It's a continuing lesson to learn that Arkansas' talented novelist Charles Portis has more to offer than just True Grit. While that is his most famous novel (and a fine read), he has other books that are worth more than just flipping through:
Masters of Atlantis was such a bizarre story about wily con artists that some parts made us laugh and wonder . . . what exactly were we reading?
It's through reading Mr. Portis' other works one learns he's not a "western writer." He's a comedy writer. And after a trip to our lovely local library (say that three times fast), we picked up his first novel, Norwood, published in 1966.
This book further exemplifies Mr. Portis' talent for taking a rather simple main character who gets involved in some ludicrous situations. This book follows a straightforward Texas Marine veteran who goes on a cross-country road trip to track down a buddy who owes him $70. At first glance, that might not sound like an exciting story. But if you're familiar with Mr. Portis, you know that's where his strengths are. He can pen pure Southern dialogue that somehow never turns to cliché. And he knows how to invent the wackiest side characters, from a freelance travel writer who doesn't actually travel to a future bride-to-be traveling across the country on a bus.
Perhaps the funniest scene in the book is when Norwood tosses a sack of flour off the train he's riding, and it crashes into a poor hobo walking along the tracks. But our favorite is when he hypnotizes a bunch of chickens and then barks at them like a drill sergeant.
After reading both Masters of Atlantis and Norwood, we've concluded that Mr. Portis' greatest skill is writing dialogue for hucksters and con artists. The way he can craft and stitch together off-the-wall "facts" and false reassurances is like no other author we've ever read.
One of the things that's most appealing about this story is how succinct it is. Mr. Portis clearly set out to chronicle this peculiar journey across the country, and when it is finished, it is finished. At 168 pages, Norwood can be a quick read for anyone interested.
One thing we learned from this story: Don't loan anyone $70. It'll likely be more trouble than it's worth to get back.
Editorial on 07/26/2019