Orange Laughter

I hadn't heard of Orange Laughter or its' author Leone Ross prior to reading this novel. But I promise you that after reading this delightful novel you will never forget the book nor its' author. Orange laughter totally surprised me, by the depth to which it was written and the way it navigated from the rural South during the turbulent Civil Rights movement to the present conditions of life under the tunnels of New York. It also managed to provide total insight into the mind of a mentally disturbed individual and how easy it is to go from above average intelligence to insanity. Orange Laughter is brillantly written in a style like none other. A totally enjoyable read.

Orange Laughter moved me, big time. The characters are powerful and the attention Ms Ross pays to their rendition is awesome. It took me on a roller coaster ride through the sewers of New York to the terrifying beauty of North Carolina. This is a book of intriguing juxtaposition as well as a fascinating age-old tale of internal struggle between good and evil. This is a book about a man at war with himself. Ms Ross deserves maximum respect...for a woman writing from a male perspective. What is also impressive is that despite the darkness and desperation of this writer's themes, she pulls hope and redemption from the whole tangled web and leaves you ultimately wishing and hoping for the best. Immaculate.

Who says a page turner can't engage all of your mind? This book - I could not put it down, I read it all in one sitting. The author's touch is as beautiful as it is sure. A master-piece of storytelling. A structurally sound and exquistely expressed story. I enjoyed the use of the lack of punctuation when Tony spoke. I could see him without description. A man whose escape from his history comes to an abrupt halt in a New York subway. Ross's description of American southern life in the 60's, is finely judged. The boxing match is a miracle of tension. Her characters live. Her prose sings. She is a writer of visions.

This novel has an excellent plot. Be patient with the first few chapters and you will be rewarded with an in-depth and mind-boggling analysis of the psyche of the protagonist and a stunning denoument from the cleverly woven details of the story. When I finally got to the middle of the book, I couldn't put it down until I read the last word. It was well worth the wait.

Thomas Hardy once explained what he believed the purpose of fiction to be. It is to give pleasure by gratifying the love of the uncommon in the human experience, mental or physical, and this succeds most when the reader is made to feel that the characters have as much reality as he has himself/herself. Leone Ross accomplishes this in a masterful fashion as she takes us on a wonder journey through the mind of Tony (the protagonist). The ride is intriguing with twists and turns and a huge dose of the unexpected. This novel will enchant, surprise and mystify; but ultimately, it will satisfy. Ross improves upon her previous brilliant work "All the Blood is Red" with a giant stride in "Orange Laughter". Her sensitiveness to what makes us tick as human beings is remarkable. Her ability to communicate it, moreso. This of course raises the bar for her next work. But until such time, there is much to enjoy in what she has written thus far.