My book club just read Southern Cross the Dog. I am recommending it to you, with a few cautionary notes. Bill Cheng is a gifted writer and it's clear that he's read an awful lot of Faulkner. Critics asked, how can a person from Queens write a convincing novel about the south? Well. One page at a time, I'd imagine. (Authenticity in art, and culture, has been on my mind so if you want to talk about it, give me a call). It's not a great book, but the writing is solid and you'll find yourself racing through the last few chapters.
To feel the place... that's another thing entirely. This book, it never really gets there. Not enough meat on the bone, but! The novel pays homage to the blues musicians of Mississippi and I reckon that's reason enough to post some videos.
