Customer Reviews

The Follower

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

No one is writing books quite like Jason Starr. His latest novel is labeled a "thriller," and yes, it is most definitely that --- I was actually afraid to read the last several pages, for what they might reveal --- but like his other books, Starr's narratives handily slice in and out of life, shattering character and plot stereotypes to an unsettling degree. The reader never knows what is going to happen or how it will happen. Starr, however, does quite a bit more in THE FOLLOWER than turn an expectation or two upside down.

The book defies convention from the git-go. Starr begins things slowly, almost agonizingly so, setting up his main characters and a few secondary ones with a minimum of flash before he begins to tantalizingly disrobe their psyches. The main story ebbs and flows around Katie Porter and Peter Wells. Porter is from a small New England town, an administrative assistant fresh out of college living in Manhattan and working for a financial PR agency. But her life, as she is rapidly discovering, is neither as exciting nor as fulfilling as she thought it would be. Wells is a few years older than Porter, from the same small town, and also living in Manhattan. He is in love with her and has their life together planned out to the last nuance; he sets up a chance meeting, starts finding reasons to run into her, and slowly begins interjecting himself into her life.

No one is going to stop Porter's Peter Pan boyfriend (least of all Andy Barnett), who seems as bent on seducing everyone who moves (provided they meet his careful and exacting standards) as he is on convincing Porter to offer him the marble peach. Porter, however, is not exactly blameless. Indeed, it would be tough to pick a winner in a three-way bet among Porter, Barnett and a bassinet to pick the shallowest of the group. Porter's and Barnett's friends, with the exception of Porter's roommate, aren't much better. Wells, on the other hand, is by no means shallow. He is actually quite deep, a yawning, dangerous, dark chasm that is patiently waiting to swallow Porter and anyone who gets in his way.

Starr would have created a riveting tale just sticking to his basic plot, letting it unfurl and displaying what happens. But he takes different vignettes in THE FOLLOWER and examines each from the perspective of the participants, by showing how different each person's version of the same truth becomes. This method is particularly effective after the first extended outing between Wells and Porter; as the reader learns of the events first through Wells's eyes and then through Porter's, it becomes more than obvious that the book will either have a horrifying ending or result in horrors without end. Or both.

In the space of just a few novels, Starr seems on the verge of creating a genre unto himself, and THE FOLLOWER is one more, very important reason why.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

What's to say about Jason Starr that hasn't been said by more intelligent people already? Yes, he IS a modern day Jim Thompson in that he truly seems to be able to get in the minds of sociopaths and understands what people's jobs and actions say about their personalities. The difference between Mr. Thompson and Mr Starr is that the later is FUNNY. Funny as hell, in fact. He gets inside the characters heads and what he sees is not pretty and for that he makes no excuses. The main character, Katie Porter, is insecure and vain. The men she dates are predatory and shallow. The villain is a sociopathic romantic and, in many ways (given his romantic competition) her best option. If he wasn't a homicidal sociopath he would be the perfect boyfriend. What is Jason Starr saying in this book? The modern dating scene in NYC is loaded with shallow, predatory opportunists? Well, yeah but that has been said before. That surface impressions are nothing but mere manipulations? Yeah, sure but anyone who has read "The Game" (a handbook for predatory daters) already knows that. Here is what I think is the central thesis of this book: The popular depiction of romantic love as presented in movies and books is, at heart, sociopathic and appeals to people who make shallow choices. Boy, that sounds over-serious and pedantic- here's the thing- it's not- it's hilarious. The Medical Intern who goes everywhere in his O.R scrubs so that he is easily identified as a doctor to potential conquests. The women who kisses a guy because he is cute but who, as she is aware, is a murder suspect. The Police Detective who has the reputation as the worst Detective in NYC and, based on his investigative skills on display in this book, likely is...This is great, fun read that is as much social satire as it is crime thriller. Imagine a more readable, less loathsome "American Psycho" and THAT is "The Follower".

As a chick lit author, I love any book that begins with a Jane Austen quote. Especially one that's cleverly used, as in the opener to Jason Starr's psychological thriller, THE FOLLOWER.

THE FOLLOWER is a dark tale about Katie Porter, and the man who stalks her, Peter Wells. Just one warning: Parents--you may never let your children move into their own apartment in Manhattan after you read this!

Starr does an excellent job of portraying single life amongst the 20-somethings living on the Upper East Side of Manhattan--and then skewering it. I loved the irony of how Katie's creepy stalker, Peter, actually has many of the things that Katie would want in a man--the expensive co-op apartment, the big bank account, and the subtle good looks. Starr is making a powerful statement about single life in New York City, what we think we want, and what we deserve to get.

I was highly entertained by this book, and you will be, too. It was the first Jason Starr novel that I've ever read, and I will be back to read more.

