It’s interesting how little has changed in almost forty years. Even though Tom Robbin’s, Another Roadside Attraction, was written in 1971, its implications still reign in as true as ever. The Catholic Church went though a transformation in the late 1960s following the Second Vatican Council. This council aimed at modernizing the church to more closely follow the changing morals of the time. Looking back though, very little changed after that, and if anything the church has reverted back to a more conservative ideology. This is the same cyclical theory that drives Another Roadside Attraction. Insert Amanda, John Paul, Marx Marvelous, and Plucky Purcell. Four individuals who hold one of the greatest secrets known to man, in a hot dog stand in the Pacific Northwest.
Amanda is a mystic, believing everything happens for a reason, and guided by some outside force, which she frequently taps into through the novel. John Paul is a wild man, who understands the natural world and is more or less confined to the simple and aesthetic life. Plucky is an instigator who wants nothing more than to shake up the system. Marx is a realist, who believes all things science will explain all things in existence. All this takes place smack in the midst of the counter culture of the late 1960s, early 1970s, and the writing style reflects the day-glow attitude of the time.
Tom Robbins does not follow any logical writing style, jumping around from time and place repeatedly throughout the story. Robbins is also very annoyed. There are always people who know or think they know more than the average person. It’s likely these kinds of people might hold some sort of authoritative position, like the Catholic Church. Well what if these people only thought they knew what they were talking about? And what if these people with authority commanded power and influence over thousands, even millions of followers? In the end, would it even be worth proving them wrong though? Think of the repercussions, would it be worth it to crush the hopes, and beliefs of these people even if their very existence was a lie? These are the kinds of questions Robbins hopes to address in this novel.
Amanda, Marx, John Paul, and Plucky act like four forces of human will. Each one thinks on their own accord, and each one thinks they are right. This contrast of opinions is what really drives this story and keeps you interested. The message of anti-establishment, pro-secularism of the counter culture has never really gone away, and recently has become prominent again. To me, this is why this book still stands the test of time; we have always and will always questions the origins of man. By the end of this novel, the story has risen and fell several times; taking plot twists this reader would never have anticipated. These characters are shaped by each others personal perspective in regards to the secret they hold. They finally become awakened by the fact that no single solution, but several usually solve a problem. By the time the conclusion is reached, each character learns why some truths are better left under wraps.