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GONE FISHIN'
by Walter Mosley
Washington Square Press, September 2002
208 pages
$14.00
ISBN: 0743451759


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Walter Mosley can create convincing characters and interesting atmospherics from the first few words on the page, but this coming-of-age tale of Easy Rawlins and his partner in crime, Raymond 'Mouse' Alexander has a less-than-satisfying plotline and, at best, a questionable moral approach. What magic Mosley has imbued into his characters and settings is wasted on a disheartening ending that posits that friendship (or fear) is more important than what’s right or just.

The two venture from Houston down to Mouse’s country hometown of Pariah, Texas, to announce the wedding of Mouse and EttaMae to Mouse’s brutal stepfather, Reese Corn and seek his financial support for the wedding. Along the way, Mouse and Easy encounter a cast of interesting characters, both in town and along the way. Their journey is a coming-of-age story that reveals just what made these two men the way they are, exploring each man’s traumatic childhood events.

The dialogue and descriptions make for a fascinating portrait of rural Texas in the 1930s and 1940s. However, this is not enough to sustain a story that ends in two senseless deaths and a cover-up as the price of friendship. Mosley makes interesting comments about the state of relations between blacks and whites, about strong women, about helping those who need it in troubled times, and facing up to the past instead of running away from it. Yet, the overall themes are negated by the pointless storyline and failure to address the morality of “looking the other way” because of fear or friendship.

Perhaps those who have read other Easy Rawlins stories will find interest in this pre-history. As a standalone novel, it falls short. Although many will be able to admire Mosley’s skills as a creator of interesting characters and dialogue, the plot is a disappointment. As readers we hope for better judgment by Easy and a strength of character that supports Mosley’s writerly talents. In that, Mosley has failed.

Reviewed by Christine Zibas, July 2007

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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