Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

Jimyanni's Reviews > Demon Box

Demon Box by Ken Kesey
Rate this book
Clear rating

by
2858587
's review

liked it
bookshelves: literature

Not sure what to make of this one. This book, while not badly written, is not what I read Ken Kesey for. Generally I love his bigger-than-life heroes, be they Randall Patrick McMurphy, Leland Stanford and Hank Stamper, or even the trio of cowboys from "Last Go-Round" (who aren't memorable enough for me to recall their names, but are definitely pretty impressive in their own rights.) The main character in this episodic collection of stories is Devlin Deboree, who may or may not be an avatar of Kesey himself; the last couple of chapters suggest this. (Perhaps if I knew more about Kesey's early life I would find more evidence of it earlier.) But Deboree doesn't seem nearly as larger-than-life as Kesey himself did in the only other biographical tale I've read of Kesey (Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test), and in fact one of the secondary characters in this book (Houlihan) seems somewhat more Kesey-esque than Deboree. So I'm left a little confused as to what was intended, and in any case, I wasn't all that impressed by the main character. He seemed nice enough, in a soft-focus, frequently stoned kind of way. In a couple of the sections (notably his trip to Egypt, as well as to a lesser extent China and Disney World) he actually seemed very reminiscent of Bill Bryson and I definitely don't read Kesey for a self-deprecating, humorously tongue-in-cheek travelogue. If I want that I'll read Bryson. What Kesey excels at is larger-than-life antiheroes beating the establishment at its own game, and there's none of that here. The book was well-enough written that it wasn't without interest, but I was definitely disappointed.
� flag

Sign into Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ to see if any of your friends have read Demon Box.
Sign In »

Reading Progress

Started Reading
May 24, 2017 – Finished Reading
May 25, 2017 – Shelved
May 25, 2017 – Shelved as: literature

Comments Showing 1-3 of 3 (3 new)

dateDown arrow    newest »

Paul Hagmaier This book shows Kesey way past his Prankster days - he's old. Houlihan was based on Neal Cassidy, the human version of the energizer bunny, and the poster boy for the 1950s Beat Generation as well and the 1960s Phychedelic Wave. Deboree was just a way for Kesey to insert himself into the stories, a device he used to narrate. I agree with you, those characters aren't as present, but what about Houlihan? What about those Hells Angels? Or the legally blind girl he met in the title essay? The German professor? Kesey absolutely captures some larger than life characters, even if they aren't in the forefront.

This isn't a book you should read as a story, but rather as a piece of journalism, in classic, 1980s gonzo glory.


Jimyanni Those characters you mention were not without interest, but they didn't strike me as particularly larger-than-life.


Paul Hagmaier Fair enough. I think by this point in Kesey's life, he himself became a larger than life character, even if he didn't go into depth with Deboree's backstory. I would suggest giving this book a reread, keeping in mind Kesey's biography, if what you're looking for are larger than life characters.


back to top