Eugene Stone's Miscellaneous Fortune by Leon Stokes: Book Review

Eugene Stone’s father came to Australia from the United Kingdom in 1966 and brought his record collection with him. Years later, Eugene finds the records, plays one, and wants a guitar right away. When he asks his parents, his father keeps his eyes on the crossword and says, “We shall see.”

That scene opens Eugene Stone’s Miscellaneous Fortune by Leon Stokes. It begins as a story about a boy and his music, but it goes somewhere much more serious.

A Sunburst Strat and a Band Called the Fence

The first chapter, “Muso’s Corner,” covers Eugene’s teenage obsession with music. His mother takes him to Harrington’s, the local music shop, and he chooses a sunburst Stratocaster. He learns “Smoke on the Water” in his bedroom and plays a shopping Centre gig at fourteen with his band, The Fence. Joe Harrington, the shop owner, is warm and funny, and he keeps appearing as the boys get older.

Anyone who spent their teens around garages, amps and older musicians will recognize plenty here. Stokes pays close attention to the gear, the songs and the pubs that let underage players on stage.

The Rougher Years

Things change as Eugene gets older. Cigarettes, cannabis and cheap wine join the music. In chapter two, “A Delinquent Son,” a boy who used to top his class starts to slip. In one scene, Eugene and a friend push their math teacher’s patience until she cries, and Eugene becomes a catalyst for an insurrection of minor proportions. What hurts Eugene most is the head teacher phoning his father, more than anything the school does to him.

The book is open about sex, drinking, and drugs, which makes it a book for adult readers. These years come across as foolish, sometimes funny and often sad. Stokes doesn’t make them look glamorous.

Illness

Around the middle, the story shifts. A lung infection and a night of chest pain put Eugene in the emergency department, where an intensive care nurse named Joline stays with him until morning. A cardiologist then tells him he has chronic renal failure. After that, the book follows his life on a home dialysis machine set up in the second bedroom of a government townhouse.

These are the most realistic chapters. Eugene makes a mistake setting up the machine, and the blood clots in the lines. He loses his temper and rips them out. His mother, who has been with him throughout, tells him, “Be patient.” It’s a small scene, but it feels true to life. People who have lived with kidney failure, or cared for someone who has, will likely connect with it.

Later, a phone call about a donor kidney changes things. The transplant chapters describe the odd relief of feeling well again, along with the side effects of the medication that keeps the new kidney working.

Faith, Voices and Loose Ends

While Eugene is on dialysis, two visitors from a religious group knock on his door. One is curt. The other, Jack, answers Eugene’s question about the dead by promising resurrection, and Eugene takes that to heart. He joins a congregation and gets drawn into arguments about work and worth. He also begins to hear voices and see visions. Mental illness, belief and loneliness overlap throughout, and Stokes doesn’t try to pull them apart. The story then turns to a feud with a neighbor, a kicked-in screen door, an arrest, and a court date Eugene can’t get out of bed for.

Don’t expect a tidy ending. The book finishes with Eugene moving back in with his parents, and his family’s love is still part of the picture. That is closer to how life usually goes.

Who Should Read It

This book suits readers who like honest, rough-edged stories about growing up and getting sick. It will also mean something to people who have dealt with illness, addiction, or a family member going through a hard time. And it’s a good pick for anyone whose record collection has taken up more space than it probably should.

Near the end, Eugene thinks about two things he has heard over the years. His father told him he was “much better off than some folks.” His grandfather said there’s something out there for people prepared to have a go. Stokes leaves both thoughts with him, unresolved, as the book closes.