Starr's The Follower is marketed as doing for dating what Jaws did for swimming. Other than both having a main character (the shark - Jaws) (Katie - The Follower) that obviously behave in a very unrealistic way to the real life versions of their respective species I can see no other parallels to Jaws. It certainly won't make you afraid to go into the dating water as if you can read a novel this length then your already above the intelligence level of Katie, her friends and boyfriends as well as their roommates.

The basic plot of the stalker is Peter Wells after living a very disturbing childhood has been living the comfortable life in Mexico on the payout of his parents life insurance policy from their deaths in a house fire he alone survived. Surfing the net one day he looks up Katie Porter, a girl he used to know when he was a kid. Seeing pictures of her now and reading what he can he has no doubt in his mind that this is his sole mate and the girl he will marry. Years of training watching chick flick romance films forms in his mind the perfect plan to not only win her love (which is obviously a given in his mind) but to happen in such a way that will provide the most romantic memories for the both of them to reflect on as they grow old together. Reality isn't the same as fantasy though and Peter has a few obstacles to tackle to pull of his dream life, one being a current boyfriend named Andy and two being Katie doesn't act the way shes supposed to.

I found that all the characters' traits contradicted themselves at times as well the victim Katie just doesn't behave in the way any actual real life person would, which made not just believing the story, but feeling empathy for her as the victim hard to do. Even faced with the terror of murder, the next day she starts dating and making out after a sip or two of alcohol with the next guy who comes along, not once but twice, yet she judges harshly the morals of others. I also found with Andy and his roommates as with the case of Katie that it was a bit hard not to root for Peter the stalker. And Peter the supposed to be really intelligent guy who can manipulate and read others so well and get any job he wants somehow can't read Katie at all, this didn't make sense. Also what was the whole point to the boring side story of the bullied, racially discriminated against cop John Himoto, he does nothing to affect any of the storyline, only finds out what he does after the other characters have repeatedly put the facts to him numerous times?

These negatives aside the stalker although predictable is still an entertaining enough read to give it a go. It by no way is anywhere near the top of the stalker genre. If that's what your after check out Madeleine by Bernad Taylor, Too Close by Hilary Norman, The Wrong Man: A Novel by John Katzenbach and Double Image by David Morrell.

This book is a sly and perceptive commentary on dating, relationships, and the fantasy media culture we live in (say hello, e-harmony). It's also a really good modern thriller in the early Grisham mode. I really like Jason's Starr's writing style--it's clean, compelling, and the pages whiz by. But I'm hot and cold on his books--"Tough Luck" was a terrific, Crime-and-Punishment-style standout, yet "Lights Out" was unsatisfying because I didn't like the characters.

Not so with "The Follower"--while some of the characters are over-the-top, they're being used to make specific points about how men and women view each other, and their expectations for romance. This is the most cinematic of Starr's books, and perhaps the mostly darkly funny and fully realized. How do I know it's a good book? I stayed up until 3:30 this morning reading the last 160 pages. I haven't done that in quite a while--and I'm a big reader! The book is great fun, and food for thought whether you're in your 20s or your 40s (like me). What I respect about Starr as a writer is that he's well-versed in both pop culture and literature--there are some great Jane Austen references in "The Follower," and to compare it with "Jaws" (as Ken Bruen does on the back cover) is right on target. Think of it as Jane Austen meets Jaws, with a Deliverance ending. Warning: If you're single, divorced, or "married but looking," you may never go on a date again.

This is surely the blandest, lamest thriller I ever got my hands on. I should have stopped after the first chapter, but thought it might give me a clue as to why some writers write so poorly. In the end, all I can really say with conviction is why Jason Starr writes so poorly.

'The Follower' has a myriad of problems, one of the first being that the plot is predictable, the story uninspiring, the events unsurprising. We''ve read it all before. Add to that the constant repetition of scenes and settings and situations and you''ve got a book that is not worth the paper it is printed on. The reader is constantly wondering: wait a sec. Didn''t that already happen? Didn''t she already say that? Didn''t she already call her parents? Didn''t he already go there? This not only slows the tempo down, but it''s irritating. Nonetheless, the true crux of the matter is the author''s thorough lack of knowledge as to how to create living, breathing characters with emotions and dialogue and motivations that ring true and touch us. We want to be moved by the characters and their inner lives. But I cared not an iota for any of them -- ' not even the victims. They were all spineless. And they all sounded alike. The detectives spoke like the victims who spoke like the stalker who spoke like the doorman who spoke like the personal trainer who spoke like the young women who spoke like each other. And what they said, the dialogue, was pure drivel, trite, empty clichés.

In brief: Jason Starr is the worst kind of writer, the kind that thinks lowly of his readers, otherwise he wouldn''t write rubbish like this. 'The Follower' is a sloppy book written to make fast bucks, and Starr thinks we''re dumb enough to buy it. Actually, I was. I bought the book. But I learned my lesson. Shame on Starr. And, yes, shame on his editor.

