From Publishers Weekly
Ghosts are like homeless people, we are told by DK "Dead" Kennedy, the hero of World Fantasy Award winner Stewart's latest blend of magical realism and Texas regionalism: most of us look away, but he can't. This ability to see the other side complicates life tremendously (he can't drive because at night ghosts look just like the living, and he's wrecked cars avoiding them), especially when a distant cousin hires him to exorcise the ghost of a girl the cousin murdered. Part of the novel deals with DK's offbeat career as an alternative exorcist, but what Stewart seems really to focus on is how these abilities now threaten his relationships with family, both immediate and extended. DK still loves his ex-wife and is active in the life of his daughter, but comes to realize that he's like a ghost in their lives: "Not all ghosts are dead, but all are hungry." Stewart's compelling account of how DK comes to grips with his ghosts, both actual and metaphorical, is alternately poignant and hilarious, with some genuinely creepy moments and one or two powerful jolts. This compelling story is a genre title with strong potential for crossing over into the mainstream.
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From Booklist
*Starred Review* DK--William "Dead" Kennedy, that is--is a haunted man. Literally. He sees dead people with unfinished business. Has all his life. Moreover, he is haunted by an ex-wife he can't get over, and, recently, long-deceased Uncle Billy has been pestering him for something as yet unidentified. But never mind the dead; things are tough, anyway. DK isn't exactly a financial success. Always struggling to close the gap between his hourly wage and the cost of fixing his air conditioner, or of taking his savvy 12-year-old daughter to Six Flags, he has just lost his job at Pet-Co for eating cat food in front of a customer to make a point. So when a long-lost cousin calls at 2 a.m. to tell him about the ghost in his garage, it looks like a fast way to a much-needed chunk of change. It is just DK's luck, however, for a simple plot to thicken like lumpy gravy, and suddenly murder is afoot. Dead funny, a little bit scary, and sometimes warm and fuzzy, but not too, among the greatest of
Perfect Circle's virtues is that daughter Megan, like father DK, is quirky and totally believable. She is also, unlike him, wise and hip, and she knows when to keep her mouth shut. At last, DK begins growing up, moving on, and, with Uncle Billy's help, bringing his past to a close. All-around terrific.
Paula LuedtkeCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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