A very different reading experience.
Joe's Journey: In the Midst of an Inner Circle" is written is a free-flowing style that reminded me of 'stream of consciousness', although what is narrated is almost all action and dialogue, rather than the internal dialogue characteristic of this style. Most paragraphs consist of one or two sentences. The punctuation is eclectic; I got the impression that the story was dictated and subsequently, loosely, edited.
The prose is very repetitive and concentrates on everyday activities, which is typical of normal life. Thus, the characters frequently drink tea (more often than not wine in Molly's case) with one another and chatter.
To give you a flavour of the way the book is written, I chose the following paragraph more or less at random. Almost every paragraph is like this: "Oh yes said Brian you will love it down there it is beautiful, and the sun has come out for you too, Molly said it has been a real pleasure to meet you both, and I will get in touch with you as soon as I have any news at the station So, Molly waved goodbye as she got into the car and drove off, she made her way down to the harbour and looked around the shops and bought a few present’s for people back home then walked around the boating area to look at the big boat and yachts, then she went in for a pot of tea and a few cakes she was a sucker for cakes could not resist them."
There is very little conflict between the characters (except for the incident of the jointly-claimed lottery ticket) so the impetus for the plot comes mostly from external events, such as the death of Joe's wife.
The early part of the story relates to Joe and the later part to Molly; the structure of the tale is that of a picaresque without any character being like a picaro. There is little connection between the two stories.
It is a gentle ramble, describing the lives of very ordinary people.
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