I didn’t even know that Steven Sherrill‘s The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break (2000) had a sequel until quite recently. The initial emergence of the ancient Minotaur into modern times was one of my favorite novels of the early 21st century, so I picked up the sequel, The Minotaur Takes His Own Sweet Time (2016), with some anticipation.
It delivers.
Sherrill’s voice is lyric and surprising, and his characterization of the Minotaur remains striking in its insight and consistency. The Minotaur is tired. Century after century of existence has worn him down, with the foibles of human nature about the only thing remaining that holds his interest. He is deeply and profoundly aware of existing in a world that has no place for him–his horns are continually awkward in public places, he is a constant object of unwanted attention, and his innate goodness remains hidden to the general public.
He spends his time trading handyman skills for lodging at a motor inn run by a first generation family from the Indian subcontinent and acting as part of a local Civil War re-enactment show, and the plot is driven by the arrival of a young woman and her brother, who is suffering from a serious brain injury and is, at least temporarily, under her care (there are some parallels to the plot of Cigarette Break here).
There is a rival for her attention, and a mis-step puts his war re-enactment duties at risk, and the novel moves from there.
Overall, it’s pretty entertaining stuff, and occasionally even engrossing. It’s not as good as the original, but it’s worth reading after you read Cigarette Break for sure.
#WhatIWishICouldDo
Nail a consistent voice for a character with this much sophistication and nuance. The Minotaur is thoroughly complicated and his speech and descriptions all just work, from casual interactions to the rare moments he reaches back into his well of ancient power. It’s quite an accomplishment.