As a little introduction to the works of Jeffery Deaver, this post will deal with his book Speaking In Tongues. This novel is about a psychiatrist turned homicidal maniac with revenge on his mind and his weapon of choice is his voice and the uncanny ability to manipulate people. He, quite simply, gets into people's heads and proceeds to tear them apart. His source of vengeance is a lawyer who made a mockery of him. On the whole, I thought this one of the weaker offerings of an otherwise entertaining author.
Why You May Like It:
If you like thrillers without much in the way of reality to them, this may be a good read. In my personal taste, I was a big fan of Silence of the Lambs and the sequels and prequels in that the character of Hannibal Lector was fascinating. Here was this brilliant mind that could speak so eloquently to the artistic side of human nature, could match wits with anyone, and choose to kill people. Strange, I will say, but entertaining nonetheless. This book is written in the same vein. It is very comparable, but comes off as a quicker read.
Why You May Not Like It:
For those who prefer to keep the murder and mayhem to a dull roar, this book isn't for you. There are lots of chases and mind games throughout the entire book. Again, the comparisons to Thomas Harris' novels are similar here, but Deaver always follows a pattern. There is always a twist with his books and, having read so many (he has written quite a bit) this one, given the chance again, I might pass up. I could see the twist coming, I thought that the characters were only there to serve the violence that he wanted to have happen to his human puppets. If you want to read something by this author (and if you are a fan, know that for the most part, I am too), read The Coffin Dancer or The Empty Chair. When Deaver is writing about crime scene investigation with his main character Lincoln Rhyme, he fires on all cylinders.
My suggestion: skip this book.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
Pillars Of The Earth
I had a friend that I had not seen for some time recommend this novel to me. He had memorized the first line of the book and boomed it to me, putting on dramatic fervor to convince me to read Pillars Of The Earth. Well, it worked as the first line is something like this: "The boys showed up two hours early for the hanging." Great stuff.
What You May Like:
Besides the fact that this is a great read, it leaves no stone unturned, no character forgotten, no story line unfinished, and has the surprising ability to compel you to see what is going to happen next without tipping it's hand. The pages fly by, making you want more, which is probably why the author, Ken Follett, wrote a sequel. Both take place in medieval England in the fictional town of Kingsbridge.
The villains are not stereotypes, but actual people. They are dynamic. I hesitate to try to mention a name because I may get the sequel's characters confused with the original. The heroes are flawed as well, but not to the point you can't tell the two apart.
What You May Not Like:
The story is very linear and deliberate. I only had trouble with it because I was reading Blood Meridian before this and needed to change how I was reading in order to enjoy it.
Sometimes, the narrative can lapse into what I found to be soap opera situations (long lost sons and such), but if you like that, then it's for you. This is a novel all about human interaction and how that shapes a society. If that isn't for you, skip it. There is a little action, but most of the action deals with characters walking around looking for work or trying to carve out careers within the town. You have been warned.
What You May Like:
Besides the fact that this is a great read, it leaves no stone unturned, no character forgotten, no story line unfinished, and has the surprising ability to compel you to see what is going to happen next without tipping it's hand. The pages fly by, making you want more, which is probably why the author, Ken Follett, wrote a sequel. Both take place in medieval England in the fictional town of Kingsbridge.
The villains are not stereotypes, but actual people. They are dynamic. I hesitate to try to mention a name because I may get the sequel's characters confused with the original. The heroes are flawed as well, but not to the point you can't tell the two apart.
What You May Not Like:
The story is very linear and deliberate. I only had trouble with it because I was reading Blood Meridian before this and needed to change how I was reading in order to enjoy it.
Sometimes, the narrative can lapse into what I found to be soap opera situations (long lost sons and such), but if you like that, then it's for you. This is a novel all about human interaction and how that shapes a society. If that isn't for you, skip it. There is a little action, but most of the action deals with characters walking around looking for work or trying to carve out careers within the town. You have been warned.
