Customer Reviews

The Nirvana Blues: A Novel

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Normally, I prefer not to be a harsh critic, but I feel compelled, given the very positive review above, to offer my own appraisal. I have found THE NIRVANA BLUES to be a disappointment. Nichols' THE MILAGRO BEANFIELD WAR is a well-crafted novel, and worthy of the praise (and even the Steinbeck comparisons) that it receives. The novel's characters display idiosyncracies that are both intoxicating and revealing. THE NIRVANA BLUES attempts to duplicate this, and yet its idiosyncracies, in my opinion, become irritating: more hijinx without substance. Furthermore, the erotic element to the story seems more self-indulgent than necessary. If you have read THE MILAGRO BEANFIELD WAR, and are looking forward to the same quality in the rest of the trilogy, you may be disappointed as well.

Joe Miniver, an every-man type, living in the New Age community of Chamisaville, New Mexico, has a dilemma -- he dreams of purchasing a prime piece of land from an eighty year old native, the indomitable Eloy Irribarren, the only virtuous person in the town, and the only non-white (not a surprise, considering Nichol's negative attitudes towards white surburbanites). Unfortunately, other townsfolk, who are much more powerful and richer than Joe, covet the same piece of land as well, but Joe has one advantage: Eloy recognizes some good preservationist values in Joe that the other potential buyers don't share, and wants to sell only to him. Alas though, Joe, an educated garbage hauler with a wife and two children, has no cash, which is why he, and two of his friends, decide to purchase and sell uncut cocaine. Unfortunately it's the worst kept secret in a town full of gossip and innuendo, where every secret seems to be instantly known, and Joe finds that he has made a number of enemies set to destroy him and steal his cocaine. Along the way (the book takes place over about a week long period) he has affairs with three different women, each with their own bizarre issues and agendas, and, at the same time, has to deal with his difficult family.

And that's where it all gets really strange. Chamisaville is basically a town filled with new-age weirdos, calling themselves "Hanumans," who share some similarities to Scientologists, but engage in monkey worship and idolatry. In fact, one of the major characters of the book is a demonic monkey named Sasha, owned by one of Joe's lovers. The cast of characters, which includes people named Nikita Smatterling, Angel Guts, and Nick Danger, all have dealings and conspiracies with each other that are almost impossible to follow, and I highly doubt that the author expected the reader to keep track.

I knew something was particularly off-kilter about the story when Joe tries to escape the town, but can't get out because of various construction projects and other obstructions, which mysteriously vanish when he returns to the center of town. Similarly, wherever Joe seems to go, whether to the town diner, the hospital, or stuck in a traffic jam, he encounters a number of the central characters who just happen to be present at exactly the same moment. Many townsfolk take issue with Joe's attempt to buy the land, but no one seems to care all that much that he's selling cocaine to raise the necessary funds. And just when you think it can't get any stranger, it does.

"Nirvana Blues" is the third installment of a trilogy which began with "The Milagro Beanfield War," followed by "Magic Journey." I never read the first book, but I rated "Magic Journey" five stars, finding the writing to be extraordinary. Although there was a fantastical element to that book as well, this didn't dominate the story as it does here. Sometimes it just seems that the author couches his antipathy towards white surbanites seeking to escape the rat race, in supernaturalism and hyper-exaggeration.

With its flaws and all, "Nirvana Blues" still clearly demonstrates how well Nichol's can write. Plus, although I found many of the attempts at humour futile, occasionally Nichol's succeeded, such as when a Mafia-type capo tries to threaten Joe by shooting at a grapefruit in his pool with Joe's face drawn on it. Except he can't hit the grapefruit even through two clips of bullets. When he orders his bodyguard to retrieve it, the bodyguard, a non-swimmer, almost drowns and Joe has to save him.

I suppose as an allegory for Hell on Earth, "Nirvana Blues" works in some way. I just didn't think it was nearly as good as "Magic Journey."

Maybe you had to have been there... and if you were there, you probably don't remember; so Nichols provides you with an easy flashback. It would be a complete literary error to attempt to compare this book to THE MAGIC JOURNEY or THE MILAGRO BEANFIELD WARS. No, different times require different treatments. This is a difficult read because Nichols is protraying a difficult period, the middle years of the Baby Boomers. If you are from the Silent Generation, it won't make sense. If you ever dreamed of an alternative lifestyle, then dust off that Woodstock album, er... CD and enjoy the ride.

A gripping American novel "The Nirvana Blues" captures the richness of the late 20th century. Nichols creates characters that nearly rival Steinbeck's Doc and the entire Joad clan. Nichols excels in both humor and human compassion. You don't know whether to laugh or cry. He is by far one of the best writers to come out in the last 30 years, "The Nirvana Blues" should be considered required reading for colleges and universities.