First person with elements of a Greek drama.
Pistol Thicket is Les Boom’s first-person narrative from an illicit sexual encounter with a colored girl, Lou, through his WWII experiences, to a hero’s homecoming, and a life seasoned with elements of a Greek drama. Pistol Thicket in the late 40s and early 50s brimmed with small-town intrigue, pettiness, religious fervor, and marital infidelity. Teddy, Les’ illegitimate, bi-racial son, innocently/mischievously kisses a white girl and foreshadows the death of his mother Lou in a raid by the Klan. Les is shaped by his early religious indoctrination, diminished in wartime, which returns to layer him with guilt as he tries to come to terms with his own short-comings and the large and small hypocrisies that marked life in Pistol Thicket.
CH. 01
Nanosecond
Les’s breakfast with his friends in the Tower Café links with Stephen Dedalus, the blasphemous Buck Mulligan, and nightmare-ridden Haines early morning in the Martello Tower.
CH. 02
Sandymount: August 1939
At a church in Sandymount, Les encounters Lou, a black woman close to his age. The chapter references Odysseus’ year with Circe, and his seven years with Calypso, though Les and Lou spend only minutes together on a Sunday morning.
CH. 03
June 6, 1944
Scenes of U.S. combat in Normandy rival Greek and Trojan battles in Homer’s Iliad.
CH. 04
Dublin
Paratroopers of the 101st are given a brief respite from combat. Les and Deuce spend that time in Dublin where, unknowingly, they retrace the June 16, 1904 steps of Leopold Bloom before returning to base in preparation for their next assignment.
CH. 05
A Pistol Thicket Homecoming
Les is welcomed home with a parade in his honor. Quite a different scene than the one faced by Odysseus on his return to Ithaca where he murdered suitors of Penelope, and from James Joyce’s departure from Dublin where the egotistical and unloved author moved to Trieste with his wife Nora.
CH. 06
Misadventure
At the close of an all-day hunting trip, Les encounters Michael Cusack, the Cyclops of the story.
CH. 07
Calypso
The enchantress Circe wept at Odyssseus’ departure, but gave good advice on his encounter with the Sirens and with Scylla and Charybdis. It was quite a different story between Odysseus and Calypso. Les and Molly, yes, different story.
CH. 08
Arcadia
A lover’s tift, a failed reconciliation, and adultry evoke a scene prominent in the life of young Stephan Dedalus’ who returns from Nighttown to be traumatized by the sermon of a priest.
CH. 09
Sirens of the ArmedMan Inn
Les connects with Penny, and at a popular tavern, the AmedMan Inn, he boldly navigates between twin evils Scylla and Charybdis (Cusak and Barnett).
CH. 10
Penelope
Shorty after the marriage of Joyce and Nora, they depart for Trieste. A honeymoon for for Les and Penny is in the future. As this chapter begins, they are trying to decide on a site to tie the knot.
CH. 11
Hell Storm
The KKK was not operative in Joyce’s Dublin, but Irish Catholic revolts and British repression resulted in frequent deadly clashes.
CH. 12
Amazing Grace
Back in Sandymount, the site of Les and Lou’s tryst, Les and Penny attend Lou’s funeral. This chapter wraps around with Chapter Two. The minister, Bobby Harris, may have contributed to Les and Lou’s encounter.
CH. 13
Cyclops
As Odysseus was trapped in a cave after blinding Cyclops, he distracts his captor and escapes by clinging to the underside of Cyclop’s sheep. Les is trapped by a rainstorm in Michael Cusack’s barn, and lets his cattle loose as a distraction. As he is leaving, he is slowed by Cusack who is rounding up his cattle. Recognizing Les, he embarks on a racist diatribe and..
CH. 14
Bud and Dale
A chance encounter with the sheriff that narrowly avoided detection, leads Les to acknowledge, “I’m just no good at this stuff.”
CH. 15
Jitter
Everybody knows Les did it, but he was bound for acquittal except for the judge’s poor decision.
CH. 16
Angola Bound
Les is cautioned by the state patrol officers who transport him to Angola that he will be killed in prison unless he wises-up and adopts the same disciplined, subordinate role he was trained to do in the army.
CH. 17
Teddy
“Thank you daddy.” Lou spoke those words to Teddy as they viewed Les’ homecoming parade in Chapter Five. Aside from his paternity, Les was never a father to Teddy, but, in his purgatory, he has a nanosecond of regret.
CH. 18
Nanosecond
Les’ closing chapter connects with Chapter One and finds him in Purgatory, but it’s only for a nanosecond.