Tom Robbins, Another Roadside Attraction
I was introduced to Tom Robbins' writing in high school. My
first Robbins novel was Jitterbug Perfume,
which is an intoxicating book and probably should also be on this list. Soon
after reading Jitterbug Perfume, I found
Another Roadside Attraction, a book
that truly changed my life. It is a surreal romp from the forests of Washington
to the Vatican and back again, set in the age of love and flowers. It involves
football and Southern boys, a baboon, the Corpse, a flea circus, talking produce, and lots and lots
and lots of drugs, sex, and music. It is a quintessential novel of the Sixties
(despite having been published in 1971). I have read it countless times; it is a
feel-good novel and always reminds me of very happy times.
I ADORE Robbins' character Amanda Ziller. She is with me
much of the time. She is likely the character from literature I'd most want to
be (at least when I'm not in a Virginia Woolf phase). This novel also taught me
how to walk in the rain and how to enjoy mushrooms. It taught me about scent. It
taught me about friendships that endure. It taught me to be tickled by
language. The sixteen-year-old I once was was astonished that a book like this even
existed; the wistful would-be writer I am today wishes I had the imagination to
create something like it.
I can't begin to summarize the plot of this novel. It's more
than a story; it's an experience. If you don't enjoy absurdism, if you can't
read magical realism, if you're glad that the hippies were wrong, you should
give this novel a pass. But if you're willing to alter your thinking — and
maybe your life — Another Roadside Attraction is an outstanding place to start.
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