Mr. Cochran weaves a compelling story in this book. This is a story that touches so many aspects of our culture and humanity. I found the book to be completely thought provoking, broad in perspective and a deep look into the philosophies and perspectives of captor and captive. --Amazon.com
Former UA student Joshua Daniel Cochran brings terrorism, torture and post 9/11 America down to a personal level in his new novel, Echo Detained. From the moment main character Caleb Nell is forced into a car by a group of large, official-looking men and accused of terrorism in the middle of his cup of coffee, we are faced with the uneasy idea that this could happen to anyone.
As the novel continues, Caleb is imprisoned in a disgusting cell equipped only with a wooden bench, fed gruel with a strange combination of meat and raisins, and tortured by his captors. The implications of Caleb's experience become increasingly more serious, forcing readers to ask themselves how they would cope in such a timelessly brutal world.
Cochran is unusual in his approach to the subject of terrorism, adding humor to his prose where he can.
Caleb's first thought when kidnapped is that perhaps this is what happens when you are slow to respond to a jury duty summons. When he first sees that the cell has no toilet, he immediately becomes desperate to relieve himself for no better reason than that he cannot. These very human and personal touches successfully build Caleb (who later becomes known as Echo) as an interesting character who has sufficient detail to exist in the story but is also vague enough that readers can imagine themselves in his situation. The action in Echo Detained begins immediately, and for the next few chapters, it seems that nothing at all happens except him eating a little, waiting for the guard and trying not to need the bathroom.
Once Cochran has placed us in the boredom of Caleb's life, he changes the plot once more and introduces hard, mean characters who, through obviously satirical molds, break Caleb's spirit so successfully that he becomes a wholly different person, Echo. The torture takes its toll and Echo loses the ability to think for himself, to imagine life beyond his cell and hold onto any hope of getting out of his predicament altogether.
Echo Detained is a thoughtful examination of the effects of torture on a human as well as the effects of terrorism on our culture. The twist of satire on top of these solid themes makes this novel a sure success.
Next time you tell someone you go to school in Arizona, don't be surprised if they reply, Isn't that where Joshua Cochran went? --The Arizona Daily Wildcat
Joshua Cochran can write. It may seem a pointless statement, but considering the dreck that is usually published, it's gratifying that we have access to a writer of Cochran's ability.
Echo Detained is The Stranger for post 9/11 America, with a protagonist devoid of any legal semblance of guilt. The tenuous grasp held on safety, freedom and normalcy is wrested from our hero as easily as seats disappear on the subway, and we're reminded how easily we can be divested of our rights.
Cochran perfectly captures that complacency is a vehicle of survival; without it, persisting through the hell of torture and digital anal rape -- and coping with frustration born of the inability to communicate with those who cannot see any perspective besides their own -- would be impossible. He also conveys that the best tools in the war against the individual are a peon's blind obedience and absence of introspection.
The one factor that limited my review to 4 stars instead of 5 is that, while interesting, the extensive footnotes on Delasco can cause a reader to lose the narrative thread. If one choses to follow the footnote to its end, then backtrack to the point where they left the narrative, the experience could be jarring; it was for me.
However, this is a substantial work that I would recommend to anyone literate. His prose is magnificent. If you want to read something where the composition is as much a delight to take in as the story itself, this is your book. --Amazon.com
Born in Tucson, Arizona, Mr. Cochran has lived multiple lives in a variety of locations. He currently calls New York City home, where he abides a life of quiet (thunderously quiet) mediocrity.
His big thrills are fleeting times when he's free to write, teaching an excellent class, moments with friends and enemies alike, and the distant hope of some form of earthly fulfillment.
