in focus - mystery


Literary Wolf


Edward Falco

Just what is "literary crime fiction," anyway? There's a popular phrase from the late Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart regarding the definition of pornography, in which he opines that although he's unable to offer a concise legal description, "I know it when I see it." If you substitute literary crime fiction for pornography and change see to read, you have a workable model for a somewhat nebulous concept. And to stretch the idea a bit further, let's assume that instead of a prominent emphasis on plot mechanics and a linear resolution of an investigation, rich characterization coupled with a story that makes the reader think and leaves a lasting impression well after its conclusion would qualify as a literary work. For a perfect example, take Edward Falco's gripping and altogether rewarding new novel, Wolf Point (Unbridled Books).

Falco mines the inner world of 57-year-old Tom "T" Walker, who's recently divorced and ambling aimlessly around upstate New York. His marriage has collapsed, and while we learn that though T has a knack for building up businesses, he was a loser when it came to maintaining a relationship of depth with his wife. But T, in an apparently singular but defining moment, has made a huge mistake: He's downloaded an image that, if it isn't clearly a photograph of child pornography, it surely skirts the borders. Upon discovery, he's arrested and barely escapes being jailed. More similar images are also found on his computer, but he can't understand how they got there. His ex-wife and children revile him.

The setup is simple: T picks up two hitchhikers, a gorgeous young woman named Jenny and her traveling companion, Lester. Eventually, against his better judgment, the three end up in Jenny's uncle's isolated, rustic cabin on the shore of the St. Lawrence River. The drama that unfolds-the ever-shifting dynamic, more accurately-as T is nearly seduced by Jenny and Lester gradually melts down into the criminal low-life he is, ultimately brings T to an epiphany of sorts and forces him to reexamine his past intimate relationships and his own role in his problems. All the while, it's increasingly clear Jenny and Lester need money, and they need a lot of it.

Time and again, Falco returns to his overriding theme, the way T is "amazed still at how rapidly at least the outward circumstances of a life could change."

In a recent phone interview, Falco acknowledged that "this is an idea I return to over and over in my writing. At the heart of the story is how everything can change in a heartbeat." Near the end, in serious trouble and perhaps near death, T reflects, "If he hadn't downloaded that picture, he wouldn't be here. That was certain. Imagine if he could have known at that moment what the consequences of such a simple, innocent act would be."

Falco considers his work literary-he teaches at Virginia Tech-but "I'm not interested in literary writing that bores everybody. I want to engage the audience, make you think, explore questions, and leave you with powerful images, all the while telling a good story." Falco does all that and much more in Wolf Point, and for a brilliantly executed character study, along with an insidiously suspenseful plot, look no further-this one delivers a long-term wallop.
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