Driving and Drinking

David Lee’s masterpiece is once again available in this reissued edition. From the cab of an old truck, the voice begins, “Turn right up there / and get off these pavements,” and we’re launched into the monologue and a slow roadtrip along the back roads of southern Utah, driving and drinking. The lone voice is that of John Sims, an unlettered pig farmer, and as he opens the floodgates of memory we hear of pranks, pitfalls, bootleggers, childhood stories, jobs, people, and a tragic accident on an oil rig. Lee balances sadness and hilarity, ribald outpourings and quieter moments of reflection. The humor is easy and quick, but deceiving, as it leads to an exploration, Dante-fashion, of the unexpected depths of John’s life and wisdom.