Catfish Joe by Carol Ann

The Good. Reading Catfish Joe was like hopping on a party-line and eavesdropping in on an ad-lib conversation occurring 20-30-years before I was born. It was a surreal reading experience; in a satirical way it might even seem as if literature was cleverly being mocked.

The Mmeh Okay. Catfish Joe and Lavinia, among others; Ty, Mizz Etta, Gladys, Myrtle, Mizz Lucille… dispensing common morality lessons using ‘jitterbug’ spicy speak, on a ban of loosely connected characters going about an average day, made the story interesting.

The Best Part. The sputtering throw back humor I liked most. ‘God in her pants’ was a treat to pass by; and ‘Arnetta’ somewhat. Catechisms such as “Dang Gal, I ain’t seen ya in a month of Sundays…” …is an example. Double, Double, Toil and Trouble where Lavinia likes quoting poetic icons to insult friends who know nothing about icons was another. ‘How about calling Hamlet… Porkchoplet? …and she laughed her ass off…’.

Overall, this book is great for readers who enjoy reading spicy dialogue shootin’ the breeze, often about serious issues, generously uninhibited.