Mr. Dust

"Five...Four... For a full second his mind is frozen. Three... And it's then that Giovanni lets out a squeal of laughter, kicks himself upright, and throws himself toward the crowd. Two... Ann reaches out to catch him, presses him back into Cosmo's chest, and the two of them watch as the baby raises his hand in a gesture of benediction, forefinger to thumb, blessing the carnival before him-the grimacing faces, the misshapen, the empy, the parodic, the profane, as if he can see through it all to the sacrd life beneath. One... Behind him there reads a field of blue enamel, golden stars (270)."

This book is called The Madonna of Las Vegas and is written by the author Gregory Blake Smith. The book is a story about a mans life and his realization of his shortcomings as the new millennium approaches. The main character Cosmo Dust (yes that's his name) hates that the ages are changing and catches himself lost in the casino life, especially one that is trying to recreate the Sistine Chapel in their ceiling. Cosmo is a painter, and he is good. But recreating a world renown timeless classic? A work of art that is so amazing people travel from all over the world to just crank their necks and absorb the aged talents of Michelangelo? Oh dear. Cosmo is about to quit his job and just move into something that actually means something to him, rather than art that is a copy. But unfortunately he becomes a suspect for a murder. Cosmo goes on somewhat of an adventure mixing ties with the local Vegas mod scene and all hell seems to break loose. All in all Cosmo makes is to the countdown and eludes himself from a very messy crime investigation. I really enjoyed reading this book and I really enjoys the ending, which is the passage I choose. Whilst reading the book the reader sort of feels like everything is a fast pasted rat race, if you will. But the end ties to an calm realizational moment. It's the beginning of a new year, filled with new year resolutions and promises of a better year. Cosmo Dust starts a new year, a new adventure while also saying goodbye to the last.