Most kids love connect the dots pictures. The picture consists of a series of numbered points printed on a page. When the points are connected by drawing a straight line in numerical order from point to point to point, some sort of image will emerge.
James LePore's The Fifth Man is something of a literary version of a connect-the-dots puzzle for adults The author does not fill in all of the blanks for the reader. Rather, he plots a scattering of points, and lets the reader fill in the details between points.
The basic plot involves the nuclear family of the leader of a crime family (who may be even more than they appear), being coerced into getting involved in preventing some sort of terrorist plot in Prague that is anticipated to cause the death of multiple world leaders, including the President of the Czech Republic and the former US Secretary of State. But the storytelling technique used is not common in today's literary world.
For example, Point A - two men with guns are approaching a pair of gentlemen guarding a locked door. Point B - those same two men gentlemen are dumping a pair of deceased former guards in an unmarked grave. The reader is left to make the determination as to what happened between Point A and Point B - to connect the dots. It's not hard to make an accurate determination. However, it may not be comfortable for some readers.
In evaluating this style, and the novel that employed it, I fell somewhere in between the loved it and hated it. I really appreciated that the author did not feel to employ excessive words & pages to detail things that are obvious. On the other hand, I thought that I would have preferred a little more detail in some cases than the author chose to provide.
The plot itself was interesting, and the book itself proved to be a quick read. I encourage the reader to give it a try even if they hate the style, they will at least expose themselves to something rare.
RATING: 3 stars.
DISCLOSURE: I won this book in an online contest from a book blogger, under condition that I post an honest review within 60 days of receipt.
James LePore's The Fifth Man is something of a literary version of a connect-the-dots puzzle for adults The author does not fill in all of the blanks for the reader. Rather, he plots a scattering of points, and lets the reader fill in the details between points.
The basic plot involves the nuclear family of the leader of a crime family (who may be even more than they appear), being coerced into getting involved in preventing some sort of terrorist plot in Prague that is anticipated to cause the death of multiple world leaders, including the President of the Czech Republic and the former US Secretary of State. But the storytelling technique used is not common in today's literary world.
For example, Point A - two men with guns are approaching a pair of gentlemen guarding a locked door. Point B - those same two men gentlemen are dumping a pair of deceased former guards in an unmarked grave. The reader is left to make the determination as to what happened between Point A and Point B - to connect the dots. It's not hard to make an accurate determination. However, it may not be comfortable for some readers.
In evaluating this style, and the novel that employed it, I fell somewhere in between the loved it and hated it. I really appreciated that the author did not feel to employ excessive words & pages to detail things that are obvious. On the other hand, I thought that I would have preferred a little more detail in some cases than the author chose to provide.
The plot itself was interesting, and the book itself proved to be a quick read. I encourage the reader to give it a try even if they hate the style, they will at least expose themselves to something rare.
RATING: 3 stars.
DISCLOSURE: I won this book in an online contest from a book blogger, under condition that I post an honest review within 60 days of receipt.
