SUMMARY: With bad actors in close pursuit, a Hopi Indian cabbie motors Maui artist Gille Barker and an illusive Albert Einstein through Arizona deserts and Louisiana bayous to New Orleans in search of a satchel’s mysterious contents and the secret to life’s design.
The BookViral Review: Genre – Paranormal & Urban Fantasy (Books) Road Trip Novels
Consistently engrossing and highly entertaining, Brinner’s prose creates a spell that lingers long after the last page is turned. Proving that fantasy is often a lot more compelling than the reality Einstein in Flamingoland – Confessions of a Fellow Traveler is one of those novels that could easily have been a corny mess in less able hands. But through tight plotting and the creation of superb characters Brinner captures the essentials of tone, mood, and emotion, to give us a story that feels authentic. He doesn’t push his characters or manipulate them. He’s wise enough to let them be and because of this the overarching plot never feels contrived. At its core, it’s an extraordinary road trip and the story is unique, yet it goes pretty much exactly the way you might expect. The banter between the oppositely-minded characters has clear heroes and villains. Every chapter feels right, every choice feels thought-out whilst still respecting the severity of its characters.
Through flashbacks and the evolving relationship between Gille Barker and Jeff Lightfoot Brinner teases us with possibilities. Is Gille delusional, is Zargon Ron really from another planet, is Albert Einstein no more than a figment of his imagination? A final definitive answer eludes us but actually makes for a superb denouement because whether Gille is or isn’t imagining them is ultimately less important than where his belief takes him.
A refreshingly original read and a brilliant introduction to the mind of George R Brinner Einstein in Flamingoland – Confessions of a Fellow Traveler is recommended without reservation.
