I have to admit right up front that the main reason I bought The Big Door Prize in the first place was because the first thought that popped into my head when I read its title was that hilarious country song "In Spite of Ourselves" sung by John Prine and Iris Dement. (I should add that the book was on sale in a Dollar Store I go into about twice a year for $1, too, so I didn't have a lot to lose by taking a chance on it.)
Well as it turns out, The Big Door Prize is a lot of fun.
The book opens with a short prologue that leads with this question:
How can you know that your whole life will change on a day the sun rises at the agreed-upon time by science or God or what-have-you and the morning birds go about their usual bouncing for worms?"
For the little town of Deerfield, Louisiana it all begins on the day a mysterious new machine appears in the local grocery store, a machine that promises to use your DNA sample to tell you exactly what you are best suited for in life. For the paltry sum of two dollars you can find out what you are destined to be if you only have the courage to go for it. Soon enough, a surprisingly large segment of Deerfield's citizens have decided to go for it, and the town is unlikely ever to be the same again.
The townspeople are abruptly quitting their longtime jobs to become cowboys, musicians, magicians, survivalists living off the grid, and athletes. One woman even believes it is her destiny to marry into one of the world's royal families. Within just a few days marriages are threatened, lives are put in danger, and everyone seems happier with themselves than ever. But now the real question is where did the DNAMIX machine come from and who is behind it?
The Big Door Prize may not be the deepest novel in the world, but it manages to combine fun and humor with an exploration of the conflicts involved with remaining forever true to oneself if that comes into conflict with family and community responsibilities. There is also a much darker side plot interwoven throughout the novel that adds another reason to keep turning the pages of The Big Door Prize. If you're in the mood for something a little different, you might enjoy this one a lot.
Listen carefully to the lyrics of "In Spite of Ourselves" and you'll see why the book title led me directly to thinking about one of my old favorites.
This book looks like an entertaining read, with everyone changing their course in life to what they really want to do.
ReplyDeleteIt's a fun read despite having a dark side to it that I didn't want to detail much because of spoilers.
DeleteThat's a great song! And it sounds like you got your dollar's worth with this book. It's such a great premise. I'd be tempted to try out a machine like that. ;D I'm even more tempted to read this book.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely worth a buck, Lark. lol You might like this one because the side plots have something for just about every reader, I think.
DeleteTom came across an article, and thought you might be interested:
ReplyDeletehttps://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/4774109-houston-grid-crisis-power-outages/
A John Prine song popped into my head today - "your flag decal won't get you into heaven anymore" :<))
Thank Tom for that article, Nan. It was interesting - and for the most part seems to be accurate. John Prine was really special, wasn't he. His lyrics were always amazing.
DeleteThis does sound like my kind of book. I will be looking for a copy.
ReplyDeleteLove to hear what you think of it, Tracy. It was a really nice surprise to me.
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