Praised as "an intriguing premise with surprising results" (Terry Jones, co-creator of Monty Python), and "a beguiling cocktail of influences, including Raymond Chandler, Damon Runyon, Nathaniel West and Paulo Coelho" (Christopher Roper), The Word is a moving, witty novel unlike any other.
When lifetime petty criminal Joe Dixon is released from Folsom Prison again, he vows never to return. To support himself on the outside with few actual skills and no prospects, Joe turns to the oldest grift of all: spreading the gospel. Mail-order ministry license in hand, Joe rents a ramshackle storefront, calling his new church "The Word."
Much to his surprise, Joe finds that the local community takes an intense interest in his little undertaking. But with the neighborhood cops paying him regular visits, the local media snooping around, and a burgeoning flock who desperately needs his guidance, Joe's scheme might not be working quite as planned...
Genre: Literary Fiction
When lifetime petty criminal Joe Dixon is released from Folsom Prison again, he vows never to return. To support himself on the outside with few actual skills and no prospects, Joe turns to the oldest grift of all: spreading the gospel. Mail-order ministry license in hand, Joe rents a ramshackle storefront, calling his new church "The Word."
Much to his surprise, Joe finds that the local community takes an intense interest in his little undertaking. But with the neighborhood cops paying him regular visits, the local media snooping around, and a burgeoning flock who desperately needs his guidance, Joe's scheme might not be working quite as planned...
Genre: Literary Fiction
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Used availability for Charles Alverson's The Word