Have fun.

Now c’mon, You can’t tell us that story and not post the link.

I too thought the goat was over the top to the point that it detracts from the story.

How about this: Edwin looks out into the back yard/field/whatever, and sees “Dr. Loeb” tromping around, doing his “world domination” routine, shouting orders, and so on to his minions – the small herd of goats (or pigs or whatever). Goats sort of lined up “at attention”, with the obvious difficulty of getting them to stay there – almost totally failing at it of course. Non-breatheable jumpsuits optional.

It seems to me that would be rather strange for an adult to be doing. Playing at childish games – and failing at them – seems to me that it would be a pretty big source of maternal disappointment.

Of course, I’m only on chapter 20 or 21, so I have no idea if this would be consistent with later developments of Loeb (such as having human minions somewhere).

Anyways, I see what you’re going for now. Crazy + disappointing…. Hmm…

Does he have his army of minions in non-breathable jumpsuits yet? Or a well-labeled secret lab in the back yard? I’m just trying to think of something that relates to Loeb’s role of Villain that might be more central to his character than the “indiscretion” with the goat.

I have to agree with J.D. and Anne-Marie. We are looking at a Deep southern entrenched family who has ZERO concept of what money is. And when brought back to home where he can be the most comfortable with any number of things to show that he is very much absolutely crazy and silly at the same time. Sex with a goat doesn’t come up until its 4am and the drink has encouraged the conversation to devolve into sex jokes.

I’ll cut myself off here because what your aiming for is suggestions and the above has none.

I’ve only limited experience with the south and of that near zero of deep south elite. My concept of what would a man who has no concept of money and is completely crazy + silly would be something more to the effect of a goat being strapped into a dunebuggy and driven around by remote control all the while claiming it was the goats idea. Ya my idea is very much not deep southern elite. (that and it would imply that Dr. Loeb has an understanding of mechanics which doesn’t seem likely.)

Yet at the same time. The reaction is very much sounding like what was aimed for. Do any of us that have listened to this chapter even remotely believe that Dr. Loeb is in anyway retaining any spec of sanity after this chapter?

But here’s why it’s in there and maybe we can come up with some thing different together. I mean, it’s not like this is written in stone, or even paper, yet.

These people are insane. Insane people don’t do normal things. And it’s important that they be captive to their appetites, in contrast to Edwin’s stoic virtue. Also, the insanity of this sequence has to build throughout. So I need something pretty damn crazy for Dr. Loeb to do that will a) disappoint his mother b) and be crazier than affecting an Austrian accent and have delusions of taking over the world to escape from said domineering mother.

So we’re looking for something that equals = absolutely crazy + silly. Any thoughts? I’m really open.

@J.D. Harper >Or even the characters, as Extreme Southern Stereotypes would at least have the decency to keep such things private.

Maybe. Ever read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil? Or better yet, I was on a car trip this weekend with a guy from South Carolina — Wonderful Southern Gentleman, lawyer, respected member of the bar — who was telling me the most unbelievably foul and ridiculous true stories. True, they didn’t involve bestiality, but there was video that he offered to show me. I politely declined.

There are a lot of things I love about the South. I’ve lived in the South the majority of my life. But let me tell you, the South can be profoundly weird.

It came out of left field and really doesn’t fit the tone of the story at all. Or even the characters, as Extreme Southern Stereotypes would at least have the decency to keep such things private.

I’ve liked pretty much everything else about the book so far, but man, this one episode wasn’t very good.

Was she always going to be Southern?

Cheers