The Gospel Singer is the brillant debut by Harry Crews, originally published in 1968, reprinted in 2023 by Penguin Classics. Imagine a gritter, more depraved & amorale Flannery O'Connor story. This is what you're getting yourself into when you read Harry Crews. His work is unflenching, humorous, and disturbing, much like the work of O'Connor. The only difference is Crews wasn't a devout Catholic.

The Gospel Singer is a book steeped in old time religion and deep southern poverty-stricken pathos. It looks at how the south is haunted by Christ and how easily human nature can be corrupted. In this way, you could compare it to O'Connor's Wise Blood. Just don't expect any redemption.

The un-named gospel singer is a morally repugnant celebrity, who treated as holy by the hordes who see his beauty and godliness in his voice (sort of like a demented Elvis Presley). People are saved on the spot and he merely takes advantage of his pickings, burying himself in lust. And everyone wants a piece of him, even the killer of his lustful nemesis, MaryBell. In the novel, The Gospel Singer returns to his home town to sign at a revival, the singer must confront the corruption he has caused head on and it all leads towards a chilling violent ending.

With a bizarre cast of characters, twisted story, humorous dialogue, uncomforatable racial dynamics, and shocking ending The Gospel Singer certainly probably was a revelation when it was published. It still is shocking today.

I've been told that this isn't even the best Crews novel. And that's wild because it is a great debut novel. If The Gospel Singer is any indication, Crews' other novels are well worth reading.

Pairs well wih bourdon and some Johnny Cash or Elvis Presley records. ( )

It's a sin that this book is out of print, especially since it's arguably more relevant today than when it was first published in 1968. ( )

The Gospel Singer comes from Enigma, a small, poor, backwards town in Georgia. Due to his other-worldly singing voice and good looks, he made it out and now travels the country as a successful gospel singer. He feels compelled to visit his hometown from time to time, but the visits have become increasingly painful. Because he’s thought to have healing powers and the ability to save souls, his family and other people from the town suffocate him with demands on his time and talents. The novel takes place over his most recent visit to Enigma, where some really terrible stuff happens.

The novel definitely includes disturbing language and visuals and is not for the easily-offended. I’ve read that Crews has been criticized for his tendency to create grotesque characters for shock value, but I really don’t think that’s going on here. Despite their physical and psychological abnormalities (one has a bizarre skin condition, another has an enormous foot, the Gospel Singer is a nymphomaniac, etc.), the main characters are realistic, complex, and each serves a distinct purpose within the story. The Gospel Singer’s manager, Didymus, is particularly fascinating. In addition, the author really gets at the pain and desperation felt by the townspeople, who are unable to escape their fate in dead-end Enigma. They literally live for these visits by the Gospel Singer and live through his experiences (or what they think his experiences are.) The writing is superb and the story is a page-turner. This is my first Crews novel and I think I’ll explore his work further, even though I have a feeling that it will make me slightly uncomfortable. ( )

This is it; the one book that kick it in for me and knocked me off my feet. Crews' writing has a sensitivity and purity of prose that reveals the rawness of the southern grotesque along with its unforgettable characters. The Gospel Singer has all of that and then some. Get it with a side order of pork rinds and a cold draft, and praise the lord--you're going to need him. I think I'll read it again. ( )

I think Harry Crews books might work in the way that whatever one you read first is your favorite. (Mine happened to be Feast of Snakes). Gospel Singer potentially has more going for it...the weird salvation/sexual connection is pretty interesting and backwards small town life (complete with a freak show) makes for richly entertaining reads. But the deal with every Crews book is that it serves purely as entertainment...it's really easy and usually possessing some degree of shock value that wears off quickly...I think it's safe to assume that some scenes will involve graphic sex and some amount of violence, but that being said, Crews is good at what he does: fucked-up Southern stories. ( )