In the Midst Of [2008] - C. M. Barons

"I am reconstructing a slice of time. Not a history, validation will be intuitive. The slice is less voluminous than the people I associate with it. Like autumn leaves, their heyday passed. They went on, yielding to successors."

Refreshingly original, highly ambitious in scope and totally offbeat, In the Midst Of perfectly captures a sense of place and time - catapulting the reader into frantic college life during the mid-70s, an energetic blur of sex, drugs and alcohol during a time when the world still opened up to infinite possibilities. The novel centers around college sophomore, Brian, and his friendship with a mysterious mentor named Danny Hollis (just "Hollis"), a guy who drifts through life, getting drunk, laid and stoned while spouting various philosophies and conspiracy theories — and above all avoiding attachments of any kind. Whenever things get bad, Hollis simply disappears - leaving others (mainly Brian) to deal with the wreckage he has left behind. In a lot of ways Hollis reminded me of a '70s Dean Moriarty, carefree and irresponsible, as opposed to the sensitive, introspective Brian (a.k.a. Sal Paradise).

I started reading In the Midst Of on a rainy Saturday afternoon, expecting to maybe knock off a few chapters at the most. However, I began reading and soon I was totally involved in the story. I really related to all of the characters. It strongly reminded me of my own college experience in the early '80s, only four years of my life but years that were chock-full of some totally crazy experiences, friendships and relationships that I still think about nearly every day. To me, In the Midst Of involved looking back into the past and trying desperately to make sense of some of these experiences and how they impact our lives. In fact, while I was reading the novel I kept thinking of my favorite quote from Frank Conroy's excellent memoir, Stop-Time: "My faith in the firmness of time slips away gradually. I begin to believe that chronological time is an illusion and that some other principle organizes existence. My memories flash like clips of film from unrelated movies. I wonder, suddenly, if I am alive. I know I'm not dead, but am I alive? I look into the memories for reassurance, searching for signs of life." In the end, Hollis remains elusive, beyond our grasp.

In addition to exploring the depth of these characters, I enjoyed the wealth of literary references sprinkled generously throughout In the Midst Of. In fact, most of the chapters begin with a stimulating quote from such literary figures as Ernest Hemingway, John Steinbeck, Kurt Vonnegut, Jack Kerouac, Richard Brautigan, Samuel Beckett, Hermann Hesse and many others. Barons even provides an "Acknowledgements" section at the end of the book fully of an alphabetized list of references, a perfect reading/viewing list for the uninitiated.

Bottom line: In the Midst Of is a truly original novel that I recommend highly for anyone who still enjoys reading a good character study. Barons is a highly talented author and I look forward to reading more of his work in the future. For more information about In the Midst Of and author C. M. Barons, visit www.inthemidstof.info.