The Keepers of Truth: A Novel [Paperback]

Michael Collins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 25, 2001

The last of a manufacturing dynasty in a dying industrial town, Bill lives alone in the family mansion and works for the "Truth," the moribund local paper. He yearns to write long philosophical pieces about the American dream gone sour, not the flaccid write-ups of bake-off contests demanded by the "Truth." Then, old man Lawton goes missing, and suspicion fixes on his son, Ronny. Paradoxically, the specter of violent death breathes new life into the town. For Bill, a deeper and more disturbing involvement with the Lawtons ensues. The Lawton murder and the obsessions it awakes in the town come to symbolize the mood of a nation on the edge. Compulsively readable, "The Keepers of Truth" startles both with its insights and with Collins's powerful, incisive writing.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This curiously landscaped crime drama, Collins's U.S. debut and a Booker Prize nominee, showcases the author's cool, playful competence. Captivatingly set in a small, nameless rust belt town left far behind in the economic dust, the story loosely hangs on the disappearance of Old Man Lawton. Locals believe he was killed by his no-good son, Ronny, but police don't have enough evidence to make an arrest. Though the official investigation soon comes to a dead end, the search becomes the obsession of the story's narrator, a man referred to only as Bill, who works as a reporter for the town's newspaper, The Truth. Bill pursues the case along with two of his colleagues, Sam and Ed, bumping along in a bizarre, dreamlike hunt that yields few clues, but succeeds at illuminating life in a small town mired in steep decline. Big industrial employers are long gone, replaced by fast food chains and strip malls. Alcoholism runs high. Everybody knows everyone else and, more chillingly, knows each other's secrets and shortcomings. It is no surprise that the search for Old Man Lawton becomes a bloodthirsty affair that brings out the town's true nature. Collins, an American citizen published primarily in his native Ireland (Emerald Underground; The Man Who Dreamt of Lobsters), displays a craftsman's touch throughout this arresting, frequently creepy tale of an America not often viewed.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

The Irish Times Thoroughly edgy, thoroughly enjoyable, The Keepers of Truth is an impressive performance from a rich and unpredictable talent. -- Review

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Scribner; 1st Scribner Paperback Fiction ed edition (September 25, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743218035
• ISBN-13: 978-0743218030
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #925,688 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars and what a heavy truth it is!..., February 5, 2002

By 

R. Peterson "International citizen" (Leverett, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Keepers of Truth: A Novel (Paperback)

Written by an Irishman, The Keepers of Truth ostensibly refers to the motley trio, Sam, Ed, and Bill, who run the towns newspaper, The Truth. This book was a Booker Prize nomination and deserved to be. The depiction of an unidentified rust belt town in the throes of its own cultural death is handled brilliantly.

Our story is narrated by Bill, the newspapers writer  a modern day philosopher who is relegated by necessity to write the dribble of small town papers (obits, lions club meetings, local ball team reports). Himself a somewhat tragic figure, he is suddenly given new life when an old man people hated goes missing and his son is suspected of the crime. The police cant find enough to pin the murder on Ronny (the son) but the pursuit of clues engages the whole town. Bill finds himself in the confidences of Ronnys ex-fiancée, and finds he begins to learn more about what might have really happened.

What makes this novel such a powerful one is not the story itself, but the setting in which the story occurs. The town, once a center of industry is now half-dead, full of white trash, strip malls, and too many alcoholics. In the degeneration of this culture, violence, anger, and desperation have reared their ugly heads and the negative small town culture reigns (everyone knows or pretends to know everyone elses private business).

I found this not just an interesting murder mystery but also a sociological perspective on the cultural death of America. A country that is becoming more desperate, more shallow, less feeling, and less kind with every gun license, every hate crime, and every desperate act by a people who have lost themselves

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book that hit home, September 28, 2001

By 

roland palmer (Providence, RI, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Keepers of Truth: A Novel (Paperback)

I got this book from my wife who said she wanted to broaden my horizons. Our styles differ greatly. I read mostly hardboiled murder mysteries for the sheer entertainment value. When I want to learn something, I read non-fiction. I have a problem with preachy books.
But I have to say despite my reservations, this book blew me away. It was like the best blend of both non-fiction and fiction I've ever read. I lived through the late seventies in the midwest, and my father lost his job due to the economic downturn. I like to put that period of my family life out of my mind, but this book brought that time and feeling back to me. Maybe it was personal impact that made this book have its effect on me, but I found myself re-reading parts of it to my wife. I even called my father just to talk, just to ask him about what he felt back then. I didn't tell him why I was calling, though I've sent him the book.
I know this isn't probably a review, but it's what I felt, it's how this book affected me.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Compelling, September 15, 2002

By 

Charlotte Vale-Allen (CT USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Keepers of Truth: A Novel (Paperback)

This is a sad, dark novel with sad, dark characters. Beautifully written with very real people and scenes of harrowing behavior by otherwise ordinary people. The elevation of suspected murderer Ronny Lawton to local folk hero at Denny's, where he becomes employee of the month as a result of his sudden popularity among the high school crowd is frightening in the depth of its truth. Bill, the young narrator, is a lost, desperately lonely man whose life has become a twisted, painful thing because of an absence of familial love; a man whose grandfather was a tyrannical self-made immigrant millionaire and whose father was a suicide. Bill is brilliant, almost too aware of society deconstructing before his eyes, and a truly touching character.

The major problem I had with this book was the time frame. The references are all over the map and at most points the story would appear to be set in the 70s; yet there are references forward in time that confuse the issue so that one is left wondering if there are anachronisms on the page or if one has misunderstood the time frame. Given the significance of Vietnam to the story, I had trouble determining just when the action was taking place.

That said, this is well worth reading--particularly Bill's fascination with Lucas, the child of Ronny Lawton's "estranged"--as she is referred to throughout the book--with whom Bill becomes involved, almost against his will. At the end, there is the hope that Bill will rescue little Lucas from a fate too similar to his own. And that is something remarkably uplifting in a book that is so very grim.
Recommended.