Carcass of the Caterpillar

Rating:
Summary: Three Point Winner
Review: Coming out must certainly be difficult in most any setting, but when it's in a small backwoods town in the South, every obstacle is multiplied. But the setting is the first point winner. The second point winner is the incredible dialog and the third point winner is the wonderfully intertwined plot. The two main characters, Chad and Tim, are perfectly drawn. They are so genuine that there is never the slightest question of their believability--what they are going through and how they deal with their lives strikes the right chord. The supporting characters are also well constructed. The way the plot moves so smoothly from gay issues, to violence, to mystery and suspense makes this a real pleasure to read.

Rating:
Summary: Straight Shot
Review: I read Carcass of the Caterpillar in one day. I could not put it down. It spoke to me using words, situations and characters that communicated to me on a level I could relate to instantly. This is the second book I've read by this author and although I enjoyed reading Runaway--A Survivor, this novel totally captured my imagination. Her writing style sizzles like electricity. She paints her characters with bold strokes and she lets them speak their own words, in their own dialects. The subject matter is so today. When you finish this novel you feel something akin to having just done a straight shot of a strong potion of reality. I want her to do it again and again.

Rating:
Summary: A Bestseller?
Review: I've read other E. Layne Kelly novels, but this one is by far the best. Two young men coming out in the backwaters of the rural South is enough to grab my attention, but there's much more depth to this story. The supernatural mystery subplot that bumps along just below the surface is fascinating and adds an extra chill. The people who inhabit the small town are sometimes typical in their violence and other times surprising in their warmth and tolerance. Then there is the sinister father, the epitome of narrow-mindedness and hate-filled rage. All of these characters along with the constantly moving plot are orchestrated by a talented hand who balanced narrative and dialog like a subtle magician. A bestseller? If the GLBT marketplace in Atlanta, where it jumped immediately to the number two slot, is any indication then, yes.