Order THE DROP here
(also reviewed)
Order DARKNESS, TAKE MY HAND here
Order MOONLIGHT MILE here
Order THE GIVEN DAY here
Order LIVE BY NIGHT here
How to tell a man of God about the world of man?
The most iconic music bands all have trouble to exist beyond their breakthrough album, to a certain degree. Subsequent recordings can be nice, appreciated even, but it's just not the same thing. It's not the songs you fell in love with. MYSTIC RIVER was the novel that changed my life, but it's the Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro novels that turned me into a hardcore Dennis Lehane loyalist, so whatever came afterwards always had a world of expectations to live up to. While I'd enjoyed the latest Coughlin novel from a polite distance, I was happy to see Lehane come back to the mean streets of Boston in THE DROP, and believe me when I say that the man hasn't lost his fastball.
Bob Saginowski's a lonely man working behind his cousin Marv's bar. His life is drifting away before his eyes and he's looking for reasons to hold on. One night, he finds a sick, battered and famished puppy in a trash can, meets a girl named Nadia Dunn, and his life starts taking a turn for the strange. The bar gets held up and the Chechen mob, the de facto owners, start putting pressure on Marv and Bob to refund what they lost. There is also a strange man who materializes in Bob's life, claiming the puppy's his. Bob's life sure got a hell lot more complicated, but he's got a couple things to hold on to outside his miserable life, now.
Goddamn. Dennis Lehane did it again. He swept my feet from under me with a novel. There are several fantastic things about THE DROP, so let's discuss them in order, shall we? First of all, it is the only example I can think about of an animal-related storyline that works. Animals (dogs, in particular) are often used as a plot device to create instant sympathy for the character, but Dennis Lehane went reverse-thinking on us here, and used the dog as an healing agent for his character Bob Saginowski. Bob's a good guy for taking care of the dog, sure. But Bob needs the dog more than the dog needs Bob and that's what makes the relationship so wonderful. Bob's discovery of his own nature as a caregiver.
Bob Saginowski's a lonely man working behind his cousin Marv's bar. His life is drifting away before his eyes and he's looking for reasons to hold on. One night, he finds a sick, battered and famished puppy in a trash can, meets a girl named Nadia Dunn, and his life starts taking a turn for the strange. The bar gets held up and the Chechen mob, the de facto owners, start putting pressure on Marv and Bob to refund what they lost. There is also a strange man who materializes in Bob's life, claiming the puppy's his. Bob's life sure got a hell lot more complicated, but he's got a couple things to hold on to outside his miserable life, now.
Goddamn. Dennis Lehane did it again. He swept my feet from under me with a novel. There are several fantastic things about THE DROP, so let's discuss them in order, shall we? First of all, it is the only example I can think about of an animal-related storyline that works. Animals (dogs, in particular) are often used as a plot device to create instant sympathy for the character, but Dennis Lehane went reverse-thinking on us here, and used the dog as an healing agent for his character Bob Saginowski. Bob's a good guy for taking care of the dog, sure. But Bob needs the dog more than the dog needs Bob and that's what makes the relationship so wonderful. Bob's discovery of his own nature as a caregiver.
"Cities," Bob's father once told him, "aren't run from the capitol building. They're run from the cellar. The First City? The one you see? That's the clothes they put over the body to make it look better. But the Second City is the body. That's where they take the bets and sell the women and the dope and the kinda TVs and couches and things a working man can afford. Only time a working man hear from the First City is when it's fucking him over. But the Second City is all around him every day his whole life."
THE DROP is written from a third person point of view, and I can't think of a contemporary author who's mastering it better than Dennis Lehane. It's a technique basically used to allow a narrative to jump from a character's point of view to another, and when Lehane does that in THE DROP, The shifts in the tone are so accurate. Cousin Marv sounds like a greedy jerk. Eric Deeds sounds like a psychopath. The Umarov soldiers sounds like thoughful mobsters. That's another thing. Thoughful mobsters with life lessons to spare are kind of Dennis Lehane-centric clichés. There's always one thoughful tough guy in his story. I couldn't help but to find it endearing in THE DROP though. A standout narrative will do that to you. It'll turn your weaknesses into strengths.
The things I've just discussed are all reasons why THE DROP is fantastic, but they are not THE reason why you should read it. That ending, guys. All that reading and movie watching turned me into somewhat of an ending-snob over the years and this one is nothing short than spectacular. It got me cooing, twirling and stomping in public transportation like a schoolgirl. It made every second invested in THE DROP worth my while. Only Dennis Lehane can get me excited like that. It's like the guy knows which buttons to press to make me react. THE DROP is another strong addition to his legacy. I don't care whether you read the novel or watch the movie, just don't miss it.
BADASS
BADASS