TERMITE PARADE

by Joshua Mohr
Two Dollar Radio – July 2010
180 pages; $16.00

“There were days I felt like the bastard daughter of a ménage a trois between Fyodor Dostoevsky, Sylvia Plath,and Eeyore.

Days Pungent with Disappointment.

Days soiled and hoarding blame.

Allow me to offer some evidence: about 5 a.m. on the morning after my last birthday, I was on my knees in front of the toilet, leaning over it and looking down at the water, waiting to throw up again. I stared at my reflection and could see myself so clearly. My life in the toilet. I was right where I belonged.” -Mired

At its simplest Termite Parade (New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice Award 2010) is the story of a seemingly doomed relationship. Mired (pronounced like the verb) is a 30 something borderline alcoholic, whose life is a mess. Her partner Derek is an equally troubled person, just going through the motions of a relationship that seems over long before the situation they find themselves in presently.

While attending a going away party for a former co-worker of Derek’s, Mired gets completely inebriated and proceeds to make quite a scene. Mired’s embarrassing and vulgar scene forces Derek to return home where the event that forever changes both of them takes place. This incident begins the story’s emotionally packed ride that doesn’t let up until the very last page.

Former Connecticut Poet Laureate Leo Cannellan (1928-2001) used to say that poetry simply “creates a scene and stops.” Mohr’s distinctive writing style is artistically poetic in this respect. Short action packed chapters quickly and completely engross the reader in this somewhat voyeuristic tale. A tale that tackles; love, trust, guilt, and emotion with razor-sharp clarity. The best part of Termite Parade is that the story itself, along with a cast of interesting characters, keeps the reader engaged in thought long after the final page.

Termite Parade truly lives up to its publisher’s (Two Dollar Radio) slogan of “books too loud to ignore.”

For more information on Termite Parade, please visit the publisher’s website by clicking HERE.