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Zoeytron's Reviews > The Devil All the Time

The Devil All the Time by Donald Ray Pollock
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it was amazing
bookshelves: public-library

A preacher who eats spiders, trying to strike his own parable with the church folk. His little talks with Jesus end up turning his deluded notions into full blown insanity.

A husband and wife comb the backroads picking up young male hitchhikers, all of them coming to an end in a true photo finish. The woman, thinking herself a slightly better class of trash than her husband, idly scratches her “jigger� bites and dreams of moving on without him.

A sheriff who recognizes that being the law in a backward county has its advantages.

A prayer log lies just inside the perimeter of the woods. Day after day, a husband saturates it with a sacrifice of blood. His own blood, the blood of a lamb, of fresh roadkill, of any breed of unfortunate stray that might cross his path. In his twisted and tormented logic, he fervently believes if he and his little boy pray loudly and long enough, The Cancer will be taken from his wife. The thing about that bloody prayer log, though, is that it just doesn’t work.

Unforgiving and disturbing, this one will have your skin crawling in nothing flat. Dark perfection.
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Reading Progress

June 1, 2014 – Shelved as: to-read
June 1, 2014 – Shelved
September 10, 2016 – Started Reading
September 13, 2016 – Shelved as: public-library
September 13, 2016 – Finished Reading

Comments Showing 1-26 of 26 (26 new)

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message 1: by Christy (new)

Christy Sounds deliciously messed up!


Melanie Great review Zoeytron!


message 3: by Deanna (new)

Deanna This does sound good! Great review ZT :)


Zoeytron Thank you ladies, one and all! This one really clicked with me.


message 5: by Arah-Lynda (new) - added it

Arah-Lynda This "dark perfection" is on my radar. Great review Zoeytron.


Zoeytron Arah-Lynda wrote: "This "dark perfection" is on my radar. Great review Zoeytron."

Thankee, Arah-Lynda. It pretty much blew me away. Sorry it is over.


message 7: by Ron (new) - rated it 4 stars

Ron You had me at "eating spiders" Zoeytron. Blaaagh.


message 8: by Mike (new) - added it

Mike Eating spiders is just a profoundly unforgiving and disturbing image. My skin is crawling already! Fantastic review, ZT!!


Zoeytron Ron wrote: "You had me at "eating spiders" Zoeytron. Blaaagh."

Hee hee. I don't write 'em, I just review 'em. ;-)


Zoeytron Mike wrote: "Eating spiders is just a profoundly unforgiving and disturbing image. My skin is crawling already! Fantastic review, ZT!!"

Many thanks, Mike!


message 11: by Debbie (new)

Debbie Ew, dining on spiders?! Great review, Zoey!


Zoeytron Debbie wrote: "Ew, dining on spiders?! Great review, Zoey!"

I know! A disgusting practice, to be sure. Thanks, Debbie!


message 13: by Carol (new) - added it

Carol Ha! Sounds like an icky good one, lol......added! Great review Zoey!


Zoeytron Carol wrote: "Ha! Sounds like an icky good one, lol......added! Great review Zoey!"

Yay! I can see you liking this one immensely, Carol.


message 15: by Liz (new)

Liz Sounds super duper creepy, ZT!!


Zoeytron Liz wrote: "Sounds super duper creepy, ZT!!"

It was, Liz, it was!


Matthias Mike wrote: "Eating spiders is just a profoundly unforgiving and disturbing image. My skin is crawling already! Fantastic review, ZT!!"

Then you must surely love the notion of the Zit-Eater, who also figures in this book :-D

Great review Zoeytron!


Zoeytron Much obliged, Matthias! A book like this makes the reviewing a breeze! So much creepy goodness lies within these pages.


Carol You did a fine job summing this one up. It was quite the story.


Zoeytron Carol wrote: "You did a fine job summing this one up. It was quite the story."

Thanks, Carol. This was one of my few 5-stars of 2016. Right down my alley, the one without streetlights. I enjoyed your review, too!


Melissa Another awesome review, Zoeytron. I can't get over just how great this was! Have you read any of his others?


Zoeytron Melissa wrote: "Another awesome review, Zoeytron. I can't get over just how great this was! Have you read any of his others?"

Thanks, Melissa. No, I have yet to read any of the author's other books, but the intent is there. Just checked out your review for this, and am tickled you liked it just as much as I did. Yay!


Susanne Dark Perfection it is! Stellar review Zoey! I am so glad that you loved it too!


Zoeytron Susanne wrote: "Dark Perfection it is! Stellar review Zoey! I am so glad that you loved it too!"

So good to see this novel come back up to the surface. Many thanks, Susanne.


Robin Oh, a perfect review for this, Zoey. Wow. You capture everything in your clever, trademark style.


Zoeytron Robin wrote: "Oh, a perfect review for this, Zoey. Wow. You capture everything in your clever, trademark style."

Thankee, Robin. I felt certain this would be a winner for you. Just our style. ;-)


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