The Bingo Queens of Paradise , however, is much more than a tale of people living on the fringe, it is also a powerful and frequently harrowing account of child rape, domestic violence, illness and death. A hot devil wind blasts across the prairie, grabs the windows and makes them rattle. It's miserable outside. It's close to ten at night, still 93 degrees, and every clematis, marigold, crepe myrtle, and honeysuckle bush in Paradise has shrivelled to nothing. Grasshoppers the size of greyhounds are everywhere.
Weeds choke out flower beds and cover fences.
A particularly strange plant, covered with ugly purple flowers and long thorns, wormed its way into the Dead Bolt Cafe's air conditioner and blew the motor - prompting customers, including Pearl, Jessie, and me, to leave the evening special, hamburger patty with fried okra and butter beans, cooling on the tables so we could run home and cool off. The Age Company Ltd 2000. Any unauthorised use, copying or mirroring is prohibited.