Those in search of subtle literary horror need look no farther than this fine debut novel. Frank Delabano is a quiet, elderly man living alone in the great flatness of an aging housing development. His rose garden is out of the ordinary in this most ordinary of places. "It's the sentimental absorbency of roses that's most valuable to him, in factArelieves him of any lingering sorrows, draws them off and releases them to the air." When little piles of dirt erupt in the flower beds, Mr. Delabano suspects gophers and is determined to be rid of them. He mail-orders some "gopherbane," an exotic nonflowering South American plant guaranteed to repel his garden varmints without harming anything else. The plants turn out to have buds that blossom into odd large blue flowers, but they do prevent the pests. Once the plants are part of the garden, however, ever-increasing feelings of disturbance and fear pervade Mr. Delabano's existence. His neighbors, the Getzes, and their troubled little daughter, Janie, become part of the uneasy new atmosphere. As the reader is drawn into its mystifying strangeness, the novel's progress depends on its characters more than plot. One is never quite sure of what to be sure of. Is the mounting sense of fear real or an extension of distorted psychology? Poetic present-tense prose enhances the disconcerting sensation. Audaciously original, emotionally effective, this is a more than ordinary horror novel. (Jan. 29) Forecast: Literary horror can be a difficult sellAmany readers of "literature" scorn horror, and horror fans are likely to return the favorAbut the purchase of serial rights to this novel by Grand Street should help reach the high-lit readership. That the story deals with a malevolent plant may
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
Frank Delabano has lived alone since his wife died, content to tend his rose garden, eat TV dinners, and keep to himself. When it seems that gophers have arrived in his garden, his quiet life is disrupted, forcing him into action to protect his prized foliage. It is Delabano's choice of weapons against his foe that leads him to embark unwittingly upon a journey toward the book's apocalyptic climax. In Delabano, first novelist Searcy puts a new spin on the unreliable narrator device, taking the reader into the mind of an old man often obsessed with fearful thoughts and easily distracted by everyday occurrences. Unfortunately, although Searcy's intention may be to show us the "ordinary horror" that exists at the onset of senility, the abundant expository passages intended to portray the workings of Delabano's mind have little contrast, slowing the novel's pace and dulling its message. For larger collections.DNancy McNicol, Hagaman Memorial Lib., East Haven, CT
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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