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A Slice of Life
by Francine Brokaw
Going to See the Elephant by Rodes Fishburne
Slater Brown is an aspiring writer. He wants to be the next Hemmingway, Fitzgerald, and Capote. To put it bluntly, he wants to be the greatest writer in the world. And he admits it. This 25-year old man is convinced he will be the greatest writer but even the greatest have to start somewhere. He’s anxious to get started and make his name in the literary field.
Slater moves to San Francisco where he attempts to start writing his triumphant piece of literature. He writes all his thoughts and observations in his notebook. But that doesn’t pay the bills, so one day he interviews for a job at a small newspaper, The Morning Trumpet. This paper is languishing but Slater is hired and told to go out and find a good story. That’s it. No assignment; just a mandate to find an interesting story.
Slater looks all around town for a subject, but everything he finds just doesn’t fit the bill. Then one day while riding the bus, Slater has his headphones on and overhears a strange conversation. This involves corruption at the highest level. But how was he able to eavesdrop on this private conversation? It seems the electrical currents all around the city are a web of conduction for his headphones. So Slater writes the story and opens up a can of worms. The Mayor is upset, but can’t let anyone know it. And Slater is a hero at the paper.
Soon the young man is uncovering secrets all over town, thanks to his strange luck and the electricity powering the transit system. And the once floundering newspaper is finally getting its old glory back. Readership is up and readers are clamoring to know what else is going on behind closed doors. And everyone is wondering how Slater Brown is getting his information. The Mayor even has someone follow the man to see who is funneling information to the hotshot reporter. There has to be someone he meets on the bus who spills the beans, but Slater doesn’t talk to anyone on the bus. All he does is listen to his headphones and write in his notebook.
Besides this shakeup in the city, Slater meets a beautiful woman, Callio de Quincy, who happens to be a champion chess player. Soon their relationship becomes almost as intense as her chess games. And, at the same time, some very strange meteorological events astound the residents of San Francisco - colored rain, snow falling in certain spots, and very weird stuff.
As the story unfolds, strange things are happening all around the city involving a brilliant scientist, corrupt politicians, young love, and Slater Brown’s secret way of scooping the competition. With the high and mighty of the city keeping tabs on this young reporter, Slater’s life is getting more interesting by the day.
This is writer Rodes Fishburne’s first novel, and it is a courageous effort. It’s not mainstream. It’s quite quirky. It mixes together strange characters with unlikely circumstances, but yet has an interesting quality. If you like the unusual, this is it.
© 2008 Francine Brokaw
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