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I used to really love Morrow, but I've actually stopped reading him. I've never read any biographical information on him, but I can only assume that he had never wanted children until he had a daughter, whom he loved with a depth he didn't know he possessed until she died, tragically, at about 8 or so. This happening to him is the only reason I can imagine for this theme cropping up so unrelentingly in his work. I really feel for him--that would be an unimaginably horrible thing to have happen--but I don't want to read about it again.
That said I really liked Towing Jehovah a lot. It doesn't fit the above described mold at all, and is interesting, well written, and funny.
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I enjoy James Morrow's work, but reading Only Begotten Daughter was difficult. For some reason parts of it was like reading Lost Boys. I can't explain it with Morrow's book. (I know why with Card's book.) Admittedly, it has been awhile since I've read both. I like his sense of satire, though.
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Yeah, his sense of satire is wonderful (Bible Stories for Adults is a great example of his satire), and he does an amazing job of creating deeply real feeling characters that you love.
Then, inevitably, he eviscerates them. Having horrible things happen to wonderful characters isn't necessarily bad--I loveA Song of Ice and Fire, and god knows Martin is <ahem> less than gentle with almost every single one of the characters in that series--but there's just a hopeless, depressing, bitter, unrelenting quality to the way Morrow handles it that, for me, is about as plesant as eating poison.
Again, this isn't present is absolutely every single one of his books--Towing Jehovah is certainly an exception, as are some of his earlier works, like The Continent of Lies and The Wine of Violence. For every one of those exceptions, though, there are 2 or three This is the Way the World Ends, Only Begotten Daughters, or Blameless in Abaddons.
When The Eternal Footman came out, I intended to buy it, but after reading the first 60 or 100 pages, and being introduced to yet another character who hadn't wanted children, but who ended up having a kid (a daughter, I think, but it's been years) and loving her with unabashed emotion, I just thought "do I really need to read this again? The idea of a Fetch is interesting, but it isn't interesting enough for it to be worth it to me to watch Morrow deal with his grief again."
It's the first time I've ever turned away from an author I'd absolutely adored.
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That said, larisse, what did you think of his depiction of Satan in Only Begotten Daughter? I thought that it was probably one of the most brilliant such depictions I'd come across in modern literature.
I don't remember the description of Satan, but like I said, it has been awhile since I've read it. That being said, I do remember the scene in Hell with Jesus and the water. It was an oddly disturbing scene. I know that it should have been comforting that he was there in the first place, but it wasn't.
And thank you. You nailed the difficulty I had with reading that book. Having truly horrible things happen to good people, and having it being told in such a matter of fact way was a bit off-putting.
As well the fact that I read the book when I was going through a crisis of faith. (I had some .)
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So Wonko, have you read anything by Morrow? What did you think of it? I'm getting the impression that larisse and I are the only people on Hatrack who have read Morrow, which is kind of surprising; I'd thought that he was better known than that.
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I've read Towing Jehovah, Only Begotten Daughter, and Bible Stories for Adult, but only got partway through This is the Way the World Ends.
I like his stuff, but not much of it sticks in my consciousness for very long afterwards. I just have vague recollections of "that was pretty good" and that's about it.
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