Book Club #1: Erased

Welcome to my first-ever book club blog! The book for this blog is Erased by Jim Krusoe. Didn't read it? You still have time for next week's selection: Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder.

Erased by Jim Krusoe

This book is apparently the second in a trilogy of fantasy-of-sorts novels by Krusoe, a teacher at Santa Monica College.

Because I'll be talking about the plot, this post contains spoilers.

* * * * * * * * * * * * SPOILERS * * * * * * * * * * * * *

This book started out well. I liked the framing device where every other chapter was an interview transcription (because the main character's mom worked as a transcriber). The book kept getting increasingly weird, however.

When he moved to another city after people started committing crimes with his garden tools I thought that was strange. He moved into an apartment - how long was he planning to stay? If he wanted to find his mother (who was supposedly dead) why didn't he go to the coroner or the cemetery? I thought his new employee was going to embezzle money or something. He didn't. I thought something was going to happen with the garden implement murders. Nothing did.

When they went on a city-wide rat hunt with baseball bats and garbage can lids, I thought that was a little strange. Then his friend killed a big rat that looked like a dog - because it actually WAS a dog. She killed a dog! Then they just went to the bar at 9:30 in the morning, where they met a guy called Yellow Horse who used his magical Native American powers to try to find the guy's (supposedly dead) mother, "I see a hot place, pitchforks... fumes, mist... the word devil comes to mind" he then adds, "I hope this is not bad news." No, my mother is in hell, that's just fine!

Then the Nazis came.

Here is a sampling of comments I wrote in the margins of my book with a thin blue pen:

• This may be the point where I've given up hope on this book (this was even BEFORE the Nazis showed up).
• Wait. What? Did she just kill a dog with a club with a nail sticking out of it?
• OK, we get it.
• !
• OMG, who do you think you are, Professor? Charles Dickens? Cut it out with the descriptions.
• Oh.
• Because this is how all women think according to a guy who teaches at community college.
• Stupid.
• Because if you're not married, you must be crazy.
• It could be ANYBODY.
• Huh?
• Oh, good, because I was totally worried about that.
• Yeah, I think I saw that in the trailer for The Final Destination...
• So, Nazis?
• Shut up! :)

I wouldn't say this book was good, but I bet it will make for an interesting discussion at my first book club meeting!

Also, how common is the name "Sarge" anyway?