| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Détails sur le produit
Souhaitez-vous compléter ou améliorer les informations sur ce produit ? Ou faire modifier les images?
|
Our story is narrated by Bill, the newspaper�s writer � a modern day philosopher who is relegated by necessity to write the dribble of small town papers (obits, lion�s club meetings, local ball team reports). Himself a somewhat tragic figure, he is suddenly given new life when an old man people hated goes missing and his son is suspected of the crime. The police can�t find enough to pin the murder on Ronny (the son) but the pursuit of clues engages the whole town. Bill finds himself in the confidences of Ronny�s ex-fiancée, and finds he begins to learn more about what might have really happened.
What makes this novel such a powerful one is not the story itself, but the setting in which the story occurs. The town, once a center of industry is now half-dead, full of white trash, strip malls, and too many alcoholics. In the degeneration of this culture, violence, anger, and desperation have reared their ugly heads and the negative small town culture reigns (everyone knows or pretends to know everyone else�s private business).
I found this not just an interesting murder mystery but also a sociological perspective on the cultural death of America. A country that is becoming more desperate, more shallow, less feeling, and less kind with every gun license, every hate crime, and every desperate act by a people who have lost themselves
The major problem I had with this book was the time frame. The references are all over the map and at most points the story would appear to be set in the 70s; yet there are references forward in time that confuse the issue so that one is left wondering if there are anachronisms on the page or if one has misunderstood the time frame. Given the significance of Vietnam to the story, I had trouble determining just when the action was taking place.
That said, this is well worth reading--particularly Bill's fascination with Lucas, the child of Ronny Lawton's "estranged"--as she is referred to throughout the book--with whom Bill becomes involved, almost against his will. At the end, there is the hope that Bill will rescue little Lucas from a fate too similar to his own. And that is something remarkably uplifting in a book that is so very grim.
Recommended.
