I am a little bit confused. I have no doubt about what I am thinking about 'Empire Falls', but I'm a little unsure about what I've just read ...
'Empire Falls' is a saga which is about the people who live in the city of the same name. The
whole town revolves around the family Whiteing, which for generations has
driven a spinning mill and a shirt factory in Empire Falls. After these two big factories have closed down, life in the city slowly loose its vitality. The once-affluent neighborhoods are now not so nice, now that many houses are left empty. Most stores are closed, and the remaining ones still standing, fights for their legitimacy and
survival while owners are struggling to pay the rent to the Whitening
widow, which now owns half of the city (the other half is not worth
anything).
Richard Russo are juggling with a large cast of characters in the book, and I must
honestly say that I was a little bit nervous about whether I would be able
to keep track of all these people and their relationships. But it turned out that it was not a problem at all. Richard Russo manage skillfully, to introduce each person in a logical order and only when the other gallery of people are in place. This is in itself quite an achievement. The reader will quickly feel familiar with Empire Falls and its inhabitants.
I get a little confused when comes to the mood of the book. Richard Russo writes in a very easy and often humorous way. Maybe
that is why I have a little difficulty accepting the seriousness of
the book, because a lot of things in the book really makes you think. My
question regards, whether the book was written as a comedy or a drama,
but after considering some pros and cons, I agreed with myself that 'Empire Falls' is a portrayal of life for good and evil. No life is just fun, and no life is just a drama. I believe that Richard Russo must be quite happy with the outcome of 'Empire Falls'. For
my part, I just needed to read the book with the right state of
mind, but when I first did that, the pleasure was certainly on my side.
What if an unknown bacterium from outer space one day were brought down to earth by a meteorite or ... a crashed military satellite?
This is the hypothetical situation, 'The Andromeda Strain' are built around. It is an old book from 1969, which the course is characterized by the language which is a little old-fashioned, and the advanced techniques described in the book, is long overdue.
The plot is nevertheless interesting, because the subject still has some scientific interest today. Ask yourself: What if a similar event one day actually took place?
'The Andromeda Strain' describes a sudden and deadly outbreak of an unknown disease in a small town in Arizona. The only survivor is an old man with stomach ulcers and an infant. We are following a small group of scientists who are fighting to identify this microscopic killing machine, and at the same time they are fighting for the two surviving inhabitants and - as time goes on - their own survival.
Michael Crichton's writing style is a bit too technical and you'll sense that he sometimes disappears completely into his own world in excitement of science, technology and skills. Unfortunately, this means that although this could have been a really exciting story, it almost ends up being an academic treatise.
One big mistake from the author I have to mention is, that he repeatedly describes errors committed by scientists and at the same time explains that the error will be discovered several days later. In this way, all the excitements are pulled out of the story, because the reader knows in advance that the fault will be detected and corrected later on.
So in short terms: The plot is fine. The story is great. But it all slips out of the hands of the author. Instead of a unique thriller, this book ends up being a mediocre and somewhat boring story.
Dear John Verdon, what have been thinking? In 2010, 68-year-old, you debuted as the author of the book "Think Of a Number". And now, in 2012, 70-year-old, you released the sequel "Shut Your Eyes Tight". And here's what I have to ask you: What have you been doing your whole life? You are able to create the most interesting plot, so obscure, that you are able to keep us all
caught from start to finish. And what have you been given your hungry audience, who are just waiting for writers like you who dare to think out-of-box? Just two books ...!But let me briefly review "Shut Your Eyes Tight" before I return to you.
"Shut Your Eyes Tight" brings us into a world of deception and pure horror. The real plot is not revealed before the story is rolled out in all its
horror and misery. On
his wedding day, the famous psychologist and author, Scott Ashton,
finds his young bride beheaded in a gazebo in the middle of the festivities. Despite
the fact that the whole day has been immortalized on DVD by four
stationary and a floating camera, there are no trace of the killer. The murder
Investigation comes quickly to a dead end, had it not been for the
bride's mother, the murder would probably have been remained an unsolved
mystery. But
when the bride's mother contacts Dave Gurney, the retired homicide detective from
the NYPD, the case takes a suddenly and unexpected direction ...The persons in "Shut Your Eyes Tight" are the same as the ones we know from "Think Of a Number":
- Dave Gurney: A divine homicide detective who tries to come to terms with his new life as a retired policeman. He
is not the type you would place on a secluded farm with four acres of land
consisting of meadows, forests and streams, but nevertheless this is now
his reality, and he tries with greater or lesser success, to adapt, while he works as a
guest lecturer at the Police Academy from time to time.
- Madeleine
Gurney: Dave's wife and the main reason why they live where they live today - far away from the city. Now they finds themselves surrounded by Catskill's picturesque
scenery. She loves the nature and tries to get her husband to see things her way. She was an indescribable menace in "Think Of a Number" - not only to Dave - but to me too. Though she was a significant and intelligent woman, her silent reproach, sarcastic and subtle comments about Dave's work
and his art, made me wish her go to hell
(and any further away if possible!) Halfway through "Shut Your Eyes Tight", I hated her so much, that I wanted her out of the next books, should John Verdon wish to continue the series. "Let
her leave Dave so he can get peace of mind" or "Let her be
murdered and use it as the plot for the next book" - just do what it takes to
write her out of the story! To Madeleine's undeserved luck and to my liberation, John Verdon
opens up and lets Madeleine show some new and far more flattering
aspects of her personality. I will probably never learn to love her, but at least I stopped wishing her death - I think that is at kind of progress. Who knows where it ends?
- Jack
Hardwick: A swashbuckling murder investigator who tends to repel
people, but together with Dave Gurney they form a perfect team. He is a simple man who tells everyone exactly what he thinks of them and who rarely, if ever, uses the fine potential of diplomacy. I came to love Jack for his honest and forthright nature. Jack Hardwick is the link between the official authorities and Dave Gurney.
The book is extremely well written and I would love to see the movie, if they decided to make one someday. But it is the clever and extremely well thought-out plot that deserves my greatest compliment. Complicated crime novels tends to loose the reader because of its complexity, but that sure does not happen when you read "Shut Your Eyes Tight". This story is coherent and all the parallel events in the plot will eventually be tied together into a larger pattern at the conclusion. And this is one of John Verdon's greatest qualities: He does not give the story away prematurely. The reader gets no more clues than Dave Gurney has access to at that very moment. You will never find yourself thinking "Beware! There is a man behind the door!", because you actually do not know if there really are a man behind that door. Instead you
think: "No, No. Watch out! Suppose there is someone behind the door!"
Because it is an unconfirmed fear, and you will not know for sure before John Verdon lets Dave enter the room...
Dear John Verdon! I hope that you may live a lot longer. The world needs talented writers like you. I find it hard to forgive your late debut as a writer, but your books has definitely been worth the wait!
