Customer Reviews

Izzy and Eve: An Erotic Thriller

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I really wanted to appreciate this novel but after 185 pages I'm not clear on where it's going. The story appears to be an existential perspective on life, the afterlife and the space in between. The primary characters, Izzy and Eve, are best friends and roommates who have tossed all conventional notions of faith and religion in pursuit of life on their own terms. Through the use of a newly synthesized drug (silt), Izzy is physically transported to another realm. Silt is made from an ancient root used by the Haseeshi people who are indigenous to the landscape within which the novel is set. Eve is panic-stricken by Izzy's disappearance and through physic communications between her and Izzy (from another realm); set out to unravel the mystery of his and many other gay men's disappearances after their use of the silt.

As with the previous novels that I've read by Drinnan, there are moments of insight that requires pause for contemplation, "Eve, if life's what you make it, why shouldn't the afterlife be as well?" and moments of such clearly stated truth - "Our dysfunctional emotional setup may be no better than the romantic hetero-illusions thrown our way by movies and magazines but at least it is our own creation. Whether it be fine or foul is for others to decide" - that an immediate sense of recognition is achieved. Although Drinnan creatively intersperses a level of symbolism in the text, whether in the form of character naming - Israel, Jordan, Eve - or the association of the natural, and indigenous elements of earth - the ancient root, the Haseeshi people - with the danger/damage that can befall those same elements when exploited by man - silt, the oppression of the Haseeshi people, that made the reading more interesting;

ultimately the novel was a bit too "trippy" for this reader and I wasn't able to complete it. Two out of three is not a bad record for an author so I will certainly read more of Drinnan's work, but "Izzy and Eve . . ." may be best suited for a group read and open discussion on the ideas put forth in the novel. Good Luck!

IZZY AND EVE, Neal Drinnan's first novel in four years, is a revelation... and not for the faint of heart. Israel and Evangeline live in the Gilgal, a somewhat disreputable district in an unnamed Western city that sometimes resembles Los Angeles, sometimes Sydney. Immigrants and prostitutes make their home there, as do gay people and sundry bohemians. Evangeline makes a living creating unique jewelry, and for extra money she works as a receptionist in a nearby bordello; Israel is a pornographic cartoonist. They make an odd couple: she's straight, he's gay, and yet they are all each other need, companions in spirit but not sex.

Israel has been exploring altered states of consciousness through extreme sex, and when he vanishes, Evangeline panics. Someone has been murdering gay men in their thirties and forties, and she fears he is the newest victim. Her search - augmented by vague psychic talents and a dangerous, mystical drug called silt - takes her into ever-seedier corners of the Gilgal and brings her face-to-face with truths that are initially shocking and horrific, but ultimately profound.

Profound is the best word for this book, in fact. Drinnan's audacious debut, GLOVE PUPPET, was a blistering satire on gay propriety. His second novel, PUSSY'S BOW, took his approach a step farther, leaving almost no one unscathed. QUILL, his third, a novel about novelist who has wrought havoc with a posthumous roman a clef, again explored the questions of what is right and what is real. With IZZY AND EVE, Drinnan takes these questions and concerns to an entirely new level, looking at connections between sexuality, drug use, mysticism, and spirituality. Both these questions and their answers may be discomfiting. However, very few writers have Drinnan's combination of talent and nerve. IZZY AND EVE is frightening, sad, hilarious, troubling, and brilliant. I only put it down because I didn't want to finish it in one sitting. Read this book.

In his latest book, Izzy and Eve, Neal Drinnan offers us an alternative view point of accepted societal norms concerning faith and belief but more importantly elevates these above religious rigidity and unquestioned social constructs, which are not the same as faith and belief. The reader is required to look beyond what is commonly accepted in society and questions these social mores as a new pathway to an understanding of life. Additionally the characters are vehicles to explore the difference between what is real and imagined. These characters are real, but with a different slant on life. They're not stereotypes that are comfortably or easily pigeon-holed. Drinnan seeks to blur the simplistic lines between good and bad, black and white etc., to offer a fresh perspective to the human condition. The reader is challenged to dig deeper beneath the visible surface of his characters not to define them as being good or bad, but to explain that there is both good and bad within each individual. It is the sum total of their actions that define the individual, not each isolated incident or experience.

Drinnan expertly gives life to this story using a parallel narrative, told through the eyes of his characters Israel and Evangeline.

It is witty, provocative, challenging, fast-paced and refreshingly it does not dwell upon minutiae when fleshing out each scene. It is vivid in its imagery and solid in its reality. Approach this book with an open mind or you will fail to see the message within.

This was one of the best reads I have had for some time. It made me chuckle and feel guilty for doing so all at once. Simply couldn't put it down.

For those unfamiliar with Drinnan's work, what you will find here is a beautifully woven tapestry of darkly humorous (and sometimes downright debaucherous) anecdotes that fit together to create a complete and satisfying tale.

This one stood out to me as something of stepping stone for author Drinnan. I felt it drew on a more existential focal point, which was evident from the very beginning and captivating until the very end.

I look forward to more from this writer. He has a unique voice; a style that is like no other and a view on society that cannot be ignored.

An excellent read. Highly recommended!!