Customer Reviews

The Deep Field: A Novel

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Bradley's The Deep Field is a multi-faceted and multi-layered novel. Although set in the future, starting somewhere aound 2010 and going well beyond the next couple of centuries, the speculative fiction aspect of the book is an intriguing but not the most important aspect. It is part thriller, based around the disappearance of a soul-mate brother in the polical unrest in Hongkong, part social critique of the situation of street people and other outcasts in the near future. Finally, it is part romance and exploration of time, relationships and art. The most fascinating layer of this fully engrossing book is the evolving main character, a woman photograher, who step by step learns to see in completely new ways thanks to the growing influence over her by a blind paleontologist who sees with his hands and feels the history of life in ammonite fossils.

This is a book which I found provided much insight not only in historial terms but seems to connect well to current events. This not only encourages an understanding of historical perspective but also a deeper understanding of the Americans as seen by others.

I agree with both of my fellow reviewers to some degree in that Mr. Bradley's potential would benefit greatly from a bit guidance on the the part of an editor and that the speculative fiction aspect of the book was provocative. (I'm sure if I had an editor I wouln't have written such a ridiculously long sentence) Anyway I enjoyed Bradley's use of language and bright vivd images to explain where the main charcter was in her life. I however didn't see any evidence of this being a thriller just because the brother is missing. All in all I would say it is more a story of a young woman's life and her struggle to reclaim it as such.

The Deep Field tells the story of a young woman, Anna Frazier, a gifted photographer who resides in Australia, the home of author James Bradley as well. Although it doesn't really pick up until 100 pages into the book, Bradley has created an interesting bunch of characters and he begins to draw you into his tale of woe at this point by backtracking through the last couple years of Anna's life, revealing what has brought her to this point. A few facts seem unrealistic like that Anna never once has a job of any sort or that everyone in the novel is easily excitable, asserting themselves constantly without much agitation. There are also long passages that give too much technical information about shells, photography and other topics. Although they are relevant to the characters and their passtimes, they tend to bore a person not involved in similar interests half to death. I finished this book out of respect for Bradley who I consider to be an author with a great deal of potential who simply needs an editor to organize his work.