Drama City - George Pelecanos

At one point in this gritty novel, someone says, “They used to call this Dodge City. Better name would be Drama City.” The city being referred to is Washington, D.C., but it is not the one we are most familiar with, the seat of U.S political power, but rather a much more hard-edged community encompassing both comedy and tragedy, just as we see depicted in the masks of drama. It is the world of the street, the drug dealer, the addict, and those who are trying to leave that world behind.

Lorenzo Brown, the novel’s protagonist, is one of the latter. A black former drug dealer now on parole, he is trying to adhere to the straight life through his job as “a dog police.” Working for the Humane Society, he and his white partner, Mark, have the responsibility of confronting a wide range of people, some criminal, some just addicted, lazy, helpless or irresponsible, in order to ensure the proper treatment of the animals under their care. Lorenzo, the more realistic of the two, has to frequently remind Mark that there are some dogs that cannot be rehabilitated or made adoptable, so scarred are they from the abuse experienced in their lives. These dogs, few in number, become a metaphor for both the limitations and the possibilities of human change.

Rachel Lopez is Lorenzo’s troubled parole officer. By day her tough but compassionate nature serves her well in the demands of work, but by night she is a troubled woman who abuses alcohol and gets into a variety of risky sexual situations, all the time deluding herself that she is in control of her life.

The lives of these struggling people invariably intersect with the world of the drug dealer. Two groups, led by Nigel Johnson and Deacon Taylor, control the streets of their respective turfs in Drama City, each seemingly satisfied with their domains and their agreement not to encroach upon the other’s jurisdiction. However, an almost innocent misunderstanding by one of Johnson’s men over who has rights to a specific corner leads to a series of events that threaten both the rehabilitation of Lorenzo Brown, a former acolyte of Johnson, and the very life of Rachel Lopez.

Pelecanos has fashioned an involving story here. Although his characterization is not as thorough as some of the writers of this genre, he provides sufficient information to involve the reader in Brown’s life to the point where we care about his fate, admiring his efforts at rehabilitation, and concerned about the influences that threaten it.

I don’t think he is as successful with Rachel Lopez. While he provides reasons for her behaviour, the loss of both of her parents and a wild streak observed by her father when she was young, neither seemed especially credible to me. Perhaps had the author spent a little more time with her development, he would have succeeded in creating a three-dimensional character.

In terms of the main drug dealers, Nigel Johnson and Deacon Taylor, Pelacanos invests sufficient humanity in the former by showing that he cares about his mother, as well as his friend and former employee Lorenzo. He does not want the latter to fall back into the criminal life. One senses that had circumstances been different, he might have developed into a productive member of society. Deacon Taylor has no such humanity.

George Pelecanos accomplishes a great deal in his novel. His talent for writing street dialogue lends a verisimilitude to his work that lesser writers are unable to achieve. As well, in the commonplace depictions of the circumstances and behaviour of people existing on the periphery of society, he effectively conveys the cruel reality of the lives of those who, either by social conditioning, fate, economics, or just plain bad luck, have very little chance to break out of the despair of their existences.

Harbingers – F. Paul Wilson

Although it may seem like a low-brow taste, I readily admit to a lifelong affection for well-written horror stories. For many years a fan of Stephen King’s work (although his last few outings have been somewhat disappointing), I also very much enjoy the novels of F. Paul Wilson, a New Jersey doctor who happens to write riveting tales that frequently venture into the other-worldly. Especially gripping is his ‘Repairman Jack” series, revolving as they do around a loner who exists, as he puts it, ‘off the grid,’ a fact that allows him a measure of freedom denied most people.

As his name suggests, Jack makes his living by taking care of other people’s intractable, seemingly irresolvable problems. Because he exists in a kind of netherworld of anonymity, he can eschew conventional approaches and draw upon his unique talents and resources in order to offer remediation to desperate clients. But an interesting evolution has taken place over the course of this series. The formerly solitary Jack has made an emotional connection with a woman and her daughter so deep that in the novel Harbingers, he is ready to ‘go legit’ by adopting an identity that will ultimately make him a citizen who can marry the woman he loves, adopt her child, and be a real father to their unborn child. However, fate has other plans for him.

