I realize going in that this one is a little dated. This book originally came out in 2012 from Dzanc Books. However, the paperback version was released just this summer, and I feel like it is an under-read, under-appreciated gem of a book. The Festival of Earthly Delights tells the story of American abroad Boyd Darrow and his journey to the fictional Southeast Asian country of Pachai with his cheating girlfriend/fake wife, Ulla. The novel is written as a series of journal entry letters to Hap (an unseen character whose identity becomes apparent as the narrative grows). It is a novel unlike anything I can remember reading, and it has stuck with me in ways that can bring back a little inward chuckle at pretty much any given moment. And, it's currently only $4.07 for Amazon Prime members. Four dollars. I promise it is worth four of your dollars. And, I'll bet four dollars that, after reading it, you will be on board with me to start a campaign urging Dojny to release a new book ASAP. In this, his debut novel, Dojny conjures a little Saul Bellow in his fine use of the epistolary form. For a more modern comparison, Jonathan Tropper comes to mind, simply as another writer who can write fiction that is this funny. Thematically, though, it has a lot of Vonnegut floating around on the edges. Dojny never delves into lofty ruminations concerning motivations. The Festival of Earthly Delights is true to its title (however sarcastic that title may be). From his flee from New York (in an attempt to get Ulla away from "the White Sikh" she has been making out with) to the culminating titular event, Boyd Darrow is our Everyman--he is not some idealized version of ourselves, nor is he a mealy-mouthed pussy who makes us examine the fear in our own hearts. He's just a guy. He's a funny guy to whom we can connect in very real ways. And Dojny drags him though enough situations, ranging from whimsical to heartbreaking to hysterical, for us to come to love him and his journey into adulthood. It bears mentioning, also, the event that brought this brilliant novel back to my attention. Dojny's latest project is a Tumblr called Hiphop Is the Future. I stumbled across it while perusing the Interwebs, and thought, I know that name. Then the book came back to me with a grin before I got lost in a rabbit hole of drawings. He posts a drawing a day, mostly sketches bordering on single-shot Farside-esque cartoons. The drawings sometimes resemble some of the sketches from The Festival of Earthly Delights. They are often hilarious, usually non sequitur, always worth checking out.
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