It is being said that revenge is a dish best served cold. It’s also being said that Justice is truth in action. So can the action of dishing out revenge also be a form of justice? I’m afraid the real world isn’t that simple – but lucky for us, books and stories can be simpler and enable us to feel the sweet, sweet taste of revenge without needing to justify it. And anyway, there’s the koan of deniability – if you can’t remember the crime, you can’t have really committed it, right?
Joe Pendergast (no relation to Aloysius, I’m sure) was once a man of action, although to be honest: truth and justice don’t really come into play when a mob enforcer takes action. So for forty years, he did the dirty work for his boss and friend Maxie – until Alzheimer started to kick in, and Maxie lost faith in Joe. Now he’s driving a food truck (at days he can remember that is his business), and he’s plotting his revenge.
It’s also being said that misery loves company, so it’s no wonder he teams up with young Paula, who’s scheming her own revenge against organized crime. Let the fun times begin!
Of course, Alzheimer itself is a serious disease, there’s nothing remotely funny about it. But it’s the way Hugh manages to wrap everything into Joe’s personality that takes the bitterness out and puts a touch of lightness into everything. I’m not even feeling guilty about enjoying Joe’s bouts with himself about his lost times – because Joe himself is not taking everything too serious. It’s clear he knows what’s happening to him and has made his peace with it.
Young Paula is the second protagonist in this tale, and naturally, her perspective is different. I really liked the way the novel switches between them, and Hugh manages to give both his heroes a distinct voice of their own.
The pace of the story is great. It hits a slow spell the first time we are introduced to Paula as a narrator, but after that, it gains traction, really speeding up towards the end. It’s a page turner, and I was really sad having finished it so soon.
Regarding the ending – I think it was okay. It’s a nice, touchy happy end, although I would have loved seeing Joe going down guns blazing. Personally, I think that would have been more fitting for his character.
There were some great emotional moments when Joe realized he had done something stupid, which added a layer of depth to the narrative. I would have wished to implore upon them a little farther. So all in all, highly entertaining, 4.5 stars!
Crossing the Pond Reviews 