Customer Reviews

Loose Ends: A Novel

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

 

 

I breezed through this book in two evenings. Anyone interested in a quick, enjoyable read should pick it up. The characters probably aren't people that you know, but that makes it all the more worthwhile. Throughout the story, Bowers is able to instill a feeling of uneasiness or anxiousness in the reader that kept me flipping the pages to try and squash it.

Neal Bowers first novel length fiction effort is a smart, funny, and emotionally loaded book. Bowers does a wonderful job with his diabetic narrator and his desire to invent a more interesting life for himself. Bowers, like David Lodge, sneaks in a few in jokes for those exposed to English Acadame, but the novel itself is wonderfully accessible.

That being said, despite what may seem to be an outlandish premise by discovering another man's body in his father's grave, the rest of the book is predictable from that point onward. There are few, if any surprises beyond the first fifty pages, and as such it takes some of the emotional punch out of the character arc.

That being said, the prose is a joy to read, the wit compelling, and the time spent on the book was well worth it, but it is not MUST HAVE reading.

This is the first mystery I have read that featured diabetes so prominently. I didn't know much about the disease or its potentially debilitating effects until I read LOOSE ENDS. Davis Banks is an interesting creation and I guess I'd have to say this is a page-turner, because I kept turning 'em, and even took it with me to the loo, when I couldn't wait any longer. This novel has all the vital elements: sex (sorta), violence (mild), and drugs (well, insulin) - and I think there was even some rock an' roll in there - or was it country-western? I just finished reading two other books by Bowers: a volume of poems (Out of the South); a true-life mystery-thriller about plagiarism (Words for the Taking), of all things; and this book. And I would rank them in that order. His poems are superb. The plagiarism book is compellingly creepy. This book kept my attention, although the ending seemed just a little ... Well, inconclusive, I guess. Banks is, I would say, a good character in search of a slightly better story. Having said that, this is still a book worth reading. - Tim Bazzett, author of Pinhead: A Love Story

If you're going to read some Neal Bowers, I'd recommend you go for some of his poems or his nonfiction _Words for the Taking_, both of which are better than this. I like Neal, and I like his words. This is a pretty good novel, but I don't find his protagonist all that likeable, and thus this book doesn't hold me as well as it should. In contrast, _Out of the South_, his most recent book of poems, is downright excellent. It's too bad, of course, that most of his readers won't go beyond his prose works. Unless you do, you won't see him at his best.

Neal Bowers whom I vaguely remember as the "wonder boy" of creative writing in college has written a most interesting, edgy novel set in his hometown. The book, readable in a couple of sittings, plays with language and our imaginations with his eccentric "hero". Somewhat Irvingesque in character, Davis Banks is the protagonist we don't want to be but can't help but become involved with. His detective acquaintance keeps us grounded and rationally involved with the plot. We must remember the author is an English prof and poet - we only get enticed with the plot. Characterization is the aspect of the book which really keeps us reading.

Neal Bowers words pack a lot of power. They tell about few days in Davis Banks' life; a lot happens. You won't want to put the book down. But as you read it, and after you have read it, you realize that Bowers has told you something to think about. What is truth: the story you make up or the clues the detective searches out? How do you deal with your own death every day and keep living? Who were your parents, really? Davis Banks' adventures are an adventure for the reader too.