Gates Of Fire
Originally, I read Steven Pressfield's strange book on golf The Legend of Bagger Vance and liked it quite a bit. It was a mystic tale of redemption through golf (a sport I find challenging, but enjoyable). I decided to delve in deeper to Pressfield's bibliography and found Gates of Fire. It deals with the depiction of the battle of Thermopylae through the eyes of a Greek slave who goes to war as a page to the warrior Dionekes. It is full of flashbacks and little side meanderings, but is really good at covering just about all aspects of ancient Greek life.
What You May Like About It:
There are some great parts of this book. One being a lesson in controlling fear within one's body. Dionekes teaches a student with a small switch from a tree by lightly tapping his face and seeing if the student will blink. He then talks about how our bodies betray us, always choosing self-preservation over what a person wants to do. It is in the Spartan code that Phobos (the Greek study for fear, a complete author fabrication that warriors would study this, but a great one) must be attained to become a true Spartan warrior. You must master fear over getting hurt, maimed, even killed. It brings a spiritual side to the Spartans that I had never seen.
The characters are well defined and fleshed out. Polyniekes is the Olympic athlete with no compassion for weakness until he examines himself in comparison with Dionekes. Why does everyone respect Dionekes over the physically superior Polyniekes, he constantly wonders (I will let you discover that for yourself)?
What You May Not Like:
Well, the main thing I can think of is that this is a war novel. Albeit, it is an ancient war novel, but there is a lot of testosterone between the cover of this book. Obviously there is more than just blood and guts, but many people may have their hands full with some of the descriptions of battle. It is not for the faint of heart.
The other detractor I found was the narrative suffers a little in the beginning, as if the author couldn't quite find his rhythm of letting you into this world. Don't lose hope after the first 50 pages or so is what I am basically saying. It is worth the effort.
What You May Like About It:
There are some great parts of this book. One being a lesson in controlling fear within one's body. Dionekes teaches a student with a small switch from a tree by lightly tapping his face and seeing if the student will blink. He then talks about how our bodies betray us, always choosing self-preservation over what a person wants to do. It is in the Spartan code that Phobos (the Greek study for fear, a complete author fabrication that warriors would study this, but a great one) must be attained to become a true Spartan warrior. You must master fear over getting hurt, maimed, even killed. It brings a spiritual side to the Spartans that I had never seen.
The characters are well defined and fleshed out. Polyniekes is the Olympic athlete with no compassion for weakness until he examines himself in comparison with Dionekes. Why does everyone respect Dionekes over the physically superior Polyniekes, he constantly wonders (I will let you discover that for yourself)?
What You May Not Like:
Well, the main thing I can think of is that this is a war novel. Albeit, it is an ancient war novel, but there is a lot of testosterone between the cover of this book. Obviously there is more than just blood and guts, but many people may have their hands full with some of the descriptions of battle. It is not for the faint of heart.
The other detractor I found was the narrative suffers a little in the beginning, as if the author couldn't quite find his rhythm of letting you into this world. Don't lose hope after the first 50 pages or so is what I am basically saying. It is worth the effort.
Friday, January 22, 2010
The Road
I remember the first time I heard of Cormac McCarthy. I was in the library (well, yeah) and I over heard someone talking about the Cohen brothers doing another movie. Being a fan of the Cohen brothers (Miller's Crossing is one of the best written gangster movies ever) I told myself that it was okay to eavesdrop on this little conversation. The man who was talking to the librarian said that it would be based on the novel No Country For Old Men which I immediately went to look for in the stacks. I didn't find it because it was underneath that man's arm, but I did see that he had written other books. I looked at the jackets of a few, but when I quickly scanned The Road, I was truly intrigued.
The book is all about an unnamed man and a nameless boy who are father and son at the end of the world. There is some event that took place that set the earth on fire. They are trying to live among the ashes and with the last gasp of humanity without losing their soul in the process. It is the most gripping, harrowing, haunting book I have ever read. Really. McCarthy's style may take some people a little familiarity, but his sparse sentence structure and poetic imagery are not to be missed. This book won the Pulitzer Prize and for good reason.
