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WOLF
POINT by Edward Falco is a far larger and deeper novel than its
relatively small size --- 234 pages --- would immediately portend. This
is no reflection on the narrative, which clips right along at a pace
that leaves readers gasping for breath, implicitly daring them to stop
reading. The events, which for the most part take place over a couple
of fateful days but resonate backward and forward in time, linger long
after the last paragraph is read.
Reading WOLF POINT is akin to discovering an unpublished, collaborative
manuscript created by John Cheever and Jim Thompson. The narrative
opens with Tom Walker ("...my friends and family call me 'T'..."), a
57-year-old businessman, picking up a much younger man and woman who
are hitchhiking outside of Syracuse, NY. There is an immediate sense
that all is not right; indeed this is communicated to the reader by
Walker himself, who knows better than to stop --- which, in the words
of the narrative, is precisely why he does. The hitchhikers are Lester
and Jenny, who introduce themselves as brother and sister initially but
who are far more, and less, than that. In reality Lester and Jenny are
on a panicked run, the reason for which may be remedied by the
application of a large amount of cash.
And it turns out that Walker has plenty of that. The trio heads for a
small community called Thousand Islands, a place that has significant
meaning for each of them. One expects the situation to inevitably
spiral downward, and it does, almost from the moment that Walker opens
his door --- and his life --- to Lester and Jenny. Each and every
principal here is carrying baggage. Still recovering from a divorce,
Walker is unable to fathom the whys and wherefores of what has happened
in his life, or that he is to blame for at least part of what has
occurred. Lester is an edgy loser; whatever potential he might have had
has been derailed, perhaps permanently, by drugs. Jenny is badly
damaged and is ready to do damage in kind, at times without even
knowing it. Before the story's conclusion, three lives will be brutally
changed in a process of rough catharsis and, in one case, redemption
paid with dear coin.
WOLF POINT is a haunting work, a cautionary tale that by turns
demonstrates that while no deed --- good or evil --- goes unpunished,
absolution and redemption are possible if one is willing to pay the
price. This is a work to be savored and, more importantly, reread.
Highly recommended.
--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
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