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(More customer reviews)The Front Porch Prophet tells the story of lifelong friends AJ Longstreet and Eugene Purdue. Growing up together in Sequoyah, Georgia the two were friends through thick and thin. Pulling pranks on unsuspecting townsfolk, trying to loose their virginity, playing football, they are thick as thieves until a falling out over Diane (later to be Eugene's ex-wife) and the boundaries established by adulthood lead to a long term estrangement between the two.
Raymond L Atkins has crafted a quirky, humorous tale of the friendship between two men and the lengths one will go to help fulfill the final wish of another. AJ only reenters Eugene's life when he finds out his friend has terminal cancer and suddenly their arguments seem to be beside the point.
Eugene has asked AJ to help him at the end, to put him out of the misery of hiss illness. Eugene counters with the observation that there must be many others who would appreciate and look forward to the opportunity. Eugene wants his friend to be the one ...and although AJ has doubts, he tries to humor his friend. As he wrestles with Eugene's request, he must also face a lifetime of regrets and his own mortality.
The back and forth between the old friends/combatants does not mask the seriousness of the request and the inevitable end result. The two men have an easy back and forth that is common between old friends. Atkins is familiar with the rhythms of small town southern life. He develops believable characters, pulling back from the brink of ridicule and infusing them with humanity. The author has an ear for southern dialect and the easy rapport between men. The ability Atkins has with words made this a pleasure to read and many times I found myself nodding my head in recognition and appreciation. I was presently surprised by The Front Porch Prophet.
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What do a trigger-happy bootlegger with pancreatic cancer, an alcoholic helicopter pilot who is afraid to fly, and a dead guy with his feet in a camp stove have in common? What are the similarities between a fire department that cannot put out fires, a policeman who has a historic cabin fall on him from out of the sky, and an entire family dedicated to a variety of deceased authors? Where can you find a war hero named Termite with a long knife stuck in his liver, a cook named Hoghead who makes the world's worst coffee, and a supervisor named Pillsbury who nearly gets hung by his employees? Sequoyah, Georgia is the answer to all three questions. They arise from the relationship between A. J. Longstreet and his best friend since childhood, Eugene Purdue. After a parting of ways due to Eugene's inability to accept the constraints of adulthood, he reenters A.J.'s life with terminal cancer and the dilemma of executing a mercy killing when the time arrives. Take this gripping journey to Sequoyah, Georgia and witness A.J.'s battle with mortality, euthanasia, and his adventure back to the past and people who made him what he is - and helps him make the decision that will alter his life forever.
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