Why You May Like It:
Apocalyptic tales always fascinate (and I won't lie, scare) me so I am drawn to them anyway. The difference here is a real examination of what that world would really be like perhaps after an asteroid collision, maybe nuclear fall out. It doesn't matter. What stands out is the interaction of the father and son. Pure poetry.
The pace is immaculate. Theirs is a desperate race to the coast, which only the father has ever seen and knows not whether their chances for survival will improve. It is a last hope in a hopeless land. They encounter humanity on the downward slope along the way, some cannibals as all livestock is gone, but mostly thieves and bands of militants.
What You May Not Like:
Like I mentioned before, McCarthy's style may take a little getting used to. He writes with an almost Biblical phrasing in some parts and borders on outright poetry in others. There are no quotation marks, only paragraph indents to mark speech. I think this is brilliant because it makes the reader truly read and understand what is going on, but some may find this maddening.
His over all view of what humanity would do in the face of the apocalypse is grim to say the least. There is light for every dark, but only a pen light's worth. The author does not skimp on suffering for anyone. There is an example of a baby being turned on a spit like a turkey in one chapter. I say this to warn the squeamish.
All in all, this is one of those books that you need to read, if you want my opinion (if not, don't read the blog). People will look back at this book and it will be taught in English classes in high schools. Parents may need to sign consent forms, but maybe not. This a classic piece of literature and should be read by audiences smart enough to know what he is trying to say. This has also been made into a movie, though I have not seen it yet. Hopefully, the makers of that movie took a cue from the Cohen brothers and didn't change much from the book.
Keep on reading!
The book is all about an unnamed man and a nameless boy who are father and son at the end of the world. There is some event that took place that set the earth on fire. They are trying to live among the ashes and with the last gasp of humanity without losing their soul in the process. It is the most gripping, harrowing, haunting book I have ever read. Really. McCarthy's style may take some people a little familiarity, but his sparse sentence structure and poetic imagery are not to be missed. This book won the Pulitzer Prize and for good reason.
Why You May Like It:
Apocalyptic tales always fascinate (and I won't lie, scare) me so I am drawn to them anyway. The difference here is a real examination of what that world would really be like perhaps after an asteroid collision, maybe nuclear fall out. It doesn't matter. What stands out is the interaction of the father and son. Pure poetry.
The pace is immaculate. Theirs is a desperate race to the coast, which only the father has ever seen and knows not whether their chances for survival will improve. It is a last hope in a hopeless land. They encounter humanity on the downward slope along the way, some cannibals as all livestock is gone, but mostly thieves and bands of militants.
What You May Not Like:
Like I mentioned before, McCarthy's style may take a little getting used to. He writes with an almost Biblical phrasing in some parts and borders on outright poetry in others. There are no quotation marks, only paragraph indents to mark speech. I think this is brilliant because it makes the reader truly read and understand what is going on, but some may find this maddening.
His over all view of what humanity would do in the face of the apocalypse is grim to say the least. There is light for every dark, but only a pen light's worth. The author does not skimp on suffering for anyone. There is an example of a baby being turned on a spit like a turkey in one chapter. I say this to warn the squeamish.
All in all, this is one of those books that you need to read, if you want my opinion (if not, don't read the blog). People will look back at this book and it will be taught in English classes in high schools. Parents may need to sign consent forms, but maybe not. This a classic piece of literature and should be read by audiences smart enough to know what he is trying to say. This has also been made into a movie, though I have not seen it yet. Hopefully, the makers of that movie took a cue from the Cohen brothers and didn't change much from the book.
Keep on reading!
The Monkey Wrench Gang
This past December, I had a friend stay with me before he was to go home for Christmas. We caught up and talked about tons of different subjects (solving the world's problems from the couch, I believe he said at one time), but one thing we spoke about was the best books we had read in a while. He mentioned an author that I had heard him speak of before and after a jaunt to the Maine Mall (or Border's to be exact) he purchased the novel The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey for me. I loved it so much that I also went back to Border's (with the gift card he had also bought for me) and purchased Desert Solitaire, one of the first non fiction books that I have even thought of buying in a very long time.
