Road Story

A Poetic Fiction
by John A. DeGuzman (Blue Halo)
by Thomas Christian

There is something so utterly naive and gentle about Leroy, the hero of John A. DeGuzman’s book Road Story: A Poetic Fiction, that it is nearly impossible not to like him. Conversely, it is that same naivete that also makes you wanna reach through the pages and swat some common sense into that boy, like a distant cousin who you really like, but know ain’t no way that he’s gonna survive the real world just lying in wait for him.

Young Leroy takes off on a cross country drive in search of kicks in his beloved blue Ford, making observations along the way on anything and everything that catches his eye. At times he thinks aloud introspectively, relayed by a series of intermittent poetic-styled passages offsetting the pages of prose. So, what does this sweet, naive, kid-on-a-sightseeing trip do? He meets a girl (no, no, not the girl!) and falls in love. Next thing you know, the ride becomes a hellacious zag of bullet-dodging high speed chases, with the couple fleeing the South pursued by a motorcycle gang trying to kill them. (See, I warned you about the girl). The tension between Leroy’s lovelorn, heart-on-his-sleeve demeanor, and the will-he-or-won’t-he-survive-it drama, make Road Story a sort of postmodernistic Easy Rider, buoyed by the simplicity of the narration, and ultimately readable in an evening or two. Be forewarned, however, with a spasmodic-induced suspense akin to the old Rutger Hauer-starring film, The Hitcher, the terror settles in the system, and remains long after the story has been consumed.