Empty Bottle of Smoke: A Novel

In Empty Bottle of Smoke, Conon Parks has written a novel that he begins with stating to readers that it is based on a true story. He does not specify more in respect to that. The main character, Walter, is on the run. He is desperately trying to escape Louis Willy, who has set out to kill Walter for a wrong done to him when they were in Alaska. As he tries to hide, he finds himself in Seattle, Washington, among a very eclectic group of people. He initially meets Mac, a Veteran and jack of many trades. These eclectic characters and events that Walter happens upon as he hides leads him through many interesting and strange encounters–from fun and exciting to life-threatening and dangerous. From page one until the end, Parks weaves a tale that covers it all.

Empty Bottle of Smoke is a book that is full of political views, action, and humor wrapped around a true story of revenge. Aside from the beginning of his book stating that it is based on a true story, Parks also shares in his “About the Author” section that “His book will not be popular with some Republicans because it is not a partisan diatribe.” Whether this statement holds true or not for other readers, I can say that, after reading this book, that it is definitely geared towards a specific audience. The writing alternates randomly between traditional writing and dialog to a variation of stream of consciousness, making it hard to follow.

This is a book for those who are interested in this type political literature. However, the inconsistency of writing and flip flopping between styles, made it hard to follow and understand at times.