#61 – Roadwork

Plot

Barton Dawes’ unremarkable but comfortable existence suddenly takes a turn for the worst. Highway construction puts him out of work and simultaneously forces him out of his home. Dawes isn’t the sort of man who will take an insult of this magnitude lying down. His single-minded determination to fight the inevitable course of progress drives his wife and friends away while he tries to face down the uncaring bureaucracy that has destroyed his once comfortable life.

Review

I put the “Dates Read” section for two reasons. One, I wanted to convey how much time it took me to read the novel. Novels that you enjoy are often ones you read faster. And two, to showcase that the time and place that you consume art matters.

I began reading Roadwork after starting a brand-new job in 2020 and didn’t finish it until three months into the global pandemic. Life got in the way, and it slowed my reading consumption.

King wrote several novels under the pseudonym, Richard Bachman, including Roadwork. This had the bones of a decent book, but King’s writing let me down. It’s not that I didn’t understand what was happening, it was that I didn’t care. And ultimately, that lethargic energy was a constant throughout.

King mentioned in the prelude of this novel that it is his least favorite Richard Bachman book, which soured my opinion before I even started. I have very little doubt that if I were to go back and re-read this novel, I may have a completely different stance.

Details

Pages: 320

Dates Read: January – June 2020

Quote: “All places are the same unless your mind changes. There’s no magic place to get your mind right. If you feel like shit, everything you see looks like shit. I KNOW that.”

Best Part: The main character – Dawes – picks up a hitchhiker in the middle of this book, and it’s the most compelling part of the story.

Hint for #60: Think Syracuse basketball.

 

Until next time, peace be the journey.