A rather ornery but ‘successful-in-life’ character finds himself in the middle of nowhere. His fancy MG has allowed him to limp into a gas station with a diner-cum-motel on the other side of the highway.
One quickly realizes that the simplicity of this novel is only skin deep, the writing a sort of self-analysis, the old mechanic and gas station owner a study in laissez-faire and cool disdain that tries the patience of our hero. As a matter of fact, all members of the cast including the Queen who rules the diner, the pretty waitress and the lanky fast-order cook are highly complicated human beings.
The enigmatic and moody old Chevy half ton pick-up truck our protagonist borrows is unreliable, but does grant him the freedom to get away from the confines of the motel and the frustration of his broken down MG. ‘Ol’ Reliable’ guides him over a cattle guard, a mysterious unseen gateway into a deeply felt sanctuary. He has found the oasis of a river that cuts through this otherwise barren wasteland where he can cast a fly into adventure--and misadventure--and beyond that, healing waters for the soul. Could this perhaps be a modern day model of the Grail Legend’s Fisherking?
The depth of The Chronicles of a Wandering Soul: LeRoi is fascinating, full of magic, humor, but also inner suffering that our protagonist must wrestle with in order to free himself from the burdens of the past and restore his inner kingdom to prosperity. Will he ask the famous question--Whom does the Grail serve?
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