A death in the family brings together three siblings for the first time in years, for a holiday season none of them will ever forget.
It's Christmas time, again. Family gatherings. Company parties. Yule logs. Screaming fits of dysfunctional requiem. But for the three Ponce siblings, they'll be burying their mother. Edgar Ponce, the family exile. His brother Jean, the west coast porn star. And their younger sister Charlotte, mother to four kids and wife to the richest orthopedic surgeon in Western Pennsylvania. Reuniting them for the first time in over a decade, the funeral of their mother will only serve as the mere whisper that starts the avalanche of the next month, entangling them in their own webs of insanity for a holiday season none of them will ever forget. 'Lockless Doors in the Land of Harsh Angels', a crossover/sequel to 2014's 'Sleepeth Not, the Bastard', is at its core a story about family. Beyond that, it's an examination on forgiveness, the relationship between Christmas trees and caskets; bliss with a little bit of chaos thrown in for good measure, and learning the importance of one of the holiday's most heartfelt lessons: appreciating those loved ones around you while doing one's utmost best at tolerating the rest of the family without murdering them.
Professional Reviews
An incredibly unique story of a family in all its ugly and painful moments
Dave Matthes’ vision of the holiday season is a beautiful thing: estranged and dying (or already dead) relatives, a Baby Jesus/eggplant switcheroo, and alarm clocks blasting out “Feliz Navidad” at ungodly hours of the morning. Lockless Doors in the Land of Harsh Angels spans just a few weeks in the lives of the Ponce siblings, primarily focusing on the black sheep, oldest brother Edgar, but, in reality, it covers a lifetime. Brought together by their mother’s not-completely-unexpected and not-really-saddening death, Edgar, porn-star celebrity brother Jean, and foulmouthed but well-intentioned little sister Charlotte learn to embrace what it means to be a family. As Matthes himself puts it, family is just “[being] together, through the shit and the worse shit.”
A worthy five-star examination of a truly modern family (though the Ponces and Matthes would likely chime in that they are not a modern family in the ABC Family sense), Lockless Doors is both hilarious and heartbreaking, soul-searching and sarcastic. The plot summary could read as clichéd: alienated brother is forced to reunite with his estranged family and ends up enjoying it. But Lockless Doors is far subtler and more complicated in its examination of relationships. Matthes skillfully reveals insights into the siblings’ relationships with each other, their parents, and significant others gradually, enabling highly interesting and thoughtful character development of all the main characters. Though it spans just one eventful holiday season, Lockless Doors examines life in all its stages, from open-eyed youth to rebellious teens, from mid-life crises to acceptance of death.
In addition to its fascinating story line and characters, Lockless Doors is impeccably well-written. Matthes fills the novel to the brim with clever plays on words and puns that could be overlooked by some readers, but are greatly appreciated by attentive ones. Admittedly, he also fills the novel with a plethora of creative curse words that may offend some neophyte eyes, but the obscenities fit naturally within the world of the Ponces that Matthes has created, and once you get past the first few hundred F-bombs, you hardly notice them. In Lockless Doors, Matthes also takes the time to create intriguing and frequently hilarious supporting characters and events. From the smirking funeral director in his bright pink tie or the super fit and hyper healthy dad in his skin-tight bike shorts, Lockless Doors creates a rollercoaster of emotions for readers, being at one moment laugh-out-loud and in the next a tearjerker.
But what readers will enjoy the most about Lockless Doors is just how fun it is to read. As you explore the world that Matthes had created, it’s both easy and amusing to see your own friends and family in the characters he creates (though hopefully your family is not quite as dysfunctional as that of the Ponce’s). Taken at a first glance, none of the characters seems like anyone you’d want to spend your Christmas with; but by the end, you’re cheering for their success in the New Year. Self-aware and self-deprecating, Lockless Doors weaves a brutally honest and incredibly unique story of a family, in all its ugly and painful moments as well as beautiful and loving ones.
Skeletons in every closet and rich, complex characters...
With Lockless Doors in the Land of Harsh Angels, Matthes has taken character development to new heights. Edgar Ponce, Matthes' unlikely protagonist and our story's narrator, provides a glimpse into the dynamics of a family that is anything but functional. Upon learning of his mother's death, Edgar begrudgingly road trips home to a small Pennsylvania town with his porn star brother Jean. Reunited with their sister Charlotte, the Ponce siblings face the dirty work of grieving while face with a prehumously planned funeral that is nothing short of appallingly comical. While Matthes' other work certainly highlights the highs and (more often) the lows of humanity, Lockless Doors is more nuanced; the familial relationships highlighted in this story are nothing short of organic and wholly relatable to anyone whose family has a few skeletons in the closet (or out of it, for that matter). As with all of Matthes' work, the supporting cast of characters are intriguing and interesting in their own right; from a brooding nephew, a blow-hard brother-in-law, a lesbian ex-lover, and an underaged cam-girl niece, each character's story leaves the reader wanting to know more, no matter how minor their role in the overall story arc.
No stranger to hairpin twists and jaw dropping revelations, Matthes has crafted a story that keeps the reader intrigued throughout its entirety. Things aren't always as they appear, and Matthes' telling of the Ponce family secrets reminds readers that blood is thicker than water whether we like it or not. The more the reader learns about Edgar and his siblings, the more natural their family dynamic becomes; understanding what makes each sibling tick allows their lives to be woven together seamlessly, no matter how much time they've spent apart. The early Ponce family interactions are both strained and effortless, a contradiction that is well-known to those reunited with estranged relatives through loss. Throughout the course of the book, one can't help but stop and wonder if Edgar, the black sheep, isn't the one who's had it right all along. Edgar's siblings seem to be more put together on the surface, but behind the facade, they're both just as dysfunctional as their distant brother.
Rife with beautifully executed nods to the author's previous novels, Lockless Doors in the Land of Harsh Angels is Matthes' best work yet.
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Reviews for "Lockless Doors in the Land of Harsh Angels"
Reviewed by Mary Wazelle
11/15/2017
The introduction to the book put me off a bit, to be honest. It seemed like the author didn't care about the writing and just liked to drink and write, damn the consequences. But...I pursued the book anyway and rather quite enjoyed it! Maybe don't publish a forward like that next time?
A surprising Christmas story, Lockless Doors in the Land of Harsh Angels centers around the relationship between siblings who gather for the first time in ages when their mother passes away. Each with their own demons, each with their own peccadilloes, they are now forced to confront one another for a common purpose. The common theme of forgiveness runs like a deep vein through the middle of the story, which helps glue the words together with a dash of appreciation.
Good read, with depth of character and narrative.
Reviewed by E Harris
10/8/2017
Lockless Doors in the Land of Harsh Angels, a novel by Dave Matthes, is the memorable story about the Ponce siblings reuniting after many years apart. Their mother had died prior to Christmas and they came together for what turned out to be a most unconventional funeral. The reunion extended through the Christmas season and was one they were not likely to forget. The narrative is told by eldest son, Edgar Ponce, who lived in a self imposed exile. His brother, Jean, is a porn star and younger sister, Charlotte, is a rather colorful character in her own right.
While this is a story about family, it is also a story about the ties and history that bind people together, whether we like it or not. What I found intriguing about this beautifully crafted novel is how smoothly the author portrayed the seamless way the siblings connected with each other after a lengthy separation. Secrets surfaced and some remained unspoken, all with their own impact. The secondary characters are an interesting group and add depth to the story.
I found this to be an engrossing and fascinating story that is well worth reading.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.
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