Without going into too much revealing detail, one of the most compelling and interesting aspects of this series is the way Wilson has connected it to another, called the Adversary Cycle, which began with a novel called The Keep. The latter was an introduction to a cosmology in which two forces, The Ally and The Otherness, vie for control and possession of the earth. The Ally, not to be mistaken for God, has an almost capricious, dispassionate interest in our world while The Otherness, represented on earth by The Adversary, feeds upon human misery and hopelessness, doing everything possible to promote these negative emotions and thereby grow stronger.

It has become apparent in the past several Repairman novels that Jack is somehow a crucial player in this cosmic battle. Exactly what that role is, and the shocking measures used by The Ally to recruit Jack, are revealed in Harbingers. To say more would ruin the pleasure of discovery for the reader. Let’s just say that to cross Jack, even on a cosmic level, is not a wise thing to do.

If you have never read any of the Repairman Jack novels, I strongly suggest that you enjoy them in chronological order, as each novel is related. A complete bibliography can be found at www.repairmanjack.com. May you derive the same pleasure I have with this series.

Boomsday- by Christopher Buckley

Any worthwhile satire is an attempt to point out the shortcomings of humanity through humour and wit, usually with a measure of exaggeration. The ultimate goal is to inspire change. I have always felt that writing a satire of American politics would be a very difficult undertaking, simply because the world of American politics, even without any literary embellishments, is an absurd one. Christopher Buckley’s latest novel, Boomsday, confirmed this for me.

The plot revolves around Cassandra Devine, (aka Cassie Cochrane), a public relations executive and inveterate blogger who, in her latter persona, tries to effect change by challenging her generation of thirty-somethings. Despite her establishment job, which essentially boils down to defending the indefensible through language and optics, she rebels against that establishment by urging her peers to rise up against the boomers who, as they retire, will bankrupt her generation through their social security provisions. Her frustration over the government’s failure to address the issue leads her to make a ‘modest proposal’, in the Jonathan Swift tradition, that Boomers be offered financial incentives in order to commit suicide by age 65, thereby sparing her generation the overwhelming costs of supporting them in their dotage. Euphemistically labeled ‘transitioning,’ this mass suicide would carry with it financial incentives to be enjoyed during the life of the suicide and his/her heirs.

Of course, this proposal is met with predictable outrage. That is, until Senator Randy Jepperson, ‘from the great state of Massachusetts,’ and a friend of Cassandra, decides to use it for his advantage, both raising his national profile in the process and giving the concept political legitimacy. His actions bring out some powerful enemies, including the foul-mouthed President Peacham, his amoral (is there any other kind?) political adviser Bucky Trimble, Cassie’s estranged father, Frank Cochrane, and a Jerry Falwell type of religious figure, Gideon Payne, who many believe killed his mother by driving her off of a cliff.

While the book is undeniably humorous in many ways, whether it is an effective satire is an altogether different consideration for the reason announced at the beginning of this review. We are perhaps too familiar with the self-serving nature of American politics, marked as it is by greed, lust for power, amorality and expediency to derive any real benefit from a book that seeks to satirize these things. In a world where a Karl Rove can retire, unscathed, from his position, where a Vice President can shoot a man in the face and then have that man apologize for the trouble he caused Mr. Cheney, and where a President refuses to extend healthcare for children while spending billions per annum on a futile war, is there really anything more that the world of satirical fiction can achieve?

The Tin Roof Blowdown – James Lee Burke

The overwhelmingly melancholy tone of James Lee Burke’s latest novel, The Tin Roof Blowdown, seems especially apt given both its subject matter, the destruction of New Orleans, and the late middle age of his protagonist, Dave Robicheaux. Set in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, a natural phenomenon that served to reveal government indifference to the plight of the poor, the selfishness, brutality and callousness of the citizenry, and the noblest responses humanity is capable of, the novel explores the themes typical of Burke’s works: greed, depravity, violence, and the always tantalizing possibility of redemption.

Burke is at his narrative best, telling a story that begins with a seemingly routine looting of a flood-ravaged home by four black men, Bertrand and Eddy Melanchon, their cousin Andre Rochon, and Rochon’s nephew, Kevin. However, owing to both the ownership of the house and what has been stolen, as well as a sudden explosion of violence, the crime turns out to be anything but routine, and has far-reaching consequences for all of the story’s principals: an insurance adjuster, Otis Baylor, whose daughter Thelma previously suffered a traumatizing assault; the wife of the adjuster, Melanie; Dave’s longtime friend Clete Purcell as well as Dave and his family – wife Molly and daughter Alafair.

