Big Machine by Victor LaValle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Loved it! I didn’t expect this book to tackle so many stories and themes—race in America, cults, addiction, slavery, terrorism, and more—and remain increasingly compelling through to the end. The story: Ricky Rice, a janitor in his middle years, is recruited to a secretive organization that tells him little about his task and then sends him on a wild adventure to save the organization from imminent doom. Along the way we learn of Ricky’s childhood and adulthood, and what brought him to the moment where he made a silent promise that somehow, magnificently, he is being called to account for.
Fast-paced, intriguing, funny, truly frightening in parts, Big Machine takes in the whole world, churns it up, and delivers a story that is human and essential.