Book Review: An Dantomine Eerly by J.R.D. Middleton

Title: An Dantomine Eerly
Publisher: Dark Coast Press
Publication Date: March 30, 2010
Paperback: 160 pages
ISBN: 978-0984428809
Genre: Literary Fiction

From the Publisher:

You are invited to witness Dallin’s passage into death. The ailing poet distantly recalls his own life through the language of a damaged psyche and the symbols of a spirit upended by violent transformation. In this, memories abound: an old, wind beaten house where a palpable absence suggests a past but somehow still-looming tragedy; vacancy permeates a ghostly barroom and the campus of a condemned university; city streets and desolated forests are populated by no one except the changing formulations of Dallin’s own mind. His inner conflict reigns, and the geography takes on the disorientation and divisiveness at the center of us all. Along with his wife Aìsling, the two flee an obscure political persecution which leads to her graphic, methodically planned murder. The impact of her death afflicts a lone Dallin in ways he cannot comprehend, spiraling him headlong into his meeting with the mythic celestial escort, An Dantomine Eerly.

This intensely original novel is a skillful re-conception of the old Irish poetic form the aìsling, literally meaning “dream vision” or “vision-poem.” As a reader you are personally addressed, called to the role of interpreter and revelator, allowing the story to unfold towards its strange, genre-defying conclusion. Through you, this story affords its telling. Dallin sends his regards.

My Review:

My first thought prior to beginning the book was of Nabokov’s Invitation to a Beheading, a book I recommend to everyone, but I digress. An Dantomine Eerly by J.R.D. Middleton is a work of fiction, told with a unique voice, lyrical in quality about Dallin, a poet who while dying takes the reader back through his life, in his mind. An Dantomine Eerly takes the reader on an intellectual ride, which at times may have the illusion of being extremely disjointed and surreal and the various prose techniques, while extremely affective to this story, may throw one off rhythm briefly. I will need to read through this book at least one more time to fully grasp all the author has to offer, so rich are the meanings of the narrations in Dallin’s mind. Profusely prolific in an amazingly short amount of space, I found An Dantomine Eerly to be as engaging a read as I had hoped, while more dissimilar than similar to Nabokov’s work, yet one that requires quite a bit of thought on a not entirely pleasant subject matter. I truly enjoyed reading An Dantomine Eerly and look forward to re-reading the book to see what I missed during my first read through. I would recommend this book to readers looking for an intellectual read as well as book groups that like a challenging book to discuss.

About the Author:

Jarret Richard Devlin Middleton was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1985. He has studied writing at Concordia University and the University of New Hampshire, and written on the road in the U.S. while living in New Hampshire, Boston, New York City, Montréal, and Philadelphia. He is the editor of Dark Coast Press in Seattle, WA. An Dantomine Eerly is his first novel.

I received a complimentary copy of An Dantomine Eerly by J.R.D. Middleton from Dark Coast Press. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.