The usual masterful elements of Burke’s plot and characterization are present in this engrossing tale, but there is also something more: the pervasive imagery of death and mortality. There is, for all intents and purposes, the death of New Orleans, the great city which holds the key to much of Dave’s past and identity. As well, in addition to graphic depictions of violence and death, there is a new element: a distinct sense of Dave’s mortality. Throughout the entire series of Robicheaux novels, readers have always understood the precariousness of his existence arising from the war between his self-destructive tendencies and his nobler impulses, as well as the violent world he inhabits as a law-enforcement officer. This time, however, there are more overt musings on time winding down. Consider the following passage, as Clete tells Dave about a dream he had:

I was walking in a woods and I could smell fall in the air. There were leaves and mushrooms all over the ground, and air vines were hanging from the trees. When I came out of the woods, you were standing on the edge of a stream with a suitcase by your foot, like you were about to go on a trip. You said, ‘You walked over a grave, Clete. Didn’t you see it?’ Then you waded into the water.

The connotation of his dream made something drop in my chest, like a stone tumbling down a wall.

‘What do you think it means?’ he said.

‘Nothing,’ I said. ‘Dreams are just dreams.’

Throughout his entire writing career, James Lee Burke has required that his readers confront the realities of life, both bad and good. Acknowledging the finitude of life is just one more of those realities, but one cannot help but wonder if the author is also telling us about his plans for the literary fate of his aging protagonist, Dave Robicheaux.

The Overlook – Michael Connelly

Although appreciably shorter than previous installments, Michael Connelly’s latest Harry Bosch novel makes for the usual compelling reading. Originally published as a sixteen-part serial for the New York Times Magazine, and then expanded for publication, The Overlook begins routinely enough, with the murder of Dr. Stanley Kent, a medical physicist with access to cesium, used in both cancer treatment and as a key radioactive component of the so-called “dirty bomb.” Followup investigation finds Kent’s wife, Alicia, naked and hog-tied on the matrimonial bed, and what she ultimately reveals about her captivity sends the FBI’s Homeland Security Unit into immediate action, thereby bringing about Harry’s reunion with his old love interest, Rachel Walling.

The plot contains the twists and turns one expects from Michael Connelly, with a resolution that quite frankly, I did not anticipate, despite some cleverly planted clues. But as always, the real pleasure for me is the characterization of Harry Bosch. Although he is getting older (in this novel he is 56), his instincts continue to serve him well. It is these instincts that bring him into a seemingly perennial opposition to his superiors, but this time out his rebellion takes a slightly less conspicuous form; perhaps he has learned that outright defiance has costs he is no longer willing to bear. Another interesting development is the fact that he has a new, much younger partner, Ignacio Ferras, who, as the novel progresses, becomes increasing nervous about his prospects for career longevity owing to Harry’s unorthodox practices, and at one point declares that their partnership is not working. Needless to say, he changes his opinion by the end of the novel.

The Overlook works effectively on the fears of terrorism that began with the 9/11 attacks, but interestingly enough, while all other law enforcement figures are busy trying to track down the missing cesium, Harry remains true to his calling and to his vision of what it means to be a homicide detective. His credo is a simple one: the investigator has to speak for those who no longer can, and this pursuit of justice in apprehending those responsible for Stanley Kent’s murder never becomes secondary to concerns about terrorist attacks.

Fans of Michael Connelly will not be disappointed in this latest episode in Harry’s life, although they may well lament the fact that their reading pleasure is limited to only 225 pages this time out.

Water for Elephants – Sara Gruen

Several years ago, my neighbor lent me a copy of a book called Angela’s Ashes. At the time, had someone asked me if I was interested in reading an Irish memoir about growing up in dire poverty, I probably would have said no. Yet that book turned out to be a richly rewarding reading experience.

Something similar happened to me recently when my brother-in-law recommended a novel called Water for Elephants. Without giving any details, he said it was one of the best books he had read in a long time. When it arrived after a lengthy hold period at the library, I was frankly disappointed to learn that it is a story revolving around circus life during the Depression. Neither the subject matter nor the era exercises any particular fascination for me. However, my disappointment soon turned into enthusiasm after just a few minutes of reading.

