A Few Responses

Though it looks as though you're done with the discussion of Edgar Mint, and have taken your final exam (hope everybody did well) I thought I'd take a minute to respond to some of the questions that have been brought up in the blog.

1. Barry Pinkley--Hero or Villain? There is always a lot of discussion about Barry because it's hard for readers to peg him as villain or a savior, which I guess is how I wanted it. He loves Edgar, he wants to help him, but his desires are twisted and selfish, so he's a complex person. No less complex, I hope, than Edgar, who most people see as a sort of hero, but who does many bad things in the novel, including the murder of Barry Pinkley (which is worse than anything that Barry does throughout the book).

2. Mormonism. Some have suggested that I might be promoting Mormonism in the book. I guess you can come to your own conclusions on that, but you might be interested to know that many Mormons have reacted very negatively to the book because they think I'm casting the religion in a bad light. In fact, the only real negative reactions I've gotten about the book have been from Mormons.

3. Influences. My biggest influence is Mark Twain. By my way of thinking he's this country's greatest writer, and mostly because of his comic abilities. I admire writers who can be funny while still dealing with serious and even tragic subjects. I read Huck Finn many times while writing Edgar Mint, hoping I could come up with something half as brilliant.

Thanks everybody for comments and criticisms about Edgar Mint. It's been great to read your thoughts, to eavesdrop a little on your discussions. You've got a great teacher who obviously cares deeply about reading and literature and how we address the world through writing. Good luck to all of you.