Abbey is a environmentally minded author with the wit and humor of Ken Kesey. He isn't the poet Kesey was, but nonetheless loves colorful characters. George Hayduke, the main protagonist, leaps off the page, wringing your neck for attention. He is a Vietnam vet who moves back to the Southwestern United States and discovers that the landscape is being "ruined" by progress such as highways, clear cutting, and dams. He ends up with an unusual cast of characters (the names alone are great: "Seldom Seen" Smith is a prime example) and they go around sabotaging logging equipment, cutting down billboards and the like. Eventually, things escalate, there are many chases between the gang and law enforcement, and each character is forced to choose how far this will go. Hayduke is just full tilt boogie the entire time.
What You May Like:
The action that takes place in the book is well paced and described efficiently. Abbey loves the environment and will make you yearn for a camping trip by the end of the first couple of chapters. His setting of the American Southwest acts as a mirror for the souls of his characters, bringing out the dreams, demons, and desires in technicolor.
The dialog is hilarious. I dare not spoil anything, but Hayduke uses profanity like oxygen with everyone, and I mean everyone.
I liked the chase scenes the best, especially the inventive use of a pulley system on the front of the Jeep that Hayduke drives. I won't tell, but you will know it when you read it.
What You May Not Like:
The book bogs down in the middle with the sense that perhaps Abbey didn't know where it was going to go either. Once he figures out to let the characters take over and guide him, it gets back on track (won't tell you how though). If you can get through 30 or so pages that don't really seem to fit, you will be fine.
The language can be a bit harsh in places. I put that there because, well, some people seem to think that no one swears. I am here to say that is just not f*cking true(Hayduke would love that sentence).
In closing, my friend turned me on to an author I will post more about, especially after I read Desert Solitaire. I have always had a fascination with the desert environment and the animals that survive there so it will be educational for me to hear about what that ecosystem is like. If Abbey's non-fiction is as good as this fiction was, then I am in for a treat. Until then, keep on reading.
Abbey is a environmentally minded author with the wit and humor of Ken Kesey. He isn't the poet Kesey was, but nonetheless loves colorful characters. George Hayduke, the main protagonist, leaps off the page, wringing your neck for attention. He is a Vietnam vet who moves back to the Southwestern United States and discovers that the landscape is being "ruined" by progress such as highways, clear cutting, and dams. He ends up with an unusual cast of characters (the names alone are great: "Seldom Seen" Smith is a prime example) and they go around sabotaging logging equipment, cutting down billboards and the like. Eventually, things escalate, there are many chases between the gang and law enforcement, and each character is forced to choose how far this will go. Hayduke is just full tilt boogie the entire time.
What You May Like:
The action that takes place in the book is well paced and described efficiently. Abbey loves the environment and will make you yearn for a camping trip by the end of the first couple of chapters. His setting of the American Southwest acts as a mirror for the souls of his characters, bringing out the dreams, demons, and desires in technicolor.
The dialog is hilarious. I dare not spoil anything, but Hayduke uses profanity like oxygen with everyone, and I mean everyone.
I liked the chase scenes the best, especially the inventive use of a pulley system on the front of the Jeep that Hayduke drives. I won't tell, but you will know it when you read it.
What You May Not Like:
The book bogs down in the middle with the sense that perhaps Abbey didn't know where it was going to go either. Once he figures out to let the characters take over and guide him, it gets back on track (won't tell you how though). If you can get through 30 or so pages that don't really seem to fit, you will be fine.
The language can be a bit harsh in places. I put that there because, well, some people seem to think that no one swears. I am here to say that is just not f*cking true(Hayduke would love that sentence).
In closing, my friend turned me on to an author I will post more about, especially after I read Desert Solitaire. I have always had a fascination with the desert environment and the animals that survive there so it will be educational for me to hear about what that ecosystem is like. If Abbey's non-fiction is as good as this fiction was, then I am in for a treat. Until then, keep on reading.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
The Shadow Of The Wind
I have read a book that I really wish I could emulate as an author, and that book is called The Shadow of the Wind. This book has it all: mystery, murder, plausible love story (real love, not the paperbacks with Fabio on the cover), and above all, a love for literature. In fact, it reads like an ode to literature. The characters are great, but it is the setting or the authors use of setting that really took me by surprise. I felt like I had lived in Barcelona when I was finished reading this and I find it tough to know what to write here without giving anything away for someone who will read it.