The story is told from the perspective of Jacob Jankowski, a 90 or 93 year-old (he isn’t sure which) living out his days in a nursing home. Despite an extended family which includes children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, each of whom take turns visiting him on a weekly basis, Jacob feels alone in the world, especially since the death of his wife. He therefore spends much of his time reminiscing about the past, especially the period during which he worked with the circus.

After a personal tragedy sees him leaving university before completing the final exam for his veterinary degree, the young Jacob suddenly finds himself in the employ of a circus billing itself as “BENZINI BROS MOST SPECTACULAR SHOW ON EARTH.” Here he works as both a veterinary and general helper.

As the story progresses, we learn that lurking beneath the public merriment of ‘the big top,’ some dark secrets abide. There is the ringmaster August, a man convivial and generous one moment, a cruel animal the next. There is his hapless wife Marlena who, at the age of 17, wed the ‘good ‘August four years earlier after a very short courtship, only to discover his other side almost immediately after the wedding. Disowned by her family, she sees no way out of her situation. Exercising great power over everyone’s life is the proprietor of Benzini Brothers, Uncle Al, whose avuncular mien hides some shocking truths. And then there is Jacob, whose growing attraction to Marlena threatens the stability of the façade under which the circus operates

Through the practice of scavenging failed circuses, Benzini Bros secures something it has long coveted, something all of the great circuses have: an elephant. Almost human in her presentation, this pachyderm named Rosie emerges not as a dumb, untrainable creature her handlers initially conclude after acquisition, but rather a very intelligent soul that understands Polish, a language Jacob is quite conversant with. Due to the relationship that develops between Rosie and August, Marlena, and Jacob, the former acts as a foil for the reader to see both the best and the worst of human nature through these characters.

Another aspect of interest is the novel’s depiction of the social hierarchy of circus life. For example, performers and ‘workers’ never eat together. When pay is in short supply, the performers are paid, but not the workers. The true expendability of the latter is reflected in the horrifying secret practice of ‘redlighting’ troublesome employees.

Water for Elephants is a richly textured novel, vividly recreating a time and place most of us have little knowledge of. And despite its improbable ending, this trip to the circus is well worth the price of admission.

The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini

For many of us, Afghanistan is a far off land whose exact location we would be hard-pressed to readily locate on a map. What do we think we know about the people? Are they primitive cave-dwellers, warlords, and religious extremists? Is their country a lost cause?

Author Khaled Hosseini does much to dispel many news-fuelled stereotypes in his first novel, The Kite Runner. An engrossing and moving story of betrayal, guilt, and redemption, the novel offers us a very human portrayal of people caught in the paradoxes of human existence – the desire to do good undercut by moral weakness, jealousy, and hypocrisy. The story is written from the perspective of Amir, the son of a wealthy Kabul merchant who, for reasons that become clear only late in the novel, treats his servants, Ali and Hazzan, members of the despised Hazaras, as family. Amir and Hazzan, about the same age, grow up together as friends. That friendship, however, is secretly betrayed when Amir fails to come to the aid of Hassan during a brutal assault. Although no one, including the ever-faithful Hasaan knows the truth, Amir is haunted by what he considers his cowardice. Every time he sees his friend he is reminded of what he failed to do and so he compounds his guilt by engineering the ouster of Hassan and his father Ali, never to see them again.

The second part of the novel, set in the United States after Amir and his father have fled the war-torn country of their birth, sees the pair establishing a new, but greatly humbled life, in Northern California. Eventually, Amir marries into a family of Afghan expatriates, and life seems good as he becomes a successful novelist. Then a call he receives one day from an old friend of his father, with the message, “There is a way to be good again,” sends him to Pakistan and then back to Afghanistan, where he risks his life to redeem himself.

The Kite Runner is a powerful narrative that leaves the reader feeling uplifted upon completion. Although in my view there is perhaps one pivotal aspect of the plot that relies too much on coincidence, it is a book that gives us access into the lives of people most of us have little knowledge of, and helps us appreciate the universality of the human condition. It merits the acclaim it has received.