Headlock [Hardcover]

Adam Berlin (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This first novel by short story writer ("Cojones") Berlin finds short-tempered former wrestling star Odessa "Dess" Rose parking cars for a living in downtown New York. When his cousin Gary, a professional gambler who is ten years older, shows up in a Jaguar on his way to Las Vegas, Dess agrees to go along for the ride. On the trip West, Dess's family history and his own personal failures are gradually unfurled before reaching the final climax and the true purpose of the journey. Although the reader comes to understand the source of Dess's rage, and there are some compelling allusions to classical literature, the characters are not complex enough and the plot not rich enough to sustain a full-length novel. An optional purchase.
-Joshua Cohen, Mid-Hudson Lib. Syst., Poughkeepsie, NY
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Odessa Rose has a violent temper and a wrestler's strength, both inherited from his Russian immigrant grandfather, having skipped the generation of his father the economics professor. The strength and temper provoked the loss of a wrestling scholarship after Dess violently attacked an opponent who won a match. Dess' cousin, Gary Rose, is a grossly obese professional gambler whom Dess and his younger brother have admired since childhood. Despite a 10-year age difference, Gary is only marginally more mature and directed than Dess. The family misfits team up for a road trip from New York to Las Vegas, where Dess is to count cards and Gary to win enough money to pay off enormous gambling debts and avoid a professional maiming. Gary's uncontrolled appetites and Dess' uncontrolled anger add to the tension of the trip, which is really about self-examination and redemption. The cousins struggle with the Rose family legend of a grandfather who fought hard and worked hard for the sake of the family, a family from which they are alienated. A powerful debut novel with fascinating characters. Vanessa Bush

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 265 pages
• Publisher: Algonquin Books; 1st edition (May 12, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565122666
• ISBN-13: 978-1565122666
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,567,252 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Berlin's First Novel Shows Greatness, April 30, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Headlock (Hardcover)

Headlock rates up there with The Naked and the Dead (Mailer) and Catcher in the Rye (Salinger) and The Adventures of Augie March (Bellow) as one of the great first novels. The book's action and its memorable characters grab you as much as the title, so don't start this book unless you have a couple of free hours, because you won't want to put it down. But it is more, much more, than simply a fast-paced novel. It is a story with depth, a story about coming of age, about self-realization, and about family. Without giving anything away, the drama of the book's action moves inevitably toward a perfect conclusion. This is a novel you won't soon forget!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An outstanding read. Do yourself a favor and buy Headlock., July 2, 2000

By 

"millenialjack" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Headlock (Hardcover)

One of the best debut works I've encountered since Thomas Harris' Black Sunday. In Headlock, Berlin confronts the human condition head-on through the realistic depiction of the hungers, needs and various foibles of his two protagonists, Dess and Gary. He skillfully exposes our deep collective need for 'connection', whether through family, relationships (however flawed), money or gluttony. Berlin's first novel is a fun and fulfilling romp across the internal and external terrain of our Nation. I highly recommend this great work of fiction.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great first novel!, May 4, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Headlock (Hardcover)

Berlin has done agreat job with his first novel, although I doubt that it will be on Oprah's recommended reading list. A hard-hitting, no-holds-barred look at life, it captures you, entertains you , and then takes you home. Though the content is quite masculine, this is not just a book for men, it is a narrative for all of us.