Customer Reviews

Koko

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Actually the star rating should be 4 1/2, not 4, but Amazon won't let you give half stars. Quibbling aside, Koko is a brilliant novel by a brilliant author, a masterwork of horror, a terrific ghost story in which all the best ghosts are still alive.

Straub fooled a lot of people with this novel, most if not all of whom (myself included) were expecting a novel of the supernatural a la Ghost Story or Floating Dragon -- not, certainly, a long mystery about Vietnam Vets whose resolution is ambiguous at best. However, although there is little of the supernatural in Koko, there is a lot of haunting going on here, which is just as it should be, considering the subject matter. One of the big themes in Straub's work, from Julia on down, is that of the revenant, the ghost of the past which haunts the present. Those revenants can be paraphysical beings, such as Julia and Maxim's departed daughter in that novel, Anna/Alma/Eva/etc. in Ghost Story, the Collector in Shadowland, and the Dragon in Floating Dragon -- or, as in the case of more recent novels like Koko, Mystery, and The Throat, the revenants can be actual, living people. Of course the revenants are also metaphors for guilt in nearly every case, and never has that concept been as crisply delineated (or arrived at in as serpentine a manner) as it is in Koko. The Me Lai-type massacre which is one of the novel's central events is where most (if not all) of the characters' guilt springs from, and the past as well as the present Koko murders accounts for the rest of it. The four Vietnam vets, Michael Poole in particular, understand that all of them together created Koko, that they are responsible for his existence, and it is the guilt they feel (apart from Beans Beevers, who wouldn't know from guilt even if he had a Jewish mother) which is their primary motive for tracking him down and stopping him.

Koko is also a novel about memory's persistence, about how it colors our perceptions whether we want it to or not. Straub's use of the elephant as a metaphor for this -- both as a physical presence and on the backs of the regimental playng cards or "death cards" Koko uses to mark his kills -- is a sure sign of what he's doing. After all, what animal is more associated with persistence of memory than the elephant? The fact that an elephant leads Poole to Tim Underhill is hardly surprising -- it is where the past (memory) and the present (perception) meet, and the moment vibrates with a curious otherworldly feel that even Straub has rarely achieved, and which is one of my favorite moments in the novel.

As regards the mystery of who Koko really is -- well, I have to concede that yes, it is fairly easy to figure out Koko's identity, especially once Underhill is revealed as the red herring you figure him for all along. I don't really think Straub was out to create all that much mystery about Koko; having read the novel a number of times now, I've come to the conclusion that this really was not the point. The point was instead to illustrate the twin theses above: how guilt and the persistence of memory can color, and most times ruin, one's life. This, Straub seems to be arguing, is what ghosts do, whether one is talking about the pale specters of the dead or the pale specters of one's memories. They haunt us, not because they hate us, but because we so often hate ourselves for the things we have done. And Koko is a novel full of ghosts, both living and otherwise -- Poole's dead child is parallelled by the dying little girl he visits at the hospital; Conor Linklater loses a job to a man who strongly resembles Victor Spitalny; Tim Underhill haunts the first half of the narrative very strongly, and is himself haunted by the ghosts of his own past; Beevers, though he would never admit it to himself, is haunted by the ghosts of his own inadequacies as the Lieutenant of their Vietnam combat unit; Agent Orange haunts all of them, for it may well be responsible for so much of the evil which has befallen them (cancers, madness, and death). Then there is Koko...the ghost of the killers all of them, even the best of them, once were, the ghost none of them can ever escape -- and which some of them don't even want to escape. That the novel ends so ambiguously should hardly be a surprise -- most of us never escape the ghosts of our pasts, and one gets the feeling that the survivors of this story will be haunted by Koko for a long time to come.

Koko is a rich novel, as full of symbolism and literary allusions as most of Straub's work. It is also a long novel, which does tend to wander from time to time. However, if you are patient and willing to follow Straub on this long journey into the heart of darkness, the rewards will be ample indeed. Just don't expect The Collector to come popping out of the mirrors -- because the best ghosts in this ghost story live in the heart and mind, not in the mirror.

Peter Straub has raised himself, in my estimation, from good genre writer to author of excellent fiction with his novel "Koko." This is no light, scary beach read. "Koko" is a complex tale of a group of men who travel to hell and return with demons. It is a psychological suspense thriller that took my breath away. Straub's "Vietnam book" is far different from any other I have read. He didn't have to look far to discover evil monsters with which to terrify his readers. He was able to find them within the minds of his characters, men who served together in Vietnam. At the same time he was able to build a tremendous sense of sympathy towards his characters - those who fought for their country and returned far different men than they started out to be. I am of an age where I can recall the boys, my fellow high school grads, who went off to the Far East. This novel triggered the feelings of sorrow and loss I felt for those who never returned...and for those who did.

Years after the end of the Vietnam War, four members of the same platoon meet in Washington, D.C., for the unveiling of the Vietnam War Memorial. Four men from totally different backgrounds, who chose different paths in life, Dr. Michael Pool, pediatrician; Harry "Beans" Beevers, the "Lost Boss, the world's worst lieutenant" - a lawyer; Tina Pumo, Pumo the Puma, whom Underhill had called Lady Pumo - a NYC restaurateur; and wild little Conor Linklater, a skilled carpenter." These men are supposedly the only survivors of their platoon. They all bonded, once, in the brotherhood of combat. They closed rank throughout the traumatic period when members of their group were accused of committing My Lai-level atrocities in a little village called Ia Thuc. Now they will re-forge their ties to look for another platoon member - one whom they thought long dead - a probable murderer.

