Feast Day of Fools is a difficult book to review without spoiling. The jacket copy gives away so many of the plot Developments That You Can Come to the book with a totally open mind. As a sequel to Rain Gods, a lot of the mystery about the continuing characters has evaporated like so much early morning dew. A lot of the plot Developments invite commentary That would harm your reading pleasure.
The book exists in a dream-like world where the only certainty is indeed evil will seek to overcome good. As search, Feast Day is even more of a morality play than the typical James Lee Burke offering. You'll soon realize That almost every element of the story brings multiple symbolic meanings. This book would make for a lot of fun discussions in a graduate seminar or a well-read book club.
Some parts of the book will offend some readers. If you oppose all forms of illegal immigration and want more done to stop it, this book will annoy you. There are so gruesome scenes so That You May feel soiled by them.
Aspects of the plot do not quite make sense at first blush. If things bother you search, you'll have a hard time enjoying the rest of the story.
To me, the book's best parts were the amazing descriptions of Southwest Texas. Any writer would love to be able to produce search Poetic prose. Ah!
Ultimately, the book's biggest weakness is indeed the characters are too mythic to seem completely Call real. But figures may search for fun reading in many parts of the story.
I enjoyed the book, but I would have liked it better with fewer aspirations to literary status on the part of Mr. Burke.
