Arsenal Pulp Press, 2006

Read by James Moran

First-time novelist Ivan E. Coyote proves that she’s not only a sprinter, but a middle-distance runner. Author of the short fiction collections Close to Spider-Man and One Man’s Trash, Coyote stretches her legs in ‘. Joey, a forty-something mechanic with a quirky, likeable voice, is trying to recover from his wife leaving him.

The book’s warm colloquial tone is like that of the folks residing in Joey’s Drumheller.

You see, Joey’s wife Allison left him a year ago for Kathleen Sawyer, the (now) ex-wife of Mitch Sawyer, who owns the Esso on Fourth Avenue. Joey, a quintessential mechanic, is less astute when it comes to matters of the heart. He’s been stalled ever since Allison left. Everyone, from his womanizing co-worker Franco to his own mother, knows it. Joey, however, does not.

A local recluse trades Joey a used Volvo for an expensive cello. Joey has to learn how play the cello and, somehow, reconcile with his ex-wife. Along the way, he meets some storied characters, from Hector, an older gentleman, to Darlene, a young single mother. Coyote excels at making the characters believable, people you wouldn’t mind meeting while traveling.

Joey often makes hilarious and insightful observations, such as when he tries to find the cello trader to teach him to play. “I’d have to ask Jim if he had any tips,” Joey thinks. “Like how not to make it sound like I was dragging a cat backwards across a countertop, for instance.” Joey also notes that his sister’s marriage is rocky: “I’m a mechanic. You can tell a lot about a guy by how he treats his engine. I told my sister this before she married Jean-Paul, but she wouldn’t listen.”

Coyote is also adept enough not to make this Zen and the Art of Automobile Maintenance. Joey does not attempt to fix his problems by manipulating part of a pop can and attaching it to the vehicle. He has to learn to express himself. The less astute reader may think that Coyote is not writing about herself, but as an auto mechanic of some literary legend, she’s right at home with Joey’s quest and his voice. Coyote spins a fine, sparse, and moving first effort.