“A succession of snippets each leaving you addicted to more,”
is how I’d describe the brilliant way John Locke tells his story in Saving Rachel. Just like the old Lay's potato chip ad, “I bet
you can’t eat just one,” I’d say, “I bet you can’t read just one.” Right from the get-go he creates a seductive,
sensuous, and seriously entertaining storyline laid out like a storyboard of an
action movie being created.
Sam Case is a smart, successful guy, with all of the attainments
of wealth and power, including the one that gets him in trouble – the one
between his legs. Sam tells the story,
as everything happens is seen through his eyes. Quite cleverly, John Locke juxtaposes Sam from protagonist and
narrator, to what’s known in grammar as an unreliable
narrator; one who gives his own
understanding of a story, instead of the explanation and interpretation the
author wishes the audience to obtain. It’s like in the movies, when the main character turns to the camera and
says something of conversational interest to the audience yet out of character
pursuant to the plot. Groucho Marx, for
example, was well known for using this technique to amplify his humor. So between watching Sam, seeing what Sam
sees, hearing what Sam says, thinking what Sam thinks, and having the comic
relief of Sam talking directly to the reader, Saving Rachel transcends ordinary storytelling into a class of
genius, a stylishly fresh and energetic genre of writing. Frankly, its books like this that makes my
job so enjoyable!
“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts
absolutely.” (Lord Acton, 1834-1902) Poor rich Sam having absolute power over
his money making scheme has succumb to the seductive womanizing world we see so
prevalent in our society nowadays. His
wife or his mistress – who will it be? If only he could keep his hands on his
keyboard and not his zipper his world wouldn’t have been tossed – beyond a
rollercoaster – more like into wormholes – and he and Rachel could have lived
happily ever after. John Locke tells the
truth of how carnal thinking corrupts logic, from the male point of view. The book is a bit lopsided as being written
from a man’s point of view, a definite “Guys version of life on Mars.” It is just about as sexy as you can get
without springing for a bikini-less photo shoot off on some exotic tropical
island and publishing the novel with a fold-out center glossy.
Saving Rachel is a
quick witted 147 pages, beautifully hard bound with cover art of a sadly
pensive person trapped in a glass cube. It is one of three books currently authored by John Locke. For those who
are unfamiliar with Locke’s writing and history, this is a perfect way to
introduce you to one of the most creative contemporary talents. I’m certainly now one of his fans for life. So
go ahead, pick up this book and read a chapter. “I bet you can’t read just one!”
Buy this book at Amazon.com
