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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