Carlos Ruiz Zafon is the Spanish author and I believe that this is his first novel. As a first novel, this is a powerhouse. His setting is the Spanish city of Barcelona and it is a city that he seems to know well. Every alley, every window, every small shop comes alive with his descriptions which are detailed without being overbearing. The characters are terrific. Without giving anything away, the twists and turns in this novel are really mind bending. Some are more Gothic than I thought the book was heading, but it made it a lot more exciting.
What You May Like:
This book is very much for people that love to read. It contains parts of every type of genre without losing you. It really holds a great narrative thread and that can be attributed to the author having his main character be, well, what else: a budding writer himself. I thought the main character, Daniel, was easy to relate to and follow.
The Cemetery of Lost Books. The name says it all. The action that one takes when in the Cemetery is to choose a book (or does the book choose you?) and be responsible for it all your life. The main conflict of the story is that Daniel, upon his first visit to the Cemetery, chooses The Shadow of the Wind after which he discovers that someone is buying up all of the author's books and destroying them. To the casual reader, this may not sound like much of a conflict, but trust me, this conflict snowballs into a plethora of problems for our young hero.
It is quite a fast read. You will not be able to put it down. Even the love story that happens through the pages will capture you and I tend to shy away from the romance side of literature.
Why You May Not Like It:
If you don't like it, you may not get why books are so important to me and countless other avid readers. It is the sense of mystery when you pick up a book and peer into a world that someone has dreamed up. It's getting into the head of another character that has some of the same thoughts, or even dreams, and saying to yourself, I thought only I felt that way. I could see where sometimes, for some readers, this book could come off as sentimental hodgepodge, but I implore you to stick with it. The ending is worth it.
I am going to wrap up in saying that this author will be around for years to come. At least, that is one of my great personal hopes. For me, he rekindled the romance of literature for me again. I can only wish at writing something as provocative, as graceful, and dark, and beautiful.
Carlos Ruiz Zafon is the Spanish author and I believe that this is his first novel. As a first novel, this is a powerhouse. His setting is the Spanish city of Barcelona and it is a city that he seems to know well. Every alley, every window, every small shop comes alive with his descriptions which are detailed without being overbearing. The characters are terrific. Without giving anything away, the twists and turns in this novel are really mind bending. Some are more Gothic than I thought the book was heading, but it made it a lot more exciting.
What You May Like:
This book is very much for people that love to read. It contains parts of every type of genre without losing you. It really holds a great narrative thread and that can be attributed to the author having his main character be, well, what else: a budding writer himself. I thought the main character, Daniel, was easy to relate to and follow.
The Cemetery of Lost Books. The name says it all. The action that one takes when in the Cemetery is to choose a book (or does the book choose you?) and be responsible for it all your life. The main conflict of the story is that Daniel, upon his first visit to the Cemetery, chooses The Shadow of the Wind after which he discovers that someone is buying up all of the author's books and destroying them. To the casual reader, this may not sound like much of a conflict, but trust me, this conflict snowballs into a plethora of problems for our young hero.
It is quite a fast read. You will not be able to put it down. Even the love story that happens through the pages will capture you and I tend to shy away from the romance side of literature.
Why You May Not Like It:
If you don't like it, you may not get why books are so important to me and countless other avid readers. It is the sense of mystery when you pick up a book and peer into a world that someone has dreamed up. It's getting into the head of another character that has some of the same thoughts, or even dreams, and saying to yourself, I thought only I felt that way. I could see where sometimes, for some readers, this book could come off as sentimental hodgepodge, but I implore you to stick with it. The ending is worth it.
