Lives, by JJ McMoon

Reviewed by Brenda Seward

When I first received the advance copy for Lives, by J.J. McMoon, I fully intended to give it a quick glance and put it on the stack with the other galleys, to wait its turn behind the other four that I planned to read next. However, that is not exactly how things worked out. Within the first few pages, I was intrigued and found I could not put it down.

Lives is the unusual story of Freddy, his brother Kyle and a group of Kyle’s friends and how their lives are inexplicably wound together despite years, geography and circumstances. The author’s own synopsis of the book sparks reader interest right away with the description of the group:

“A prom queen turned lot lizard. A devil-worshipping rock star.  An assassin and the FBI agent tracking him. A jilted girlfriend and a telepathic psychopath. Coincidence is bringing them all together, but for what purpose?”

What purpose, indeed? The lives of these seven people, who had crossed paths, no matter how briefly years before, seem  bound together on some crazy collision course. A course navigated by a ‘vintage’ 1973 Lincoln Continental affectionately referred to as “Wednesday”. The importance and use of the car gives the story an almost supernatural feel, while not actually straying fully into that realm. For lack of a better way to state it, the Lincoln is a “vehicle” of coincidence in this story of coincidence, fate or perhaps karmic justice.

Lives is also the story of missed chances, bad choices, and the seemingly innocent path that can lead down a road of destruction. It reflects on the idea of how each of our lives can intersect with others in seemingly benign and inconsequential ways, but can also have a deep and profound effect. That idea is illustrated in the story of these seven individuals who are anchored to a fate that began when they were young. It also begs the question- how much of our life is predetermined and how much is of our own making. Lives answers some of those questions, but leaves the reader with many, even more bewildering questions.

In another review Lives is hailed as “…Stand by Me for the new millennium”, and the comparison is certainly legitimate. All of the characters in Lives share a gritty and sometimes tragic realism with those in Stephen King’s novella, The Body (from which Stand By Me was adapted). There is also the similar theme of life paths being set along a single course and the sometimes-futile desire to alter that path. While the author is admittedly a fan of King’s, and his work has a similar feel (especially King’s early work) his voice is all his own. The characters in Lives are fresh and multi-layered, drawing on the whole kaleidoscope of human emotions.  As it happens in real life, the conclusions are not always neat and tidy, but they are intriguing.  I highly recommend this rich tapestry of character study, the effects of choice and the sometimes harsh judgment of fate.

Lives is Richmond native J.J McMoon’s debut novel and is due to be released June 1, 2010.  A launch event for Lives, sponsored by Simple Pleasures Books & Gifts, will be held at Ashland Coffee & Tea, 100 N. Railroad Ave. Ashland, Va. on Saturday May 8, 2010 from 2-5 pm.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of Lives is going to be donated to The Dinner Garden (www.dinnergarden.org) to assist in their community efforts to rid world hunger.

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Review by Brenda Seward

Owner, Simple Pleasures Books & Gifts

Ashland, Va.

www.simplepleasuresbooksandgifts.com