The characters in Unruly Mix don't fit in, anywhere. The only entity that brings them together is the setting of Burnham, CT. Some are natives, others from nearby and a few passing through. Burnham is a peaceful town on a little mountain with residents that keep a firm but loosening grip on the values nurtured by generations past.Patience is a virtue, and the instinctive urge to resist change is bypassed by the strength of their faith, and confidence in knowledge of history: Do the right thing and everything will be alright. In this first of three stories, we meet the characters and see the redeeming qualities in some, the destructive tendencies in others, and the unseen and unexpected circumstances that form the foundations of future conflicts.

ボブ・ディーキンの『Unruly Mix』は、単なる地方都市の群像劇に留まりません。歴史と信仰に守られたバーナムという町を舞台に、変容を拒む住民たちが抱える「収まりの悪さ」を鮮烈に描き出しています。その葛藤は、居場所を求める現代社会の私たちの魂の叫びそのものです。 本作の妙味は、平穏な日常の裏側に潜む破滅の予兆を、静謐かつ鋭い筆致で構築した点にあります。高潔さと破壊的衝動が交錯し、未来の対立の火種が形作られていくプロセスは圧巻。三部作の幕開けに相応しい、読み手の心に深い渇望を刻みつける傑作です。