Crazy Wind
2.5The Care And Feeding of An Alcoholic
Xanakas' writing style was this story's saving grace. The story's concept plus the writing style could have made for an excellent reading experience. However, there was something that really, really bothered me.
This was a simple story. Zef, the sheriff, and a cowboy named Bobby Joe meet online. They happen to meet in real life one day but their chance at love is thwarted by Zef's stupidity. It's all cleared up in the end though and they get their happy ending.
Here's the problem; Zef is either drunk or hungover for about 95% of the story.
There's no problem with having a main character who has a drinking problem. My issue is not that Zef is an alcoholic. My issue is that in no way is Zef's drinking problem addressed; not by the other characters and not by the author.
Instance#1: The story starts with a drunk Zef after he's had a bad day. Soon after, he's waking up hungover. The author makes a point to give all of the details of a hangover. I mean, Zef is vomiting until he's bringing up bile and then dry heaving. He's got the shakes and the whole nine yards. The tone of the story's beginning definitely gave me the feeling that this was a frequent thing for Zef.
Instance#2: After the Big Misunderstanding Zef goes directly to a bar and proceeds to get drunk enough to bring back his shakes. He's dragged out the bar, passes out and wakes up in the morning with another hangover. At this point it's clear to me that Zef has a problem with alcohol. I was thinking that something would be said about it but it's treated like the situation is no big deal. At one point Bobby Joe looks over at Zef, who's passed out and drooling on himself, and seems to find the whole thing endearing.
Instance#3: When Zef is separated from Bobby Joe for two or three weeks due to the Big Misunderstanding he goes on a bender. He's being dragged out of the bar every night by his deputy and then drinking more when he gets home. When he's not drunk he's hungover. I'm thinking that this is supposed to show how miserable he is but all it said to me was that this is a character who needs serious help. By that point in the story I was disturbed.
I don't know what tone Xanakas was shooting for while writing this story but, for me, Zef was a sad character with a serious problem. Unfortunately, that wasn't acknowledged. The 2.5 stars is for the writing style and the fact that I was able to finish it.
