialist who can mn a 4:37 mile and trip his ""handmade Gitane journey de France ten-speed traveling machine"" forty miles an hour: ""His difficult supple ankles rolled delicately below pointed calves that melded in one circulate of muscle to thighs that may do ten deep squats with 300 kilos, precisely two times his physique weight."" yet to his spouse, Tish, and fats, lazy son Felix, he's a petty dictator, one of those nice Santini. whilst he forces Felix to spend a grueling hour at the Nautilus computing device, Tish kicks him out of the home and clears out his financial institution accounts--it seems she's been having an affair along with his legislations accomplice, a pompous ex-footballer named Jeff McPhester. Duffy will get his revenge by means of sneaking into his personal bed room one evening and whacking McPhester at the butt with a fraternity paddle, yet is stored from extra violence by means of his pal, large, black Tump Walker, ""the baddest-assed operating again within the NFL."" Tump invitations Jeff, Tish, Felix, and Duffy to his palatial condominium for a tiresome comedy of blunders, which ends up in Tish and Duffy's reunion and his surprised recognition that Felix particularly isn't the sort of slobby child in the end (Daffy simply wasn't paying attention). Duffy is a vintage Crews personality, yet he's wasted during this unnecessary novel, with its contrived satisfied finishing. Crews can do, and has performed, significantly better.

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But I guess that’s not the point now, is it? ” The Slip Once she was gone, I downed another cola, then took a hot shower and shaved. I was down to the bottom on just about everything—soap, shampoo, shaving cream. I stepped out of the shower and dried my hair, rubbed on body lotion, cleaned my ears. Then to the kitchen to heat up the last of the coffee. Only to discover: no one sitting at the opposite side of the table. Staring at that chair where no one sat, I felt like a tiny child in a De Chirico painting, left behind all alone in a foreign country.

Such things happened often enough, so how could I think her leaving me was anything out of the ordinary? The long and the short of it was, it was up to her. “The long and short of it is, it’s up to you,” I said. It was a Sunday afternoon, as I dawdled with a pull-ring from a beer can, that she came out with it. Said she wanted a divorce. ” she asked, releasing her words slowly. “No, either way is not fine with me,” I said. ” “If you want to know the truth, I don’t want to leave you,” she said after a moment.

Sex with her with her ears exposed was an experience I’d never known. When it was raining, the smell of the rain came through crystal clear. When birds were singing, their song was a thing of sheer clarity. I’m at a loss for words, but that’s what it was like. ” I once asked her. “Of course not,” she said. ” “A duty. Dry and tasteless, like chewing newsprint. But that’s okay. ” “Then you ought to show them,” I said. ” For sure, there were a lot of things I didn’t understand at all. For instance, the reason why she treated me special.

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