Riveting. Mould has set the bar for psychological thrillers at a new level with this mesmerizing work exploring one mans struggles with the spiritual world and ultimately his own sanity.The reader finds the antihero Jacob already three steps too close to the edge. He sits cross-legged on the filthy hardwood floors of his Glasgow studio apartment in only his underwear as he scribbles the sentence "Will the fight for our sanity be the fight for our lives now that weve lost all the reasons that we had?" This idle time is indeed the devils workshop and our introduction to Jacob is an introduction to a man already in Hell. However, this barely scratches the surface as this descent is only making a brief stop on its way down.
When a phone call from his mother ends abruptly in a disconnect caused by the blizzard roaring through the city, Jacobs troubled outlook begins to focus on his smallness in the physical world. He feels every eye of a spider in a corner of his ceiling burn mortal holes through him as the walls seemingly begin to shrink all around him. Jacob sees ants in his pants. Jacob sees geese in his fleece. Jacob sees a fox in his socks. Jacob sees a cyclops in his hightops. Jacob sees a nun waving a gun. Jacob sees a goat gnawing at his throat. Gods natural world has no place for Jacob, and surely this could be his time.
Wendy Moulds prose and brilliantly haunting rhyming motif are what make this such an impressive work. There may not be anything that rhymes with orange, but I certainly didnt think that there were words -- let alone the names of animals and biblical characters -- that would so ominously and appropriately rhyme with cumberbund, cerebellum, leg warmers, or taint among others. With its hefty 1200 plus pages, this is a "Ulysses"-sized journey. Take it.
Five stars.
