sábado, 19 de maio de 2012

The News Where You Are by Catherine O'Flynn From Brenda Hadenfeldt


The News Where You Are by Catherine O'Flynn
From Brenda Hadenfeldt

Henry Holt & Company, July 2010

During his many years at Heart of England Reports, local TV news anchor Frank Allcroft has "learned to smile patiently at the remarks about cats stuck up trees, presenters in bad toupees and roller-skating ducks." Frank likes his job, though - even if it means delivering a variety of corny jokes - and has a happy marriage and a lovely eight-year-old daughter named Mo. But on top of Frank's fruitless quest to sell his house and attempts to save one of the last buildings designed by his father from being demolished, the recent hit-and-run death of Phil, his friend and predecessor, is heavy on his mind. A chance drive, another death, and an old photo begin to make the accident more puzzling, and Frank sets out to find the truth.
The News Where You Are is Catherine O'Flynn's second novel, and already she has established a sort of trademark character - someone interested in human connections and the everyday lives of others. Frank is a mix of famous and ordinary. While recognized in public, he's never gained the vast popularity of Phil, nor does he want it. In a way, the novel has a similar feel. It's partly about discovering what happened to Phil, partly about how others react to it, and largely about simple glimpses into the characters' lives. The mystery is intriguing but the players more so, each with a kernel of unpredictability.
Frank, for instance, has parental issues. But when not trying to understand his perpetually displeased mother, Maureen, or resolve feelings about his late father, he attends funerals of people who died alone with apparently no one to grieve. ("It was always the gaps that drew Frank's attention. They seemed to matter more than the other pieces.") Maureen, who barely cracks a smile at granddaughter Mo's attempts to cheer her up, is known by those in her assisted-living center to have a witty sense of humor. Flashbacks of Phil show where the cracks began to form in his confident public persona; his mind wanders, he forgets a name. Many delicate touches throughout the writing create characters who seem like people you may know, watch on the local news, or see on the street.

As Frank considers his past and researches the histories of others, he begins to lift the weight of his father's memory and take a new view of Phil's legacy. Much like O'Flynn's debut novel, What Was Lost, The News Where You Are employs themes of loss and absence in gentle ways, interwoven within amusing scenes that will make you reflect and smile. Quite a worthy follow-up indeed.

http://contemporarylit.about.com/od/mysteryreviews/fr/The-News-Where-You-Are.htm?nl=1

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