I was not a fan of this book. I now have no respect for the NPR book reviewers, who put this author in the realm of Jack London. This was no "To Build a Fire". The main problem I had with it was that the only character that I liked was the homicidal grizzly bear. First, I would like to say that it is a decent story. The part about the deer hunt is pretty well done. Even though there were some things that didn't add up, like why they were hunting in the middle of the day and how a 12 year old kid makes a 200 yard plus kill on his first hunt ever after only firing a gun five times in his life. The problem I had with it I think stems more from the pure dislike I had of every major character. I liked the grizzly bear. He at least took action. Justin, the primary character around whom the entire book is really centered is so weak that he cannot even whine forcefully. He just drives his Subaru and shops at Whole Foods while getting bullied around by the world. I suppose that he gets transformed in some way at the end, but that is never really expounded on. Stories like this reinforce my endearment toward Hemingway, who's every letter carried a sense of strength. I also think that my dislike comes from a complete disconnection in something that I only know to call "global philosophy". We all know what this is whether or not we have a name for it. Whenever you experience art, whether a book, or a song, or a painting, you either "get it" or you don't "get it". If you really "get it", you feel a connection to the artist in some deep way to a point where you feel that you share some common aspect of soul. I can definitively say that when it comes to this story, I didn't get it.
Next, I am reading Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad. I have a lot more hope for this one. There is a worn copy of Heart of Darkness and Secret Sharer on my shelf that has remained one of my favorite books since I read Heart of Darkness in senior English.
