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THE 25TH HOUR: A Novel of Crime
David Benioff
Carroll & Graf
Crime
ISBN: 0786707720
I have two sons. One is in his early 20s, the other in his late teens. I
used
to read to them when they were much younger --- little Golden Books,
Sesame
Street, Dr. Seuss...all sorts of things. If I thought they would stand
still
for it, I'd drive over to their house right now and read them a short
novel
by David Benioff entitled THE 25TH HOUR, a short cautionary tale for
Generation X in the closing days of the 20th Century and the dawning of
the
21st.
Benioff has had some short stories and essays published in such diverse
publications as 17 and Esquire, none of which will prepare you for the
absolute brilliance that he exhibits in this, his first novel. You know
people like this, if you're in the 20 to 30 age bracket or if you have
children who are. You may not live in New York City but if you live in
Cleveland or Detroit or San Francisco you'll shudder a bit in recognition.
Benioff's stark prose, by turns haunting and brutal and poetic and honest,
nails the street and its people perfectly.
THE 25TH HOUR is a day in the life of one Monty Brogan --- a very special
day, actually. It is Monty's last day of freedom for seven years, his last
day before he starts hard time in a federal prison. Monty is a dealer, a
big
man on the streets of New York City, and he has enjoyed to the hilt all of
the good things that money, fame, and notoriety can buy. But there is a
price, and it is the naked reality of that price, looming over Monty as
his
last day of freedom slowly and inexorably approaches, that Benioff so
vividly
and horrifically paints over the course of 182 pages that read like a much
shorter work yet echo in the mind long after the last sentence is read.
THE 25TH HOUR does not just concern Monty. Benioff introduces Monty's
friends
since high school: Slattery, a commodities trader who flies by the seat of
his pants, risking his job, and great gobs of other people's money, on
hunches and whims, while going slowly mad with the thought of losing it
all
and returning in disgrace to his impoverished family; and Jakob Elinsky, a
high school English comp teacher unable to deal with, or conquer, his
passions. Both of these men simultaneous envy Monty for what he has been
and
pity him for what he faces. Similarly, Naturelle, Monty's live-in
girlfriend,
has conflicting emotions over his leaving, welcoming the opportunity to be
free that his incarceration will bring her while bemoaning the loss of
lifestyle that his leaving will bring about. All the while Monty knows
that
with his movie star good looks he will never survive seven years in a
federal
penitentiary. What will he do with his last day of freedom? The answer,
while
not surprising, is nonetheless as unexpected as a fist out of the darkness
on
a dimly lit street corner.
THE 25TH HOUR is in its own way a fable of our time, a portrayal of how
scales are balanced and crime is inevitably punished in ways both foreseen
and not. It is an unforgettable work that will acquire a following by word
of
mouth and in spite of its lack of a neat, politically correct, ending.
Highest possible recommendation.
--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
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