Book Review: Autumn Shadows in August by Robert W. Norris - Page 2

Norris relies on flashbacks and imagery to tell his story. Throughout their journey, Thompson meets all the demons of his past and defines and describes his mushroom episodes in great detail in some of the longest run-on-sentences this reader has ever read:

A hundred more vignettes marched across the stage of my mushroom mind, a phantasmagoria of my entire life from Little League baseball and high school basketball glory and family relationships in the early days, on to prison dramas, the journeys far and wide, all the characters of those multiple episodes, and all the intellectual explorations of why, why, why, what is the meaning of all this, the mind twisting left and right down philosophical and religious avenues, and then finally reaching the stage where I wasn’t questioning anymore...(pg. 77)

Thompson realizes, with or without drugs, the path he and his wife followed during their years together was the purpose of their lives. All they had been through shouldn’t be questioned and all the soul-searching they’d done brought them right back to where they were supposed to be in life. Moreover, the love between Thompson and his wife was evident throughout the journey and their sense of self worth intensified as the trip continued.

Norris’ writing flows from one long episode to the next and one page to the next. Reading the explicit descriptions of his trip is mind-boggling and an eye-opener; it is like watching him during an episode and knowing he was lost in his own mind only to come out and find he wasn’t lost at all.

Though Norris’ writing is descriptive and fluid, this is not a book I would recommend to a casual reader. However, those who have a taste for books with deep, intense, emotional, and soul-searching plots will find Autumn Shadows in August a great read and may find their own realizations without the use of hallucinogens.

Article Author: Joanne D. Kiggins

Joanne Kiggins has published more than 2,500 articles. Her most recent articles were published in ByLine Magazine, Writer’s Digest, Absolute Write, Moondance, and The Compulsive Reader. She is currently writing a mystery suspense novel which placed fifth in a recent contest. …

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