Thomas E. Kennedy

Played in Copenhagen, the novel tells about the life of some employees in a firm.
Every chapter carries the caracter's name and tell us a lot about his life and how it's affected by work.
Among these high class, totally useless characters there is Jalalal-Din, bartender and realistic musilm counterpart of this drama.
Very well written, fast-paced and with a good analysis of the characters, this book mocks the Danish high-society, but in a different way than the best Danish writer Peter Hoeg.
It has more to do with brain problems and gossip papers and sadly describes real life of real people having no real problem but themselves.
I found the descriptions irresistible: the colours the scenes the way people behave.… (meer)

I finished this novel feeling like I'd just read something great, but without that common feeling that I wanted more - what happens next? where's the sequel? I mean this in a very positive way. Kennedy tells a complete story here, even though he introduces four very complex people going through very difficult times. You come out on the other end with a strong sense that these characters have come through something life changing and are now ready to move on to whatever is next.

I'd call this a dark novel only in that it seems to present between its covers nearly the whole range of emotions connected with human relationships, and, let's face it, a lot of it is dark.

Kennedy's prose is fabulous, both in the beauty of the language and its use in drawing the reader into the story. I know some reviewers have commented on the presence of sex and torture, but these are present only as backdrops to help the reader try to comprehend the mind that is being investigated in the foreground. And don't worry, it's far less graphic than most novels you're likely to pickup at the airport bookstore.

When this story is over, you can look back and see ways in which each major character has had an effect, positive, negative, or both, on each other major character, even when they may have never met. Quite a fulfilling read, wonderfully described, and full of powerful insights into individuals and inter-relatedness.

Os.… (meer)