Lost in Rooville by Ray Blackston

In Lost in Rooville, Ray Blackston’s third novel about a group of southern Presbyterian singles, we are once again introduced to the voice of the narrator, Jay Jarvis, the main character in the first book of the series, Flabbergasted. This time, Jay, Allie, Steve, and Darcy all travel together to the Australian Outback for vacation, not to mention possible marriage proposal action by the guys.

After reading (and enjoying) Flabbergasted, I read with anticipation its sequel, Delirious Summer, which I enjoyed in a mindless, predicable, corny Christian fiction sort of way. Yet it must not have bothered me too much because I found myself drawn to the third book. When I picked it up the other night, I grinned at Craig and said, “I’m a glutton for punishment,” meaning that I expected this one to replicate the almost boring predictability of its predecessor. Gratefully, I was pleasantly surprised by the book.

Now to be perfectly honest and fair, Lost in Rooville is a predictable story line – anyone who has read the first two knew before this book was even written that the three main couples would have flashing rings in the third installment. But also to be fair, Blackston appears to realize that his characters’ end goals are recognized by his readers, so he makes the way they get there a fairly zany, fresh, likeable read.

At the beginning of the story, we find out early that Neil and Alexis (from Delirious Summer) have become “The Couple Who Could Not Wait,” and married earlier than their friends. They are currently at the end of their honeymoon in Australia when the two as-yet-not-engaged-couples begin their short trip to the Outback. On their second day, the guys decide to split the foursome up into couples for the purpose of proposing, intending to meet up again at the end of the day to celebrate with each other.

However, while on a wild kangaroo-chasing, photo-snapping excursion, Jay and Allie become seriously, dangerously lost, and their Land Cruiser damaged beyond driving, leaving them stuck and alone with no way to call for help in the hot Australian desert and only 2 ½ days of water in the back. And thus begins my only real complaint with the story.

Yes, the plight of Jay and Allie and their near-death experience is serious, and I’m sure part of the intent of dragging it out as long as Blackston did in the telling was to communicate the desperation they felt as they w---a---i---t---e---d for help, I became weary of reading about the wait and wished for the story to progress a tad more quickly. Actually, a lot more quickly.

But aside from this, I enjoyed Blackston’s crisp storytelling and the events and shenanigans of the characters as they struggled their way across Australia and through the continued struggles afterwards (which I won’t go into here as to maintain some aspect of surprise to the story). Blackston’s writing is honest, yet witty; his humor dry, but true. The opening line of the story is, “With apologies to the heat, what I remember most is the color of the dust.” What a great line.

I know this is the end of the South Carolina singles department and their tales of dating, living, and loving, but I hope Ray Blackston continues to write, and to do so in a way that doesn’t cave in to the contemporary Christian culture of storytelling, a way that continues at or exceeds this level.