The dead don’t talk, he doesn’t know why.
By profession, he is just a cook who knows to fry.
He can see the living as well as the dead in his sight,
He tries to get them justice with all his might.
There’s a storm fast approaching and evil spirits buzz,
The potential savior’s name is Odd - Odd Thomas.
About the Author: In my experimental venture with different authors, I found Dean Koontz marked as one of the highest paid authors. The intriguing synopsis of this book was enough to enchant me in its groove. Moreover, it was marked as a bestseller and was adapted into a film of the same name in 2013. There are 5 more novels of the Odd series, this one being the first. Koontz writes at least a couple of novels each year and that speaks volumes of his eruditeness and eloquence. There are many standalone novels written by him like Strangers, Lightning and Watchers that have topped the best seller charts.
Plot: In a world where mesmerizing, flamboyant and larger than life characters charm readers, here we come across an introvert short-order cook, just out of his teens. He is Odd Thomas(Odd is not an adjective, but his first name) from the small town of Pico Mundo, California(a fictional town). Very true to his name, he is born odd! He can see the dead. He understands them, talks to them and cries with them though they don’t speak. This boon, he believes, has been gifted to him so that he can help the lingering dead in whatever way he can. At times, he also coaxes them to shun all worldly barriers and move on. His girlfriend Stormy and his guide cum advisor Police Chief Porter know all about him and his eccentric boon. Stormy is a caring soul and craves to be a part of Odd’s every adventure.
Odd never wants to move away from his little town since he knows there would be hundreds of more spirits roaming around in bigger cities leading to more mayhem in his already confusing life. He also has an acute sixth sense and strong ‘Psychic Magnetism’ which leads him to the answers of all baffling questions.
In his not-so-quiet life, he has now come across a haggard and shabby stranger Bob Robertson with a macabre appetite. Odd, with his sensing powers, gets to know that Bob is out to ruin the peaceful Pico Mundo. Bob seems to be a psychopath and a satanic follower. But who is to believe Odd? He realizes that no one but himself will be able to stop the devastation, but is far from confident that he will be able to. Bob has a horrid collection of newspaper cut-outs of murders and ways they were accomplished, he seems to have marked out a date for his debut rampage too. Will Odd, who has a phobia for guns, who gets pangs of terror on his troubled childhood and who has meagre friends to understand him, be able to save Pico Mundo? Is Bob alone in this mission or are there more familiar faces with him? Will Odd and Stormy come out of this mess unscathed?
Quotes:
If someone invented a thermometer that measured weirdness, it would melt under my tongue.
I am less skilled at extracting myself from trouble than I am at plunging into it.
The day had dawned less than an hour ago, and I had spent every minute of the morning living up to my name.
Keep busy, Granny used to say, even if with Poker, fighting and fast cars, because idleness will get you in worse trouble.
This cat put me on the edge again with his angry hiss. He rivals both rattlesnakes and cobras for the intensity and the menace of his hiss.
My Opinion:
The narration is terrific. Although it seems to be a dark tale, the humour embedded easily stalks any blue or gloomy feelings. The quotes above act as attorneys of this. The entire story is from the first person Odd’s perspective and that makes the story more delicious. Watching the people who are in and out of the world with Odd’s eyes gives an exhilarating and fascinating experience. Odd’s character is so real and carefully etched that you I almost expected to find him next door!
There are some unanswered questions though. A black room has been described as having the capability of making a clone of anyone entering it. But this episode vanished into thin air leaving me flustered as to whether it was all Odd’s illusion or occult magic or a cloning experiment by Bob Robertson. This episode is omitted from the movie(maybe the script writer also got confused)
I believe those who read books will sympathize at heart with those who only watch the movies made from these books! Giving your brain the work of imagining not only the characters and action in the fast paced novels but also undergoing the stress and anxiety through the wonderfully worded saga is simply not possible by watching the actors act(although they may be doing a terrific job at it). Books are way more gratifying. I also saw the movie lately which is well-made but no match for the book.
452 pages in the book – A tad longer than my usual reads but yes! I read it, I savored it, and applauded it.