I am going to wrap up in saying that this author will be around for years to come. At least, that is one of my great personal hopes. For me, he rekindled the romance of literature for me again. I can only wish at writing something as provocative, as graceful, and dark, and beautiful.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Under The Dome
In this day and age, I think that Stephen King's new novel Under The Dome can be best summarized as comparable to Chaucer's Canterbury Tales on a steroid cycle. King has written so much (and writes a lot of off the wall novels) that it can be daunting to choose what to read of his and what to skip. Yes, a Maine resident saying that you should skip some Stephen King, crazy I know, but, in all fairness, I also would like to point out that this is the first full on recommendation that I have done and could think of no other author more fitting than Stephen King. This book gets a strong recommendation from me if only for the novel's characters. I will admit some perverse desire to explore within myself, through books and movies, the drive to survive apocalyptic situations too.
This novel, however long and heavy (literally) it might be, should not be skipped. It is a study of small town life and the ever-present corruption of power on ordinary citizens and fear of our impact on the environment that everyone should read and reflect on wrapped up in a sci-fi thriller with absolutely incredible characters throughout. There are some cringe and bile inducing parts, but they are few and far between, at least as King books go. It is the interaction of the town's heroes and villains that makes this book a great read.
Why I Think You'll Like:
While this is a sci-fi novel, it deals with a lot of the make up of a small town, breaking this dynamic down with some stereo typical characters. However, for those that like to hate, the main villain is great. "Big" Jim Rennie jumps off the page and manipulates everyone that he can possibly turn. When he can't, he takes to killing them with outright maniacal energy. The combination of cerebral and physical threat works incredibly well.
It works well as a doomsday scenario, albeit extremely selectively with only one town sequestered off from outside contact. The dome coming down and all that happens as a result is handled masterfully. King is in his top form as far as pace goes. The description of the "Dome Day", as he calls it, makes it palpable and fear inducing. You don't know what is going on any more than the residents do when everything first happens.
As with many other of his novels, King uses every demographic to tell a story. Everyone, from old to young, has their time in the spotlight. From the teen aged "Scarecrow" McClatchey to "Sloppy" Sam Verdeaux every generation is accounted for. The novel really digs deep to fill in the town and it's residents, to make them as real as possible. King has always been good at this, but here he truly makes it seem effortless. Growing up in Maine may help quite a bit with this perception, but anyone with small town knowledge will be able to relate.
Why You May Dislike It:
If you have never heard the term "suspension of disbelief", this is a device to "justify the use of fantastic or non-realistic elements in literature" (Samuel Coleridge). If you cannot fully commit to the shared illusion that there is a giant invisible dome over this town that completely cuts them off from the outside world, than I suggest that you find another book. This is meant to be a ride. Along the way, the author waxes philosophical, but he does so through the filter of characters and situations.
Another downside to the novel is having such a Machiavellian character as "Big" Jim that you need a hero to provide the yin to the yang and bring balance to the novel. Here, King falls a little short. There are certain qualities that Dale "Barbie" Barbara possesses that would qualify him as a good hero, but if you look at the make up of the book, King has him incarcerated for a good portion of it. I think the author has split him in two among Dale Barbara and Eric "Rusty" Everett, a small town physician's assistant who risks a lot in trying to keep the town healthy and sane. Between the two main Rennie detractors, we get a hero of two parts.
Also, I tend to dislike the fact that King will sometimes, at the end of a paragraph, tip his hand as to what is going to happen next with a single line. "It was the last time he would ever see her again" is what I am referring to here, and it is this kind of statement that drives me up the proverbial wall. I prefer to be surprised, at least a little bit, with the events unfolding just as the action and dialogue allow. King's use of omnipresent narrator has bugged me for a little while now, but only with this example in this new novel did it really bring me down.
In Summary:
I thought that the book, while it is long (1074 pages to be exact), read very quickly for me. I haven't really touched on a lot of the characters and scenarios that unfold because, well, I hate spoiling things for people. (NEVER ask me what happens next while watching a movie because I won't tell you.) I think what most people will take away from this book is the abuse of power motif and the threat to the environment that King bludgeons you over the head with, repeatedly. In some interviews I had read, he said that we are all "under the dome" and need to pay attention to what we do everyday that can effect this very fragile ecosystem. A good message, but one that gets lost among the Jim Rennie's and Rusty Everett's of Chester's Mill. There are a couple of references to his other works, incorporating the Dark Tower theme that everything is intertwined which should make some die hard King fans happy. I thought it was definitely worth the time and effort. If anything else, it will help you build up forearm strength as you try to read it in bed.
