Review: An Absolutely Wonderful Book
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 2, 2014
This is the second JF Smith book I've read in the last three days. And I'm going back to find more.Mr. Smith is a writer, a truly fine one. He paints such vivid images and characters that his novels teem with life. Whether they're at the top of their game, broken-hearted, or just plain broken, his characters ring true and never fail to move the reader."Falling Off The Face Of The Earth" is the story of James. Raised in the deep South, he has spent the last four years as a mover-and-shaker in the entertainment business, spearheading the promotion of major movies and their stars. The book picks up shortly after he flees New York in response to a devastating tragedy that has torn his world apart - and worse, made him question his own goals and values.Back home in Western Georgia, we meet a robust set of characters, from the guy who is about to become the Police Chief to the bully who made James' life unbearable in Junior High School, "Brick". Throw in his remarkable mother, Bea, and all the guys who work for her successful landscape business, and you have a stellar cast, each with a complete back-story, and their own unique, individual voice.There are some things that James just has to go through, some things he has to learn, some healing to be done, before he can be whole again, and that's what most of the book is about. There is, of course, a really beautiful (though painful) happily-ever-after that wraps up his metamorphosis perfectly.There are two things in this book that really struck me. The first is how the author deals with the concept of grace - that often what happens, good or bad, has some higher meaning or brings each of us to the place in our lives and worlds where we need to be. The second is the subtle "unwrapping" of the New York City story, not so much as flashbacks, but as brief glimpses of James' recent past poking through, like patches of sky through a storm. It's done so artfully that it's never intrusive, and you get to experience it as James tries to deal with it. Ultimately, the sad story is fully revealed, in all its pain, and it's as cathartic for the reader as it is for James, himself.This is a wonderful, beautiful story, told almost poetically. It will not fail to move you. I give it my highest possible recommendation.