Book Review: A Feast of Peonies
by Obi
Publication Date: Mar 26, 2012
List Price: $14.95
Format: Paperback, 170 pages
Classification: Fiction
ISBN13: 9780974194905
Imprint: Penknife Press
Publisher: Penknife Press
Parent Company: Penknife Press
Read a Description of A Feast of Peonies
Book Reviewed by Thumper
Within the first four pages of A Feast of Peonies, the 165-page debut novel
by Obi; I was both intrigued, and mesmerized. This electrifying novel centers on
a man whose whole world is turned upside down. I had very few issues with the
book, and they did little to detract from the fast moving, hard hitting thrill I
got from reading this novel.
Get this: Ashanti Ra— wakes up lying in a strange bed after fighting with his
white girlfriend, Jean Dobson, and spending the night drinking. And I thought I
was the only one who had mornings liked these. As his hangover begins to make
its presence known, Ashanti discovers last night’s sexual partner is not the
woman he thought she was. Ashanti’s one-night-stand is really a gay man who goes
by the name of Phyllis. (I have never had this type of morning and I hope I
never will) It’s downhill from there for Ashanti. The components of his once
orderly world are suddenly in disarray: his relationship with Jean, his
certainty about his sexuality, and painful childhood memories that won’t stay in
his past. But before Ashanti can deal with the ramifications of his latest
sexual encounter, he is soon running from the police for a murder he did not
commit.
Between you and me, A Feast of Peonies almost didn’t get read. AALBC.com
receives so many books for consideration to be reviewed that often I don’t know
which one to read next. When A Feast of Peonies came in the mail and was sitting
on my coffee table; my cousin-in-law Candace—with her nosy self—picked up the
book and started reading it. When her husband, my cousin Winky, told her it was
time for them to leave, she kept reading the book. Finally I told her to get up
and get out of my house, as any good host would have done under the
circumstances. She looked at me and said, "Oooh, you have got to read this book.
A drunk man wakes up sleeping next to a drag queen." Naturally, I had to peruse
a few pages to see for myself. I’m glad I did.
A Feast of Peonies is a fast moving, totally absorbing novel that I could not
put down! Author Obi took a few chances with the storyline, which included sex
scenes that had me pacing the floor as I read them. Obi stepped out on a limb
stylistically as well, using the second person voice for the narrative. For such
a small book, A Feast of Peonies packs one hell of a wallop.
One man’s confusion is another man’s enjoyment, and I enjoyed the devil out of
Ashanti’s turmoil. Ashanti is a helluva character. Obi made Ashanti multi
dimensional by exploring his childhood to show the events that shaped the man
Ashanti became. Strangely enough, I did not form an emotional attachment with
Ashanti. I didn’t even throw a sympathetic notion in his direction. But, I liked
watching Ashanti fall into one mess after the other.
After the initial shock of the first few pages wore off, it took me a minute to
get used to second person narrative voice. The majority of fiction today is
usually told in the first or third person. I had never read a book or short
story, which used the second person narrative, although I’ve always wondered
what the second person narrative was. Obi took a chance putting the novel in
this form and it paid off handsomely. Once I got started, I didn’t want to be
interrupted. The story had an in-your-face, lyrical style which was subtle in
its power and unfolded like a movie playing in my head.
As much as I loved A Feast of Peonies, I had a few problems with it. The primary
one being that there were certain episodes and characters that could have been
fleshed out more. For example, for the last half of the book, Ashanti is on the
run from police detectives who want to pin a murder on him that ’ needless to
say — he did not commit. I would have liked to have seen Obi fill out this
subplot by letting me in on the lead detective’s motive for chasing Ashanti and
the steps he took to track him. The lead detective becomes more than a minor
character since he is the one Ashanti is running away from. It would have been
nice to know more about him.
I did not understand Ashanti’s attraction to Jean at all. What drew these two
together? What was going through Jean’s mind? I want answers to these questions
since Jean has a large and intricate role in Ashanti’s fate. I am not asking for
a lot of elaboration, just a few insightful words.
There is a fine line between knowing too much and not knowing enough. While
there were areas in A Feast of Peonies about which I would have liked to have
had more information, I did not need to know everything. Obi’s stinginess with
some of the details enhanced the story. For instance, Obi did not go into why
Ashanti was attracted to Phyllis even after he knew Phyllis was a man. I did not
mind it. I doubt if Ashanti even knew himself. Obi, wisely, did not try to
analyze Ashanti’s sexuality. It would have destroyed the poignancy and
entertainment value of the book.
The structure of the novel needs minor rearrangement. Each of the subplots
received equal billing; therefore, the novel has no one main plot. It would have
even been better if Ashanti being on the lam was the stem of the novel, with the
storylines featuring Phyllis, Jean, and his childhood past serving as its
branches. A Feast of Peonies works, but shifting the spotlight on one specific
plot thread would have made an already strong story even stronger.
I still love A Feast of Peonies. The novel is smart, at times sexy, and has
depth and multifaceted characters, and yet moves like a house on fire. I am
eager to see what Obi has up his sleeve for his next novel.