This novel, however long and heavy (literally) it might be, should not be skipped. It is a study of small town life and the ever-present corruption of power on ordinary citizens and fear of our impact on the environment that everyone should read and reflect on wrapped up in a sci-fi thriller with absolutely incredible characters throughout. There are some cringe and bile inducing parts, but they are few and far between, at least as King books go. It is the interaction of the town's heroes and villains that makes this book a great read.
Why I Think You'll Like:
While this is a sci-fi novel, it deals with a lot of the make up of a small town, breaking this dynamic down with some stereo typical characters. However, for those that like to hate, the main villain is great. "Big" Jim Rennie jumps off the page and manipulates everyone that he can possibly turn. When he can't, he takes to killing them with outright maniacal energy. The combination of cerebral and physical threat works incredibly well.
It works well as a doomsday scenario, albeit extremely selectively with only one town sequestered off from outside contact. The dome coming down and all that happens as a result is handled masterfully. King is in his top form as far as pace goes. The description of the "Dome Day", as he calls it, makes it palpable and fear inducing. You don't know what is going on any more than the residents do when everything first happens.
As with many other of his novels, King uses every demographic to tell a story. Everyone, from old to young, has their time in the spotlight. From the teen aged "Scarecrow" McClatchey to "Sloppy" Sam Verdeaux every generation is accounted for. The novel really digs deep to fill in the town and it's residents, to make them as real as possible. King has always been good at this, but here he truly makes it seem effortless. Growing up in Maine may help quite a bit with this perception, but anyone with small town knowledge will be able to relate.
Why You May Dislike It:
If you have never heard the term "suspension of disbelief", this is a device to "justify the use of fantastic or non-realistic elements in literature" (Samuel Coleridge). If you cannot fully commit to the shared illusion that there is a giant invisible dome over this town that completely cuts them off from the outside world, than I suggest that you find another book. This is meant to be a ride. Along the way, the author waxes philosophical, but he does so through the filter of characters and situations.
Another downside to the novel is having such a Machiavellian character as "Big" Jim that you need a hero to provide the yin to the yang and bring balance to the novel. Here, King falls a little short. There are certain qualities that Dale "Barbie" Barbara possesses that would qualify him as a good hero, but if you look at the make up of the book, King has him incarcerated for a good portion of it. I think the author has split him in two among Dale Barbara and Eric "Rusty" Everett, a small town physician's assistant who risks a lot in trying to keep the town healthy and sane. Between the two main Rennie detractors, we get a hero of two parts.
Also, I tend to dislike the fact that King will sometimes, at the end of a paragraph, tip his hand as to what is going to happen next with a single line. "It was the last time he would ever see her again" is what I am referring to here, and it is this kind of statement that drives me up the proverbial wall. I prefer to be surprised, at least a little bit, with the events unfolding just as the action and dialogue allow. King's use of omnipresent narrator has bugged me for a little while now, but only with this example in this new novel did it really bring me down.
In Summary:
I thought that the book, while it is long (1074 pages to be exact), read very quickly for me. I haven't really touched on a lot of the characters and scenarios that unfold because, well, I hate spoiling things for people. (NEVER ask me what happens next while watching a movie because I won't tell you.) I think what most people will take away from this book is the abuse of power motif and the threat to the environment that King bludgeons you over the head with, repeatedly. In some interviews I had read, he said that we are all "under the dome" and need to pay attention to what we do everyday that can effect this very fragile ecosystem. A good message, but one that gets lost among the Jim Rennie's and Rusty Everett's of Chester's Mill. There are a couple of references to his other works, incorporating the Dark Tower theme that everything is intertwined which should make some die hard King fans happy. I thought it was definitely worth the time and effort. If anything else, it will help you build up forearm strength as you try to read it in bed.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
