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5.0 out of 5 stars
to anyone who gave reviews under 3 stars, Jul 16 2004
tell you what, you are simply not on the level of how to appreaciate a good novel by a far too good writer.
colin harrison is one of the rarely found next generation william faulkner + ernest hemingway + james joyce + feodor dostoevsky + albert camus in a far better readable form. if you failed to grasp the beautiful writing and the way of thinking how he wrote every one of his books, you're just not at the threshhold to read them yet. so, i'd prefer and suggest you to at least read some of the works of the above-mentioned writers, then to read colin harrison's modern day dramas. but if you failed to appreciate or enjoy none of them, then, i strongly suggest you not to read colin harrison at all, and please save some time not writing up book reports to make me laugh and sigh at the same time.
tell you what: this his new novel is simply too fantastic! i enjoyed every word he put into writing and printing, and was simply amazed how he did it again.there are so many subtle and ingenious writing techniques to be learned in each of harrison's novels. how to develope a story, just like he said in this latest book: to bury a truth in a lie, or a lie in a truth. this is so far one of the most fasinating stories i've ever read. this book is and should not be categorized as a certain genre, because it's everything included. all harrison's books are a matured man's journey of his life, the struggle of his dark half, a sudden failure, a downfall of mysterious overlooked or careless small mistake or wrong-doing that suddenly became the cause of the loss of his social position, his marriage, his possessions of everything, his take-for-granted normal life that an educated, mature and very smart middle aged person has achieved. the journey is always in the concrete jungle of new york, a modern odyssey, and that particular hero is a homer's ulysses in modern era, his sudden tumble caused his sudden banishment, his exile, his total loss, his self-destruction that not only affected himself but all the others around him. but on the other hand, harrison also never failed to give you hope, a ensured come-back, like the pheonix revivaled from the ashes. the life of his man is a lonely but die-hard hunter. that's the greatness of harrison's novel. forget about those elements of bloody cruelty, graphic violence and other minor stuff, these are but necessary evils to make a great novel more down-to-earth alive and they are also necessary for marketing. but readers should always focused and open his eyes to look at a large and deep forest instead of those single trees. if you could read harrison's books in this way, then you'd really appreciate what a great writer trying so hard and so faithfully to tell you. and believe me, everytime after you have finished one of his books, you'd understand yourself better and also become more tolerate of other people's failures and weaknesses, physically or morally. becasue you know so far you didn't fall like that guy is maybe, just maybe, purely by luck.
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