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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Pursuit of Art and the Power of Faith., May 11, 2005
This review is from: The Icon: A Novel (Hardcover)
Literary agent Neil Olson deftly moves to the other side of the desk with his debut novel "The Icon", a story of obsession, faith, and art that took hold of men in their youth and threatens to invade their families a lifetime later. A Byzantine Icon, The Holy Mother of Katamari, hidden in the Greek village of Epirios, was thought lost to the flames when the retreating German Army burned the village behind them in 1944. But the Icon was smuggled out under circumstances not clearly understood even to those who participated. It eventually became the most prized possession of an enigmatic New York collector named Kessler. When Kessler dies, his granddaughter Ana is left to dispose of his estate, placing the Icon back onto the market, within the reach of men who coveted it since it touched their lives in Greece so long ago. Fotis Dragoumis and Andreas Spyridis are old men now, inextricably linked since their fighting days in Greece, locked in combat by the Icon that they stole. Fotis asks his godson, Andreas' grandson Matthew, who is a specialist in Byzantine art, to advise Ana Kessler of her options in selling the Icon. Matthew quickly finds himself caught between two manipulative men fighting over something long past and his attraction for Ana. And the game for possession of the Holy Mother begins.
"The Icon" takes place primarily in modern New York City, but periodically returns to Greece of 1944, so that the events of the past are revealed as those of the present unfold. The novel takes a long time to divulge its secrets, but it keeps the reader curious. To a large extent, we experience the story as Matthew does. He is an ordinary man who inhabits our world, tries to resist the passions and politics of the past, and learns how his own history is intertwined with the Icon as he goes along. Although we are in a sense Matthew, the reader will likely prefer the sordid past and haunted lives of the old men to a future free from obsession. "The Icon" features the most vital bunch of octogenarians I have ever heard of. The Icon's pursuers are mostly in their late 80s, physically frail, but possessed of the emotional energy and intensity of young men. I don't know how realistic that is, but characters who have both shadowy pasts and single-minded ambitions make for intriguing fiction. These men, driven by lifelong obsession, become increasingly focused as they accelerate toward death.
"The Icon" weaves a seductive tale across several generations and continents, but its themes are as ambiguous as the Icon's power. That might not be a bad thing. The novel successfully conveys the spiritual effect of the Icon on those who seek to possess it, making its lure almost comprehensible. It is interesting that the Icon is not coveted for its beauty or craftsmanship, but for the power of absolution that some people see in it. The characters are not religious in the conventional sense, but they have an all-consuming faith. Faith in what is not clear. Faith in the Icon. Or perhaps in Art. Art that reflects the souls of its audience back at them, but the reflection is transformed, for better or worse, into the facet of their character that their actions have always deceived. Not surprisingly, some want to possess this power, and some want to destroy it. "The Icon" is a strong debut from author Neil Olson. It's literate, engaging, and, thankfully, mostly devoid of the mundane emotional quandaries that too often substitute for story. Fans of thrillers will enjoy "The Icon", and admirers of Byzantine art may find it interesting as well.
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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best novels/thrillers that I have read., May 4, 2005
This review is from: The Icon: A Novel (Hardcover)
I am interested in Byzantine history, which is how I accidentally stumbled upon this novel in Amazon (the book nevertheless does not have much to do with Byzantine history per se). I had heard some buzz about this, too, which is why I decided to buy it. IT IS EXCELLENT! I read it in two sittings and it is evocative of the kind of smart, well-written thrillers that come along too infrequently -- a bit more like LeCarre than a lot of the two-dimensional pulp that seems popular today. I found the cultural references intriguing and was interested in how well Olson juxtaposed thoughtful writing about World War II Greece 60 years ago with action in New York today. I am sending copies to a couple friends as presents.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"The icon carries death in its wake.", May 7, 2005
This review is from: The Icon: A Novel (Hardcover)
Neil Olson's debut thriller, "The Icon," is another offshoot of the "Da Vinci Code" mania that has swept the world. An ancient and beautiful Greek icon, the Holy Mother of Katirini, is believed by some to have mystical healing powers. This object drives men to steal, lie, betray their friends, and even murder one another to possess it. The action shifts back and forth from Epiros, Greece, during World War II to New York City in the year 2000.
Matthew Spear, whose name is derived from the Greek Spyridis, is an assistant curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. His grandfather, Andreas Spyridis and his godfather, Fotis Dragoumis, both fought in Epiros against the Germans and, for some reason, there is bad blood between these two former comrades. Andreas and Fotis have never told Matthew the whole truth about their sordid and shameful actions during the war.
Their lives are changed forever when the icon of the Holy Mother goes on the market after the death of its owner, an old man named Kessler. His lovely granddaughter, Ana Kessler, consults Matthew, wondering whether she should sell the icon to the Greek Church or to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Alas, her plans go awry when various individuals resort to subterfuge and violence to get their hands on the icon.
Olson does a workmanlike job of setting up the historical context of his story. The author provides interesting background information concerning the murky political situation in Greece during the German occupation. Communists, republicans, royalists, German collaborators, and black marketeers, among others, struggled to survive during those terrible times. Matthew's grandfather was among those who fought valiantly to protect their homeland, their families, and their way of life from the invaders.
When he shifts to the present day, however, Olson falters. He would have us believe that men in their late eighties and even their nineties, including a former Nazi, would have the strength and the desire to hatch and execute elaborate schemes in order to acquire the icon, no matter who gets hurt in the process. Matthew is dragged into the whole mess against his will. He is an intelligent and good-hearted character who falls under the spell of both the icon and Ana Kessler. By the time all of the smoke clears, and after much blood is shed, Olson wraps things up predictably. We learn once again that no work of art, however beautiful and meaningful, is worth the price of people's lives.
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