CBA Record July-August 2024

ecution, Atticus faced charges of finan cial identity theft with a value exceeding $10,000 but not exceeding $100,000. As the trial unfolded, the eccentricities of life in Greens Point as well as the intrinsic goodness of its people played out before and within the jury. As the plot unfolds, the dry narrative repeatedly echoes elements of the shock ing crime of grave robbery referenced in Varga’s first novel. Lou and Duke were the names of the accused grave robbers in Tombs of Little Egypt . Was Atticus from Shawneetown really named Lou? Was his late companion Duke the same Duke involved in the grave robbery? And, if so, how would this impact the jury weigh ing the charges of financial identity theft against Atticus? Through the novel’s twists and turns and its search for truth, there are two constants: first, the chats between Atticus and his friend, the ailing reverend. These conversations—although dry and some what jaded—focus on the fluid nature of reality, morality, and the search for truth. The second constant is the ongoing debate at Herman’s barbershop which, although heated, never quite reaches resolution. In Atticus’s final conversation with the dying reverend, the clergyman gives Atticus this summary: “All I can conclude is there’s many ways to the truth.” In response, Atticus draws upon his warm connection with a local woman and states: “The only thing that matters in life is found in a relationship with another person.” At this point, one can only imagine that even Kafka might smile.

SUMMARY JUDGMENTS

REVIEWS, REVIEWS, REVIEWS!

Atticus from Shawneetown

By Judge James Varga Reviewed by Rosemary Simota Thompson, CBA Record Editorial Board Member

I t’s déjà vu all over again. Atticus from Shawneetown is Judge Varga’s second literary excursion to the Little Egypt area of sleepy Southern Illinois and the sequel to Tombs of Little Egypt (reviewed in the March/April 2023 CBA Record ). In a style that ranges from tongue-in-cheek to Kafkaesque, the author uses down home characters to grapple with univer sal themes such as the nature of truth, hope, and qualities of a life well-lived. In a setting where time (and truth) are often shadowed by local color and perpetual local debate, there are no easy answers. In the first few pages, ex-convict Atticus shares a bit of wisdom with his ailing

pal, a bourbon-swilling reverend. Atticus states: “Truth is a shattered mirror on the floor. The truth depends upon what piece you pick up.” If all politics are indeed local, Herman’s barbershop was the political hotspot for Little Egypt townsfolk to debate the issues of the day, whether they were the invasion of feral swine or the Trial of the Man with No Name, a.k.a. Atticus. While the clear and present (perceived) dangers of ram paging feral swine were left to local law enforcement to rectify, the trial of Atticus of Shawneetown was presented to a jury in Clermont, the county seat for Greens Point. For reasons best known to the pros

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