The Road to Hell James Calemine (Snake Nation Press)
Over the
years, I have read countless record re- views, feature arti- cles and interviews written by Brunswick, Geor- gia’s James Calem- ine, and have always found his writing to
be top notch. He is especially good when writ- ing about the music and people he admires, like the Black Crowes, Col. Bruce Hampton, Hunter S. Thompson or Stanley Booth. Of course, he can really get behind writing about the South, especially the food, or to narrow it down further, barbecue. All of that being said, Calemine again proves he is no one-trick pony with his latest collection of short fiction, The Road to Hell. While the book is very short – 100
pages start to finish- it packs a punch like George Foreman. This book could very well be considered the “handbook” for our age. The fictional stories could each very easily happen against the backdrop and landscape of the year 2020. In fact, the book was fin- ished before the coronavirus hit, and it was already darkly foreboding. Just before publi- cation, Calemine penned a story concerning the virus and added it to the mix. (“The Grand Princess”) There’s an awful lot of truth in this fiction. The stories are, for the most part, “bite
sized.” Perfect for the short attention span of 2020, and as well written as anything you will read by greats like Larry Brown, Pat Conroy or William Faulkner. What’s interesting is that the stories at times intersect with one an- other. That is, characters travel from one story to another. These are tales of our ever-
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maddening world – mass shootings, natural disasters, road rage, hate crimes, addictions (whether they be cigarettes or gambling) and so much more. Cotton and the Snake (“Ides of March”) is a tale of the worst kind of addic- tion- addiction to a woman who is bad for you.
Not all of the stories are gloom and
doom, as we are taken to the site of Gregg All- man’s grave in Rose Hill Cemetery in Macon, Georgia to listen in on grave diggers as they talk about the impact Allman had on their lives; We visit a bar with a gorgeous bar- tender and meet a man with a gift right out of The Twilight Zone; Hazel’s Café brings to mind the old dilapidated stores and restau- rants I remember as a child growing up in Spartanburg County, and Calemine’s beauti- ful photography only serves to enhance the collection. There are forgotten bookmarks of a
simpler time, like the great story about the Old Farmer’s Almanac, and the beautiful let- ter from a father to his daughter, “Dear Ella.” I felt that one in my heart. The author takes us all around the south from Waycross, Geor- gia down to Florida to the Thomson, Georgia to the final resting place of blues man Blind Willie McTell. The collection ends with an X- Files vibe with “UFO’s Over the Okefenokee Swamp.” This is quite simply an outstanding
book that can be read in a single sitting very easily, or taken one story at a time, like you grew up doing with your Bible daily devo- tional. Calemine’s words paint pictures as clearly as any poet, and the theme of the book is always lurking in the background of every story – the road to hell is paved with good in- tentions. Ain’t that the truth?
-Michael Buffalo Smith
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