After reading Jason's previous novel, Lights Out, it is easy to say that The Follower has the same thematic concerns as the former, but it's increasingly clear that Jason wasn't simply going for the typical two-guys-vying-for-the-girl theme but using it to express other finer points. With a more satisfying penultimate climax (and ending, really) and with a fuller thematic realization, this book succeeds on a much higher level than Lights Out and perhaps the rest of Jason's work.

It must be said that his books aren't exactly the pinnacles of literature or even Crime Fiction, as his prose represent a sort of anti-thesis to the polish of Chandler or Hammett's sentences. Jason employs the simplest of sentences to create the effect he wants with maximum impact. And that's what Jason is all about, has always been about. He gets the job done with sentences that feel reminiscent of Stephen King's sentences in earlier works.

But that doesn't mean he isn't intelligent with his plots. While it looks contrived on the surface (Peter Wells and Andy Barnett has a liking for the same girl, Katie Porter, but Peter turns out to be something of an oddball, harasses Katie), it does grow legs somewhere in the middle where the realization of Peter being, in actual fact, more dangerous than we originally thought hits home. Jason even made Peter likable in today's social context, attractive even, and made Andy a stuck-up guy who liked nothing more than sex. He tips the balances a little.

Basically, Jason does everything in the plot to portray the picture he wants portrayed. It can be described as not playing by the rules or as cheap plot manipulation where plot details are fast and quick solutions for driving towards a certain point, but The Follower is in its very essence an entertaining book. Although certain points hold much, almost extensive summarization, the book does benefit from the quicker pace, making the ending that much climatic. The turning point of the book, where it gets really interesting, was when Katie realized Peter wasn't the nice guy and that Andy wasn't too, just in another way.

It all boils down to Jason's purpose in his messages when it comes down to it. The Follower is entertaining, reasonably fast-paced, thrilling and chilling and even has its favorable crime novel inclinations, with splatter-punk horror and thriller elements thrown in., but the main draw of this book surfaces in this main theme: that love as portrayed in movies, or in books, or in popular culture can prove detrimental examples if mimicked without true understanding and care for the other in a relationship. Jason does a fine job highlighting that in The Follower and serves as a reminder to the uneducated and the ignorant. If only it had Chandler's prose...

In New York City, Katie Porter is tired of being a swinging single as any male she dates seems to be a loser. Her current boyfriend Andy Barnett believes in partying all night while ignoring her needs beyond the physical; he begs her to please go all the way for his satisfaction even as he plans to dump her.

However, Peter Wells thinks Katie is the special woman for him. He watches her working out at the gym; observes her stopping for coffee on her way to work; and sees her everywhere she goes as he serendipitously follows her. Peter has plans for the love of his life to make her his wife having bought the marriage ring and their house. He takes the first steps by saying hello at the health club, which affirms his belief that she is the one for him. He has known since childhood when they grew up together and more so when he dated her sister unbeknownst to Katie. Nothing will stand between him and his woman not even randy Andy boyfriend.

This is a dark satirical look at the lifestyle of Manhattan's swinging singles. Katie is a fascinating protagonist as she wants a boyfriend who cares about her; Andy cannot resist the island's horde of beautiful available women as he wants all of them; Peter is obsessed as he wants Katie even if it means eliminating his perceived competition. Though purposely somewhat stereotyped to the point of dark lampooning of the disenchanted, fans of urban suspense thrillers will appreciate this romantic triangle in which death may prove the only solution.

Harriet Klausner

The cover of The Follower describes it as a thriller, and when the inside jacket revealed that it's about a woman being stalked, I thought that this might be a reasonably entertaining, if not very original novel. I was, however, pleasantly surprised to find a book that, along with the fairly conventional suspense plot, was an unusually perceptive look into the lives of contemporary urban singles.

The Follower is at least as much about the way twenty-somethings in places like Manhattan think, talk and behave as it is about a woman being stalked. The dialogue, always one of the most important aspects of a novel, is pitch perfect here. The "follower" of this novel is Peter Wells, a seriously disturbed young man who has come to Manhhattan solely for the purpose of meeting -and eventually marrying- Katie, a woman he slightly knew growing up but hasn't seen in years. Peter, who has some money, has already bought an expensive coop apartment and an engagement ring for Katie. He has also managed to get a job at the desk of the health club where Katie works out.

