The events of a summer night in 1971 that began for Jimmy Dolan as an affair with his high-school English teacher, and ended with a burning island and the death of a classmate, have haunted and infected Jimmy's relationship with his Connecticut hometown and all who live there.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
When marathon runner Big Jim Dolan is killed jogging one night in the small Connecticut town of Newfield at the start of this earnest debut, it falls to his younger son and namesake, a 32-year-old college professor, to solve the mystery surrounding his father's death. Flying home for the funeral forces Jimmy to confront other ghosts as well, notably a brief affair with a high-school teacher that culminated in tragedy and the feeling that he and his brother, Gary, disappointed Big Jim?Gary by evading the Vietnam War and Jimmy by turning his back on Newfield four years earlier, leaving behind a wife and young son. Jimmy feels guilty about practically everything, including his brother, who mows lawns for a living, and his mother, an "emotional miser," who refuses to grieve for her husband. Despite a good deal of sentence-to-sentence banality ("'Jimmy, what about my job!' She paused. 'What about us?'"), Hazuka's first-person narrative gathers tension as it gradually reveals Jimmy's past. But when Jimmy discovers he's been cruelly deceived by those closest to him, the characterization falters?he can't seem to get angry. Otherwise, the novel presents a convincing if unmemorable portrait of a sensitive young man struggling to make things right in a world where, most often, everything goes wrong. Agent, Writers House; editor, Barbara Philips.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
In this debut novel, a father's funeral brings a man back to his small Connecticut hometown?and his former wife and son?after an absence of five years. "Guilt for an innocent prank that turned deadly," Jimmy explains. "Shame for being too weak to leave that guilt behind, and leaving my wife and son instead." He discovers that his former wife plans to marry his best friend, Roger, who has kept a devastating secret about Jimmy's father's death. Once this truth surfaces, Jimmy begins to come to terms with his own haunted past. He concludes that "home is where the heart is, but it's taking me forever to find mine." The evocation of small-town life and popular culture in the Sixties is memorable, but the characters and events never reach any significant depth. Not required for most collections.?David A. Berona, Univ. of New England, Biddleford, ME
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Unusually sensitive view of family from male perspective.,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Road to the Island: A Novel (Hardcover)
This novel was excellent reading. It captivated me as a female reader. To see that a man can be so sensitive and is able to view family dynamics in such a sensitive manner is commendable. The author's work is as well imaginative. The fictional characters' personalities have great depth. The author's introspection into all of the personalities is powerful. It is a must-read novel.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best Book Released in 1998,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Road to the Island: A Novel (Hardcover)
Tom Hazuka shows his readers that contemporary writing hasn't become a wasteland for words and self-absorbed babbling. As far as unreliable narrators go, Jimmy Dolan is the best. One of my favorite things about the book is that it has a John Irving-esque way of connecting seemingly unrelated events. Dr. Tom Hazuka is an excellent writer. If you don't purchase this book, you are making a terrible mistake. Read review of this book in the Chestnut Hill Local newspaper, November 26, 1998.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I thought the book was intriguing and exciting,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Road to the Island: A Novel (Hardcover)
Hi Mrs. Perkins. You'll probably never ever read this but it's cool anyway.
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