The Weight: A Novel [Deckle Edge] [Hardcover]

This latest novel by Andrew Vachss is as much a character study and, ultimately, a love story as it is a crime thriller or mystery. There nevertheless are mystery elements here and crimes certainly do take place in the course of the story. As usual, Vachss's distinct prose style propels the plot and demands the reader to keep turning pages. His deft characterizations are spot-on, and the intricacies of criminal life that he portrays are nothing short of fascinating.

The central character and narrator of THE WEIGHT is Tim "Sugar" Caine, an old-school professional thief who follows a strict set of rules that include doing only jobs arranged through his "planner", Solly. But even the most careful plans can go unexpectedly awry. When Sugar is wrongly charged for a vicious rape and picked out of a line-up by the victim herself, his only chance to beat the charge and avoid prison time is to alibi himself by admitting to a big-money jewel heist he was participating in at the time of the rape and try to make a deal by naming the others who were in on the job with him. But that goes against the rules Sugar lives by. He refuses to deal and does the prison time --- i.e. takes the weight, rather than give up any other members of the heist crew.

How he handles his prison time, his reflections while inside on previous incarceration and the events and people who have shaped his life up to this point start to give the reader deeper insight into Sugar. The title also plays off this pivotal period in the story --- the weight of the rules Sugar so rigidly adheres to, the weight he takes for the jewel heist, the weight he lifts regularly in the prison yard (and elsewhere) to maintain his impressive physical strength ... and the one weight he has trouble accepting: The weight of being falsely branded a rapist, a sex offender.

After he's served his time and is released from prison, Sugar meets with Solly to collect his share from the long-past jewel heist only to discover there is a further complication ... the kind of loose end that no professional can leave unattended. How Sugar tracks down this loose thread --- facing danger, duplicity, and double-crosses yet in the process also learning how to trust and love --- brings the novel to an exciting, satisfactory conclusion.

Vachss's power as a writer never fails to impress. Don't wait for THE WEIGHT a minute longer than you have to --- grab it, read it, enjoy it.

Sugar is a professional. He's a thief, he's good at his job, and he's proud of his adherence to the rules of the game. Sugar has just finished a jewelry store heist planned by his friend Solly when he's picked up for a rape. He couldn't have committed the rape but he can't give the cops an alibi without admitting that he was stealing jewels when the rape was committed. Eventually he takes a deal, doing time for a sexual assault but skating on the jewelry store job. When he gets out of prison, Solly gives him his cut but sends him to Florida to tie up some loose ends. The bulk of the novel focuses on Sugar's actions in Florida, his attempt to puzzle out what Solly really wants, and his relationship with the woman Solly sends him to meet.

Getting into the heads of society's outcasts is one of Vachss' greatest strengths. Few writers match his ability to create authentic criminal characters. Sugar is a big guy, bulging with muscle mass acquired from lifting weights -- and weight (or wait) becomes an important metaphor in the novel (hence the title). Sugar learned an early lesson about the life of a thief: it isn't how much weight you can lift, it's how much weight you can take. Sugar has a reputation as a stand-up guy, an exception to the axiom that there's no honor among thieves. He could have saved himself from prison time and sex offender registration by giving up the planner and the rest of the crew on the burglary, but he elects instead to keep his mouth shut and do his time.

Some readers don't like novels unless the hero is morally stalwart or the novel delivers a morally uplifting message. I admired Sugar's integrity -- his refusal to be a rat -- but a thief's integrity (and Sugar's reluctant use of violence to secure his safety) won't appeal to some readers. Those readers might want to avoid The Weight. I give Vachss credit for creating a sympathetic character who plays by the rules, even if the rules that govern his world contravene society's rules. Readers who can appreciate a thoughtful examination of the criminal mind will probably enjoy The Weight as much as I did.

The Weight isn't as tightly plotted as Vachss' best work. Sugar spends a lot of time thinking out loud or engaging in meaningless arguments, particularly with the woman in Florida. He also seems oddly sensitive to perceived slights. The strongest parts of the novel come from Sugar's prison experiences. Vachss writes with an authentic voice; he obviously understands how prisons work and how inmates survive in a dehumanizing environment. The main storyline is unfortunately written with less intensity. Still, the plot works well enough and it comes to a satisfying resolution. It isn't as good as Vachss' best non-Burke novel (the chilling Shella) but it's still a fun read.

You can argue over good or bad--that's taste. (And, by my taste, this book is great.) But ... to say "Most of the book concerns Caine's efforts to track down another member of the crew who Vizner fears could squeal on everyone else" completely ignores the real story, which is like Tarantino's "True Romance" film done right. This is a hard-boiled romance.

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