S.A. CROSBY — BLACKTOP WASTELAND

1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass

I started reading this in Kyiv and left it in Bratislava during an interminable layover. I’m not sure why I’m having a hard time getting Crosby’s books from European sellers, because I’d definitely read more, I think there’s a new one out in the U.S. You can get a good sense of who this guy is from this New York Times profile, but more so from his prose, which is generously expressive and draws its language palette from interesting sources (today’s South if you’re Black, car culture, redneck culture). Nothing extraneous in the plot or the prose, just a gangster car story with plenty of titillation and characters I cared about. Made me miss driving, miss America. Hope someone in Bratislava finds it and has a good time. 

Read December 2021