Forever Odd by Dean Koontz
There's a guy holding a jar of peanut butter at the grocery store. There are a half a dozen registers open, with unfriendly customers waiting in line behind each one. Among the hectic environment, a barely audible, “I can help whose next,” is faintly spoken, accompanying a dimly lit, yellow colored “14” above the lane. The peanut butter guy shifts his feet nonchalantly and calmly starts for register fourteen. A middle aged woman, just coming from the vegetable section sees the open lane as well. They both arrive precisely at the same time. The peanut butter guy, without any hesitation, extends his hand to the side and smiles. The unexpected kindness catches the woman off guard. As she moves forward to checkout, her eyes relay a genuine “thank you” with a nod of her head.
Odd Thomas is like the peanut butter guy. He’s that slightly insignificant, overlooked detail that makes the world a better place.
Forever Odd is a strong story, with multi-dimensional characters, and an occasional philosophical line of dialogue that readers will feel compelled to write down or underline. Multiple times after I read something, I would grab my pen and underline what I liked right then and there. "And the road the world makes for us is one that teaches humility if we are willing to learn" (279).
I have never read anything of Dean Koontz until Odd Thomas and Forever Odd. His usage of imagery is immense and empowering. I remember most the description of a tarantula crawling up the wall. Odd stood in the middle of the room, the spider crawling directly overhead. As he turns and leaves the room, the creature releases his grip from the ceiling and free falls to the ground. Odd leaves, only to here the thud of dense, fleshy mass hit the floor. Being a writer myself, I am intrigued by Koontz ability to write so much and to have so much power in his words. His use of similies through the story made an easier job of grasping and understanding the characters feelings and/or motives.
Odd Thomas, a quick order chef at the Pico Mundo Grille, wakes up to the spirit of Dr. Jessup lingering in his bedroom. After following his psychic magnetism, his natural-born-instinct that tells him where to go, he learns that along with Dr. Jessup's death, Danny Jessup is gone. Odd and Danny had always been friends, and Danny's medical problem with brittle bones worried Odd. Odd sets out to find his friend, learning about himself throughout the journey. He eventually must confront a dark, seductive character, Datura, and her two enormous henchmen. Past the firstfights, stealthy escapes, and a new load of laundry, Odd must overcome his obstacles and release Danny. Although genuine kindness is one of Odd's good features, it can become overpowering and cause him to put himself in danger. I mean, if one was born with a special gift like seeing the dead, I presume anyone would ponder why they have that ability. There must be reason. Odd struggles with the fact that he cannot save everyone. It's simply not possible, but he will work from his core to do as much as he can.
In the first book, Odd Thomas, Stormy was introduced. She was Odd's soul mate and they loved each other deeply. At the end of the book, we learn that Stormy was killed in a public shooting. Through the story in Forever Odd, Odd has to cope and learn to live without her. Near the end of the book, Odd is slashed across the chest and almost killed. He fades in and out of death and is eventually taken into care by his good friends. He says, "Chief, I was this close to Stormy, this close to service" (351). It's a very moving part of the story; Odd truly loves Stormy, so much so that being brought back to health was a bittersweet thing. I particularly like how the police Chief replies.
I underlined it.
"Everything in its own time, to its own schedule" (351).
