cover image The Grand March

The Grand March

Robert Turner, Wipf and Stock/Emerald City (wipfandstock.com), $30 trade paper (270p) ISBN 978-1-60899-351-2

Turner's debut is a road novel that stalls in first gear. In the aftermath of a failed romance, Russell Pinske restlessly decides to head to California. He does so by first heading to his hometown of Door Prairie, Ind., to look up old acquaintances. What follows, and fills the novel, are the stories and relationships of Russell and assorted friends, among them a couple of smalltown dope dealers. Every character has a story or three; problem is, none is terribly interesting, and nothing much happens. It's low-key time in slackerville. Turner is ambitious; this is described as the first in a projected series of four books about "errant souls," and the road novel is an honored form for social observation. But his characters are one-dimensional, and his writing suffers from a few too many adjectives and adverbs ("Guy exclaimed in a harsh whisper"; "dreary light oozed through yellowed shades"). (Nov.)