Down and Out In Purgatory

It’s a simple story, really. Tom loved Shasta, but never had the guts to say so. So Shasta married John, and later, John murdered Shasta. And Tom wants revenge. Of course, everyone wants revenge at some point. But whereas most people will stop before things go to far, others will go to any length to achieve retribution. And somewhere beyond that, there’s Tom Holbrook, who is willing to pursue his revenge into the afterlife when John dies unexpectedly.

Down and Out In Purgatory is the weirdest revenge story you’ll ever read, and that’s one of the best things about it. Its setting is confusing and otherworldly, its characters are quicksilver-slippery and unpredictable, and its stakes are sky high. This is a book about bullheadedness, about obsession, about futility, and about moving forward. It brilliantly tackles how the stories we tell ourselves can be shaped and manipulated over time, and makes you question the value and very nature of vengeful thinking.

Big ideas explored in unexpected ways… that’s what Tim Powers is all about, and Down and Out In Purgatory is a wonderfully brief introduction to that style of storytelling.