A series of brutal, seemingly random slayings have been committed in the Far East. The victims were all foreigners - American, British, French. A calling card was left behind at each crime scene, leading the vets to believe that the killer was one of their own - an ex-soldier known as Koko. The four travel together, once again, to Singapore and then Bangkok in search of a an elusive and wily ghost from the past. Their pursuit becomes, in a sense, a last mission, an opportunity for closure. And it is also a time-out from their daily lives - a chance to evaluate and contemplate change. For their own purposes they are determined to catch-up with Koko before the police do.

I was riveted to the page with "Koko." Peter Straub has created some of the most phenomenal, realistic, and fully realized characters I have met on the written page. They are indeed a complex bunch of folk, especially the killer. The narrative is richly textured - beautifully written. At time I would pause and read descriptions over again, just for the pleasure of doing so and visualizing the scene in my mind's eye. And the story resonates long after the novel is completed. It is a tale of Vietnam and of lost innocence - themes which are not at all contradictory. Highly recommended!
JANA

When I get through with a Straub book, I always feel worn out. He gets you so entwined in the book that you feel like you are living it. This book is about four Vietnam vets who hear of murders in the Far East that are signed, "Koko". They feel this is one of their fellow vets and they strike out to find him. Their travels take them to Singapore and Tapei, Milwaukee, and ultimately, New York City. The path is winding and when the mystery is finally solved, you realize what the peril of war does to a man's soul.

A group of Vietnam veterans search for a former member of their old unit, who they believe has become a serial killer called Koko. The identity and nature of Koko is inextricably bound up with a horrible experience that they all share--the massacre of children in a Vietnamese village.

This is a long novel. Straub paints fully realized characters with complicated and believable motivations. At times, the horror aspects of the novel take a back seat to the more straightforward human drama in his characters' lives, but I, for one, did not mind this because the drama was so compelling. In fact, I was a bit let down by the novel's resolution, having enjoyed the details of the search and the interplay between characters so much. I had come to care more about what was going to happen to Michael Poole, Connor Linklater, Tim Underhill, Maggie Lah, and even the pathetic Harry Beavers than about the identity and fate of Koko. Nevertheless, this well-written thriller remains a rewarding and enjoyable read.

Veitnam veterans who have not seen each other in a long time.

Strange murders in the Far East where they served.

A fellow veteran who was presumed dead from their old unit.

The story picks up kind of slowly, but Straub weaves an interesting and entertaining story. This is not for people who like their horror fun and light; instead for people who like "thinking man's horror."

Straub has been known to get wordy and he does early on, that is why he starts off so slowly. However, once he picks up steam, few in the Scream Factory can compete with Straub. He knows how to scare and terrify; he is also a master at "subtle horror."

This novel is ONE of his best!!!

Koko is a great novel. A group of very different people with the common misfortune of having served in Vietnam together try to find and apprehend man from their old platoon who they suspect is responsible for a series of murders. Before reading it I never had any interest in the events in Vietnam. But now I want to learn more about it. The story was good. The idea of a group of war vets who don't neccessarily like each other cooperateing for a greater purpose is a fascinating concept. The twists and turns in the plot keep the novel going strong throughout most of its entirety. Only most though. Even though it has interesting plot twists, the going door to door questioning strangers bit gets a little old. Overall this is a must read novel.

This is as much a war novel as a mystery, as many of the flashback scenes depict war at its worst. Harrowing scenes in some cases. Out of the war comes Koko, a serial killer who is unknown but who is suspected by Mike Poole and others in his 'Nam platoon to be Mr. Underhill. Prodded by Harry Beevers who thinks they can make money by solving the Koko mystery and then selling the story to a publisher a few ex-soldiers start seeking out Underhill. Lots of suspense and unlike "Ghost Story" which (in my opinion) did not succeed in holding a reader's interest throughout, this novel is a page-turner. OK, some scenes are a little forced and there are moments which stretch credulity, but overall a very good and intelligent read.

Not all memories from their time in Vietnam are fully understood by the four war veterans who gather for a reunion held at the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington DC. Michael Poole invited Tina Pumo, Conor Linklater and Harry Beevers to join him and share stories of the time they battled in the same platoon. But that's not all they will talk about. The Stars and Stripes magazine recently ran an article on a series of ritualistic murders in the Far East. All of the victims had their eyes and one ear removed, but more significantly: a special playing card was slipped in their mouth. On the card each time one word was written: KOKO. This name has haunted the four veterans since they left Vietnam and is now going to completely change their lives once more.

Whereas the bibliography of Peter Straub mainly consists of supernatural thrillers, Koko is one of his most ambitious diversions from the genre. It not only reads like a great psychological thriller, it also creates a atmosphere that draws the reader very effectively into a grim and depressing post-war trauma. It sounds amazing that Peter Staub himself is not a war veteran, because it really reads like he has been there and experienced all that crazy stuff that happened during this bizarre war. The pacing of the novel is a bit uneven where you have to endure some really big and thought heavy chapters to reach just a few suspense filled pages. In a way the story is not the main driver of Koko, it is the slow, creepy ghost of the devastation that jumps you at the gullet. Maybe in that respect it still is a supernatural thriller.

My view on this book hung in the balance until the very end. Its long (and over-written) but one of Struabs better constructed novels. The writing is more fluent and easy to read. There is a lot of detail but thia adds to some fine character development . The book suffers from a big dip in the middle where nothing really happens. This is not a story full of exiting happenings but stick with it ! The ending is clever and helps to give the book a lift. Basically this is a very good read for those who like serial killer thrillers !

I can't really explain it, but for me, reading a Peter Straub book is always hard work. That being said it is also always a rewarding experience. Whereas some authors throw you in at the deep end on page one (my favourites) Straub takes the time to set the scene and introduce the characters. But before you know it you are caght up in a world which resembles everyday life but has far more sinister undertones to it. This is an evocative piece of work that I thoroughly enjoyed and I would recommend it to anyone.