A raucous Honky Tonk from Oklahoma City; a relentless bulldog reporter; a city councilor on a mission; a couple out there competing against each other for a winner wins the entire Karaoke Contest.
These are just a few of the characters in the wild, overdone, country music-driven novel OPRY. Did I forget to mention that there are also a number of missing women, including a possible competitor in the Karaoke Contest?
Author Simon Plaster prides himself on his satirical novels featuring characters that resemble, or closely resemble, real life characters. OPRY is a great company in which Plaster, from a literary point of view, has many balls in the air to juggle at the same time.
VD “Moon” Mullins is the seedy owner of Honky Tonk, a self-proclaimed Texas-style beer joint in the heart of Oklahoma City. His place is about to host his almost famous KaraOkie Opry singing contest. Many have participated in this extremely competitive competition and some of these ‘talents’ appear in OPRY’s narrative.
The novel begins with an article in OKC Scene written by a reporter named Henrietta. In the article, he reports on attempts by local governments to crack down on bars and clubs in the Oklahoma City area that have been the center of violence, public drunkenness, and possible more nefarious crimes.
During Henrietta’s research for this article, she received a quote from a bar owner that most fights are about a girl and it is not uncommon to find one or two missing women in any given week. These crime statistics particularly upset City Councilwoman Gretchen Goode, who has made it her personal mission to trample these dens of iniquity. Unfortunately for Moon Mullins, her place is squarely in her sights.
Honky Tonk, meanwhile, is preparing for her singing contest. The place already claims to be the ‘HOME OF THE KARAOKIE OPRY’ and this contest is something they are proud of. Among the many contestants is the married couple: Orville “Chad” Puckett and Eunice “Opal” Puckett. The two do not have the smoothest of marriages and the fact that each is competing for the same title will not fix any barriers.
What makes things even more interesting is the fact that Opal’s sister, Jewel, also entered the contest, but has now mysteriously disappeared. The fact that she was a former singing partner, and more, with Chad Puckett does not go unnoticed by the local police or our astute reporter, Henrietta. Moon Mullins has her hands full keeping her place open in the wake of a lot of pressure from the government that includes having her club compared to the biblical city of Gomorrah.
What really sets OPRY apart from any other book I’ve read is the serious blending of country and western lyrics throughout the narrative. Nearly a third of all the language in this novel is C&W song lines featuring the likes of George Jones, Tammy Wynnette, The Oak Ridge Boys, Buck Owens, and many, many more. I particularly liked the reference to the WWF novelty act from the ’80s known as The Honky-tonk Man, with some of the lines from their ring-entry song. OPRY is a perfect fast and furious read for those who love heavy satire mixed with classic country music!