While Peter is, in some ways, the typical stalker, Starr makes him into an original and perversely funny character. Peter is the kind of man who sees himself as unusually sensitive and caring. He watches romantic movies like Sleepless In Seattle over and over, and he hums love songs like You Light Up My Life to himself as he plots nefarious actions. Peter is both amusing and scary. For, along with his obvious psychosis, he has the ability to fool people and to make them like him. Starr, who obviously has a talent for dialogue, gives Peter the ability to gear his own words and speech patterns to emulate the people he is trying to impress, divert or seduce. This behavior can be seen as a look at the misuses of techniques such as neurolinguistic programming (NLP), which teaches people how to "model" others to gain their trust. While this isn't specifically mentioned in the novel, Peter uses this kind of technique in a seriously devious way.

Peter Wells is not the only manipulative character in The Follower. If he was, the book would not be nearly as interesting. In fact, it is the more typical, if less maniacal, single men in Katie's life who ultimately make her vulnerable to Peter. Katie is dating a shallow, completely self-centered guy named Andy, who lives with several roommates, fraternity style (which gives Peter reason to dub him, with some justice, "Frat Boy"). Andy and his roommates are the kind of single guys who live for partying and seducing as many women as possible. One of the points of The Follower is that men like Andy are, in their own way, as dishonest and manipulative as the more obviously sociopathic Peter.

Although written by a man, The Follower could be accused of portraying men in a bad light. In fact, there is only one major male character who is sane, honest and basically a nice guy. That is a police detective named John Himoto, who investigates Peter when bad things start happening to people near Katie. Even the other cops in the novel are macho stereotypes who don't take Katie seriously and are nasty and even racist towards the Japanese-American Himoto. As if she didn't have enough man-trouble in her life, Katie even has a boss who treats her in a borderline sexually harassing manner. I am pointing this out but not really complaining about it. I think this novel does expose some real issues about how men interact, especially with women, even if it does at times exaggerate things a bit.

The women in The Follower are not completely blameless. While the men in her life are no bargain (an understatement), Katie is flighty in many ways. She is so desperate for companionship that she unwisely gives the benefit of the doubt to both Andy and Peter in situations where her instincts tell her something is wrong. Katie's female friends are not much help. All of them, in fact, are so anxious to "hook up" with someone that they rush in blindly into affairs destined to end quickly and badly.

The Follower is both a suspenseful thriller about a stalker and his victim and an entertaining, thought-provoking look at modern big city dating. If nothing else, it certainly takes away the romanticized image some people may have of life for young singles in Manhattan.

Ahh. Now - with only one notable exception - this is why I love Jason Starr. The Follower takes a cliched plot and turns it on his ear for maximum comical (and scary) effect. Peter, the stalker, is not your everyday, creepy, woman-hating killer. No, Peter LOVES women. Just like in the old romantic movies. He's wants to provide for them, romance them, cry with them. He's like every girl's dream. Except that he's not.

Peter is a great character. His pathos is completely bizarre, yet also totally believable. I absolutely loved reading about Peter. Getting inside his head was fun, hilarious, scary, and weird. The little touches? Like the the fact that he loves romantic movies and acts them out in his head? Genius.

On the other hand...I had to take a star off the review for Katie. As you can see by the books I've reviewed, I don't really need my books to be PC by any stretch of the imagination. But Katie was just way over the top. Not in a good way. I was disappointed by this because Starr usually writes women (even unsympathetic women) well and with depth, like the wife in Hard Feelings and Amy in Cold Caller. Katie, though, reads like a caricature of what some men (not the nice ones) THINK women are like. I think this probably was what Starr intended. However, the end result was still very irritating because you spend a lot of time reading the thoughts of this totally shallow, unrealistic, caricature.

It is sometimes fun to have a character like Katie in a book, but to have her as the protagonist we are supposed to be rooting for doesn't really work, especially for a female reader. Katie's inner monologue (which comprises a lot of the book) did not sound like anything that would come from any real girl, and certainly not one we'd want to sympathize with. At times (for the first time for me with Starr!) I was even a little insulted by it, like with the "gosh, was I raped? I just don't know! oh well!" subplot. Come on. Eventually I found myself completely skipping the chapters Katie narrated because I wanted to read Peter. I am sure I am not the only one.

I make this comment from a good place, because I love Jason Starr and he normally writes great characters. I don't know why he made this choice here. But it didn't work for me. I think that if Starr wants to appeal to a broader readership (read: more women), it's better if he goes back to his usual style, taking a cue from some of the great noir writers like Chandler, Woolrich, Thompson, etc. to write main female characters that are unsympathetic but interesting. Or, he could just focus more on the interesting male character. For example, I loved American Psycho. But if Bret Easton Ellis had spent half that book on the dim and unsympathetic thoughts of Patrick Bateman's girlfriend, it would have been pretty irritating.

So, even though Katie took away from what was otherwise an awesome book, I still give it four stars, because the writing, plotting, and other characterization (I loved the detective!) was really Starr at his best. Great stuff. I just hope that in Starr's next book we'll see more Peters, and fewer Katies.