In Watermelon Sugar

I love Richard Brautigan, and In Watermelon Sugar was my first Brautigan book.

I was in the ninth grade and ready to be transported to a land that was hippie without trying to be so. A living room with trees and a stream. A sun that shines a different color every day, especially on Thursday when the sun shines black and there is no sound.

Written three years before the summer of love, the seeds of the hippie dream-turned-nightmare are already sown. Too much whiskey. And yet, this book lit the way for a life of creativity. Still does.

I’ve read this once or twice a year since I first read it as a college student in the early 70s. This is a simple yet powerful story told in a tongue-in-cheek manner that makes the story seem subdued and quietly magical until the folks in the Forgotten Works stage a demonstration in self-realization that borders on the insane but has little or no impact on the citizens of iDeath, a commune-like community where time and purpose appear to be relative to each character.

It’s a short read that imprints itself around your mind like a walnut shell, leaving you… show more.

I was 16, drunk on Dewar’s scotch in my current romantic obsession’s basement apartment, when he tossed this book onto the floor next to me, saying, “Here, read this.” I sat on the carpet and read the whole thing in about 90 minutes, then I started reading it again. I’ve since read it many more times, including aloud to a few lovers. The longest chapter is maybe 3 pages, each one is perfect. I’m including this book because I find it to be one of the most romantic books I’ve ever read. It’s by no means a romance novel, but… show more.