I have to admit that I felt disengaged to the text while
reading much of this. I am not sure what it was, but I found myself re-reading
passages because I went glassy-eyed through a page or two. Part of the problem
was the start. The first hundred pages or so are a historical account of the
founding of the fictional Lake Wobegon. Not having the background from
listening to his radio program (Prairie Home Companion), the history just didn’t
grab my attention. The second half of the book was more entertaining,
presenting short clips of various characters (including a fictional version of Keillor)
generally reacting to the mundane nature of everyday events. I am usually a
sucker for such homespun fun, and don’t mind shifting of the point of view
(heck, I tend to write that way), but I struggled with it here at times.
Mostly, I didn’t figure out why different sections were supposed to lock
together, and suspect that they all don’t as much as I would like. Keillor’s
humor also was just lost on me. Perhaps it’s better on the radio where the
inflection of his voice can insinuate things not as easily picked up on in
print. Overall, I can’t help but feeling disappointed. A Keillor short story
appeared in an anthology I read awhile back, and it was the highlight of the
anthology. I guess that sort of built up the expectations for me, and it didn’t
deliver.
Up Next: Christine by Stephen King
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