Salvage This World by Michael Farris Smith

​I didn’t love Smith's when I first read him. Rivers didn’t impress much. But his subsequent works did. A lot. So now I’m a fan. I request his new ARCs from Netgalley without even reading much of the plot summary. And yet this one disappointed.
It was very on brand for the author. The same sort of language and all, but this Southern Neo-Noir just didn’t land quite right with me.
Smith does a great job with place as character, bringing to life the sinking south, specifically the Louisiana/Mississippi border, in vivid detail. But that is also the thing that sinks the narrative. Pardon the pun.
The overwhelming amount of minute details is just enough for other characters to get lost in. Same with the plot. Or rather there isn’t enough plot here beneath all the precision-chosen words.
Estranged father and daughter are reunited a few years after she took off with a much older man. Now, she is fleeing a danger the man brought into her life, the sort of thing where people get caught in crosshairs and die.
The characters are interesting and realistic, but there’s such a disjointed quality to the narrative, it’s difficult to follow their individual stories. Kinda muddled, kinda messy. Not quite up to Farris’ standards. Stylish sure, stylistic even, but ultimately leaves you wanting.
Still a good read, if only for the language and Oron. That dude was awesome, so much so, I’m going to round up my rating of the book.
Also, a closing line for a title? A title for a closing line? Really?
Anyway, not author's best, but user mileage may vary. Thanks Netgalley.