Monday, January 30, 2012

A Story That Gets Under Your Skin - Mini-Review of "A Good and Useful Hurt" by Aric Davis


Aric Davis has drawn deeply from the well of his own experience as a body piercer in Grand Rapids, Michigan to craft a tale that draws the reader into the intersection of the worlds of the denizens of a tattoo/piercing parlor and a serial killer and his victims. When Mike, the owner of the shop, is asked to include a small pinch of the ashes of a deceased loved one into a tattoo that would serve both as a memorial and a psychic connection to the departed loved one, his whole world changes as indelibly as the ink that he uses to decorate his clients. Davis writes with passion and artistry - wielding his pen as skillfully as his protagonist wields his tattooist's needles. The layer of mystical and dream-state connections that emerges after the ashes have been injected take the narrative to a fascinating and metaphysical level.

Enjoy.

Al

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