still life with woodpecker - tom robbins

I can’t remember where I found still life with woodpecker but it was late September, I was 18 and about to start my freshman year of college in washington. I remember walking around the campus with the book in my pocket feeling scared and alone and overwhelmed, thinking about how much I missed my mom, but it was a sunny day, there were flowers in the trees, wind in the air. I probably wanted to feel cool and grown up reading a book in the middle of campus, I probably wanted people to see me and think “oh thats a cool girl” being 18 is silly like that. being in a new place is silly like that. I got embarrassed pretty fast about how much of a poser I was being and I realized people were probably not thinking about me at all. so I took myself and my book and went into the woods behind the school which was surprisingly pretty empty. and so it goes… I started reading this story about an environmental ginger princess exiled to seattle and a ginger rascal criminal who created a male birth control by shocking the balls with electricity. I immediately fell in love with the style of writing. I realized I loved it when near the beginning tom robbins paused the story and went on for a chapter about the typewriter he was using to write the story itself. I think hes pretentious in a sense but it just worked for me. they fell in love as it goes and then the ginger rascal blew a ufo up naturally, and was sent to prison and the princess exiled herself to her bedroom. she kept his camel cigarettes with her and studied the packaging. now ive never smoked camels, I get set into routine as do most people. especially smokers. maybe I should try it but more so I shouldn’t smoke at all. my mother sure doesn’t want me to. anyways she studied these cigarettes and becomes obsessed and decided to marry a saudi prince and build a pyramid because of the pyramids on the packaging. ridiculous right? anyways, I get its annoying, I get how you could roll your eyes at all of this as I do myself. the rascal returns and the prince locks the princess and rascal in the pyramid to die. this is why the story essentially exists within a pack of camels. interesting idea. only could’ve been acceptable if written in the 70s, if some guy wrote that today id scoff at him. and so would you. or you’d think he was deep, sexy and creative and then id scoff at you too. they make it in the end despite going deaf and live happily ever after, as in any good love story. yes tom robbins is a pervert. he is. I cannot write this and not acknowledge the perversion. he calls her vagina a peach fish enough said. he details their sex in a disgusting way, he goes into detail on the color of the saudi prince’s penis. its purple. I think the story would’ve been just fine without it and thats why I cannot recommend the book to those in my life. I know how it looks. sometimes you just have to ignore perversion. at least in this world. it surrounds. what’s up with that? I read this book till it fell apart and then I taped it back up and read it again. ive had to tape it in three different spots now. ive read it on trains, planes and automobiles, during classes, while walking, while eating, probably in my sleep too. I used to say it was my favorite book but it’s not. or maybe it is. we have a love hate relationship. you should read it or maybe you shouldn't. chances are you will not like it and I spoiled it all. I apologize.