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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Delving desultorily into the psyches of the members of a small cult, Jeppesen strives for apocalyptic resonance in this wobbly first novel. In brief, fragmentary chapters, the writer introduces his motley cast of disaffected characters, most seduced in some way by the teachings of Martin Jones, Earth's Representative from the Next Level of Existence. Jones's cult, a Heaven's Gate-like outfit, is housed in a former elementary school in the imaginary rural community of Buick. Herbert, the most frequently recurring figure, tests the patience even of his fellow cult members, indulging all sorts of unpleasant urges (near the start of the book, he slaughters a goat and eats its raw entrails) and eventually striking off on his own and meeting up with two loner freaks, Howard ("a dumbfuck and a failure") and Ruphis ("a grade A low-life"). In a series of faux-Beckettian scenes, the three eke out their idle existences ("What if Herbert is not only looking at Ruphis and Howard, but down at the table as well? It's not out of the question, no"). More sympathetic is Tanya, a troubled teen whose boyfriend commits suicide soon after she finds out she's pregnant, driving her into the clutches of Martin Jones. Jones's teachings are strictly generic-he believes that the earth is being "recycled" and that his followers need to leave (via a mass suicide). Still, Jeppesen might have revealed something about the twisted logic of cult faith if he hadn't succumbed to the temptation of garbled, pseudo-experimentalist prose ("a life faring sexless as the hairs of a day"; "lifting his fork in advance of a forthcoming display of fantastic implication"). The pretentious sloppiness of the writing obscures a genuine narrative vigor, which shines through in isolated episodes.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
". . . [B]oldly strange, funny . . ." -- THE ADVOCATE, June 24, 2003
"An artfully fractured vision of memory & escape, Victims maintains a rigorous structure throughout-- even when the aliens show up." -- THE VILLAGE VOICE, June 4-10, 2003
"Jeppesen structures his slender narrative as a bold mosaic of POV-switching fragments, told in lanugage either raw or florid." -- ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
"Like Cooper, Jeppesen has a gift for balancing accessibility with lyricism, & the laconic speech of teenagers with philosophical density." -- PUNK PLANET MAGAZINE, Oct. 2003
"This book marks the debut of an author who will surely become a major voice in alternative literary fiction . . ." -- Library Journal (starred review)
"Victims may be the most exciting first novel I've read in a decade or more." -- Dennis Cooper (author of Frisk)
"[T]he best debut novel I've read in a long time. Jeppesen's prose is stunning in its originality and power." -- BOOKSLUT.COM, Aug. 7, 2003
See all Editorial Reviews
Delving desultorily into the psyches of the members of a small cult, Jeppesen strives for apocalyptic resonance in this wobbly first novel. In brief, fragmentary chapters, the writer introduces his motley cast of disaffected characters, most seduced in some way by the teachings of Martin Jones, Earth's Representative from the Next Level of Existence. Jones's cult, a Heaven's Gate-like outfit, is housed in a former elementary school in the imaginary rural community of Buick. Herbert, the most frequently recurring figure, tests the patience even of his fellow cult members, indulging all sorts of unpleasant urges (near the start of the book, he slaughters a goat and eats its raw entrails) and eventually striking off on his own and meeting up with two loner freaks, Howard ("a dumbfuck and a failure") and Ruphis ("a grade A low-life"). In a series of faux-Beckettian scenes, the three eke out their idle existences ("What if Herbert is not only looking at Ruphis and Howard, but down at the table as well? It's not out of the question, no"). More sympathetic is Tanya, a troubled teen whose boyfriend commits suicide soon after she finds out she's pregnant, driving her into the clutches of Martin Jones. Jones's teachings are strictly generic-he believes that the earth is being "recycled" and that his followers need to leave (via a mass suicide). Still, Jeppesen might have revealed something about the twisted logic of cult faith if he hadn't succumbed to the temptation of garbled, pseudo-experimentalist prose ("a life faring sexless as the hairs of a day"; "lifting his fork in advance of a forthcoming display of fantastic implication"). The pretentious sloppiness of the writing obscures a genuine narrative vigor, which shines through in isolated episodes.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
". . . [B]oldly strange, funny . . ." -- THE ADVOCATE, June 24, 2003
"An artfully fractured vision of memory & escape, Victims maintains a rigorous structure throughout-- even when the aliens show up." -- THE VILLAGE VOICE, June 4-10, 2003
"Jeppesen structures his slender narrative as a bold mosaic of POV-switching fragments, told in lanugage either raw or florid." -- ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
"Like Cooper, Jeppesen has a gift for balancing accessibility with lyricism, & the laconic speech of teenagers with philosophical density." -- PUNK PLANET MAGAZINE, Oct. 2003
"This book marks the debut of an author who will surely become a major voice in alternative literary fiction . . ." -- Library Journal (starred review)
"Victims may be the most exciting first novel I've read in a decade or more." -- Dennis Cooper (author of Frisk)
"[T]he best debut novel I've read in a long time. Jeppesen's prose is stunning in its originality and power." -- BOOKSLUT.COM, Aug. 7, 2003
See all Editorial Reviews
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