Joshua Edward Smith writes the part of us we work hard to conceal from the world. The “us” before the coffee or cocktails or xanax, the “us” beyond the forced social pleasantries and carefully orchestrated Twitter posts. His characters are so raw and exposed, you will sometimes feel as if you are witnessing something you shouldn’t. This hidden camera effect is a hallmark of Smith’s work, one he has mastered. Add to that his ability to surreptitiously seduce the reader emotionally and what do you get? A bona fide therapy session. You begin in the room with the subject, watching, listening. And suddenly, you ARE the subject, experiencing the moment as if it were happening to you! Did you choose in that instance to intimately connect with the story, to turn from voyeur to participant? Or had the writing been toying with your subconscious all along, easing you in while perpetuating the illusion that you were still in control?
In Smith’s latest novel, Apotheosis, we are given a view into Cynthia’s life that is as invasive as a televised pap smear. But trust me, you won’t be able to look away. Lonely, lost, and emotionally stunted, she is trapped in the mechanized drudgery of her day to day. She has accepted her fate with grace and dignity (and wine), until a delectable stranger from another dimension(?) offers her a taste of what could be. Passions awakened, and a new lust for the future, Cynthia goes on a quest to find her mystery man. But as with previous Smith novels (Read them! Read them all!), nothing is as it seems. (Sigh) You’re dealing with the KING of the mind-eff, so get ready for a round of mental loop-de-loops and ‘gotchas’. You’ll want to reread this one, because you’ll be too caught up in the mystery the first time around to catch all of the subtle secrets Smith has hidden throughout.
Can the heroine of a coming of age tale be in her forties? According to Joshua Edward Smith, yes, and watching Cynthia find herself is nothing short of EXHILARATING. Freedom, renewal, and transformation await our girl, but it ain’t happenin' overnight. Smith doesn’t do fairytales with tidy HEAs, refusing to let us forget that real life doesn’t happen without disappointment and tragedy. Who will Cynthia be when the dust settles? That’s what matters, and that’s what keeps me coming back to Smith, an addiction to the inevitable catharsis I know is in store. He understands the common threads that bind us, that make us so painfully human. And with these threads he spins his characters so that you cannot help but see pieces of yourself in them and them in you. Cynthia is like an animal who has spent her life in a cage, only to one day discover the door is unlocked. Most of us can relate in some way, if not to the feeling, to the philosophy surrounding such a dramatic shift in cognizance. “How did she get in the cage?” “Was the door always unlocked?” “Am I in a cage?” “Am I better off staying put?” An inner dialogue begins that runs parallel to the story as you read. You can choose to acknowledge it or not, but Smith’s writing will undoubtedly awaken something in you.
This novel blew me away. I’ve been unable to get it out of my mind. With its genre bending and blending, diverse cast and unpredictable plot, Apotheosis is definitely entertaining, but so much more. Through the tale of one woman’s journey toward self actualization, Smith illustrates the tremendous power we have in choosing who we want to be, but warns we can never become our best selves without help from other people. Read Apotheosis and be forever changed. Five stars!
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