The Cusser Club
A Tawdry, Titillating Texas Tale
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Kirkus Review (Starred)This gritty coming-of-age tale novel revolves around three teenage friends and a dangerous adventure that changes them all. Set in the spring of 1969, Northcutt's story primarily focuses on 15-year-old Teddy Nutscalder, who lives in Dix Knob: "an East Texas cesspool that God forgot." Living with an abusive, alcoholic father and the memory of a wayward mother who simply up and left seven years earlier when his twin sister died, Nutscalder's life isn't exactly idyllic--especially considering that town bully Galton Grails has it out for him. His best friends, Mickey O'Dell,...
Kirkus Review (Starred)This gritty coming-of-age tale novel revolves around three teenage friends and a dangerous adventure that changes them all. Set in the spring of 1969, Northcutt's story primarily focuses on 15-year-old Teddy Nutscalder, who lives in Dix Knob: "an East Texas cesspool that God forgot." Living with an abusive, alcoholic father and the memory of a wayward mother who simply up and left seven years earlier when his twin sister died, Nutscalder's life isn't exactly idyllic--especially considering that town bully Galton Grails has it out for him. His best friends, Mickey O'Dell, a "pint-sized Hercules," and Tommy Crum, whose penis is the size of a "Czechoslovakian summer sausage," share Nutscalder's disdain for the town and dream of getting out someday. But when they talk a pretty "high society" girl from jumping to her death off of a bridge, they become entangled in her sad story, which includes a sexually abusive stepfather, a mentally unstable mother, and a dangerous conspiracy where more than a few people may have already been murdered. While the cast is brilliantly portrayed and the storyline has some truly impressive plot twists, it's Northcutt's clear, confident voice and his ability to immerse the reader in 1969 culture that makes this novel so readable. The prose and imagery, while not always politically correct, fit the story perfectly: "She had a figure like Marilyn Monroe with an hourglass waist and tits like a couple of 1957 Cadillac bumper bullets." But ultimately, it's the thematic exploration into the power of friendship and the significance of (trying to) do the right thing that makes this so unputdownable. Readers who enjoyed Stephen King's novella "The Body" will love this novel. Radiates an immersive, dark, and nostalgic vibe. https: //www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/randall-northcutt/the-cusser-club
