Vacuum County

By: Aya Katz

Narrated by: Kelly D Clear

On his Texas hill country ranch, Nabal Cabeza de Vaca is master of all he surveys, but David Smith is running for county judge, and he has designs on Nabal's wife and his cattle and all that he owns.

A familiar saga about taxation, lechery, and covetousness of Biblical proportions!

©1993 Aya Katz (P)2017 Aya Katz

Quirky fun!

Like Twin Peaks or a relative with a personality that defies description, this story is as compelling as it is eccentric. I loved Mr. Clear’s narration. The fact that he really can sing and play guitar is delightful- and the fact that he can master all of the various male and female voices with their widely varied accents is quite impressive! Enjoyable!

Intelligent, distinctive, compelling

I “read” the Audible version of this excellent book
.
I was intrigued from the first. Katz’s writing is superb: lyrical, intelligent and graceful. The story is an old one: abuses of power, the helplessness one feels when unfairly targeted, and the growth that comes from making it through something one doubts one can.

This is a strange story. It borders on the surreal at times. The heroine, Verity Lackland, has a flat tire on her way to Somewhere Else and is detained unfairly in a small Texas town. She digs deep for the grit she needs to survive and thrive in a (definitely) hostile environment.
The story is told through Verity’s diary, court documents and the oddly skewed testimony of the town’s characters. Mr. Clear is adept at capturing the spirit of each and maintains that unique presence throughout the story.

And those characters can be troubling. This is a story of lust, greed, corruption, and power, as well as the contrary nature of human nature. I was especially intrigued by the character of Nabal Cabeza de Vaca. He is arrogant and disturbed, proud and dismissive. He is the product of a family lineage described as “going back to Hanibal” and a troubled childhood. He is both compelling and off-putting.

I am a Southerner. Ms. Katz and especially Mr. Clear deftly capture the rhythms of small-town life and the various characters accents. I laughed out loud at some of the accents and speech patterns Mr. Clear created. And he sings! Beautifully! I would have sadly missed that in a regular reading of the book.

The ending caught me by surprise. Although with Katz’s well-developed sense of irony, I should have anticipated something unusual. I thought about the book for some days after.

I highly recommend this thoughtful, deeply-layered, and beautifully rendered novel. And whether it's your first, or second reading, I highly recommend the narration of Mr. Clear’s vivid Audible version. His ability to bring these not-so-heroic characters to life is not to be missed.

Enthralling! Must listen!!

What made the experience of listening to Vacuum County the most enjoyable?

The narrator used an array of nuanced character voices to reflect a detailed and diverse universe with idiosyncratic and unusual characters. The scenarios are so weird and yet so realist that the story, much like the county, sucks you in and keeps you there, pondering the whys and wherefores.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Verity. Enjoy her quirky internal voice in the first person sections.

What about Kelly D Clear’s performance did you like?

Distinct character voices and accents make this vivid small county come to life. Natural and direct storytelling! Very compelling and easy to listen to. The musical performances included within the story were also a pleasant surprise.

If you could rename Vacuum County, what would you call it?

I like the title... but maybe Power and Posession?

Any additional comments?

Intriguing and very well written and performed. Well worth the listen. Gets you thinking about the role of judicial and political systems and the influence they have over our lives.

Loved it

Very intriguing. Hard to stop listening. Great narration. The singing was great also. Highly recommend

Excellent narration of an imaginative tale.

A very imaginative story full of philosophical musings. Biblical parallels had me intrigued, but didn't quite fulfill their promise. Excellent narration!