Customer Reviews

A Storm in the Blood: A Novel (P.S.)

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

 

 

Fink's Storm in the Blood is a tranquil masterpiece of literary observation and meticulous research. Tranquil as it is (or would appear at least to the reader) effortless, direct, and without a belletrist's pretensions in its pure pursuit to convey deep meaning with eyes wide open to a society which at times appears to hover towards a state of oblivion with eyes wide shut (and I include myself in this in respect of entertainment ... Panem et Circenses: I, too, like my fanfares, explosions, et al.). The content however is by no means of the type one would ever refer to as tranquil. The work presents us with an aetiology of terrorism, its causality ... evil begets evil ... look in the mirror and smile ... what do you get back from the mirror(?). Style and content are juxtaposed perfectly, compassionately, the brevitas of Fink's wording is equal to Hemingway's efforts at concentration (and editing), and, I believe, he exceeds this brevitas by being less self-indulgent as a writer. He writes with the reader in mind. As of page one I was being guided rather than being goaded into reading more and more. It's impossible to put down this book. As of page one your inner ears grow bigger until, at the very end, you feel that you have learnt to listen properly to the clarity Fink gives you, to the clarity you had inside of you all the time. I doff my hat to this author! - A few points I noticed re modern/contemporary writing: 1) Fink does not patronize the reader with abbreviated sentences and chapters designed to be consumed as an entertainment-aside at the airport or on the toilet like the works - dare I describe them like that? - of the Dan-Brownish loo-ilk (although, I am sure, that if you read this in said locations you'll get quite a lot out of it). 2) He avoids the plus quam perfectum (pluperfect/past perfect ... forgive me: I'm a philologian, always on the lookout for good writing) to give the reader a perfect sense of immediacy, just as much as he inserts the present tense occasionally to drive home the work's urgency, so very valid now. 3) The structure of the work does not adhere to the Classical resolution 3-5/4-5 or the Golden Section in literature ... the structure - and this is meant to keep our attention right to the very end ( ¡ and it does ! ) - equates to a vectorial 5/5, i.e. the reader's concentration is engaged right to the very end. - Well done! To me this is a 5 out of 5.

A detailed description of the repercussions of a marginal existence. The pain and sense of dislocation were palpable. Well done, Jon S. Fink

What a great read. To take a minor, historical incident over 100 years past and weave a great novel about that incident with full character and plot development is a talent. Look forward to more of Mr. Fink's books

"A Storm in the Blood" by Jon Stephen Fink is a novel based on true events. In 1910 London, three policemen were killed by Latvian revolutionaries and became known as the Houndsditch murders. Fink takes this event and brings it to life, creating a historical novel where the reader gets to know the characters and learn why they did what they did. Remarkable stuff.