Highway 28 West

This mixed-form short novel runs 109 pages. It employs the platforms of fiction, drama, and poetry. It has three main characters: Preacher, who is not a preacher, but got the nickname because of his moping after enduring an unrequited teenage love affair. Preacher has been inclined toward the inordinate bad luck of coming upon folks who are either dying or dead. He momentarily believes his luck has changed when he comes upon a young pit bull puppy that he adopts and names “Pup.” Pup accompanies Preacher until the novel’s end. The novel’s opening scene shows Preacher climbing a picnic table to address a crowd. The second character is Lizzie, a teenaged poet in the same crowd who on occasion shouts out a brief poem in response to what Preacher has said. The crowd’s response is not always positive. The third “character” is The Crowd itself, plus the varied participants in Preacher’s explorations. Some of the latter are anonymous, some are dead, and some show resentment toward Preacher and Lizzie, while some nod in approval.