Helpful Score: 2
There is an ageless quality to the beginning of Lost Echoes . The opening to the main narrative which arrives only after a newspaper clipping and a brief retrospective thought from the novel's lead character has a quiet sense of timelessness that could lead a reader to believe that this story could be taking place at any time in the latter half of the 20 th century. An ill child awakens from a fevered sleep and wanders through a quiet house in the dark, reveling in his innocence by watching drive-in cartoons through his living room windows, parents all the while unaware. The sweetness of this picturesque scene is soon stripped away, when this single incident leads to a new talent that will haunt this child, young Harry, for much of his life.
The idea is fairly simple: the story of a young man, who, as a result of this childhood illness, sees and hears what is not there. Or, rather, what once was there, but has long since lapsed into the forgotten memories of countless villains and their hapless victims. Where Lost Echoes differs from a bevy of other paranormal thrillers is that the focus is not on the hero learning to use his gift to save the day, but rather learning to cope and bear the weight of knowing, seeing and feeling what others have left behind.
The novel is broken into three basic components, all centered around the story's major player, Harry: a battle against the self, a battle against alcoholism and a twisted little mystery that draws both together. These major components of the story arc are oddly segregated, with the mystery crime-drama aspect relegated to the last and least important position. While the mystery of an accidental suicide that could be a murder, wrapped in the perfumed cloud of a returned childhood crush, is intriguing, it plays only a supporting role to the real drama of the hero Harry's battle with his alcoholism and the terrifying visions the title's lost echoes that come to him carried on waves of seemingly harmless sound.
This is in itself an intriguing idea: bring realism to the idea of a human being plagued by haunting visions of the past. Visionaries, psychics and mediums are a dime a dozen in fiction of a paranormal bend, but rarely do they possess such depth and reality. Lansdale presents Harry as sympathetic figure, plagued by visions he does not want and cannot stop. He is no sage mystic, using his supposed fight when and if he feels it necessary; he is just a tired, overwrought kid, attacked daily by a barrage of horrible images, vestiges of the inhumanity man wreaks upon himself and others. The evil men do, the author seems to subtly remind, can never truly die away. And while most can forget it with the passing of time, there are some, like Harry, who can never ignore it. He must deal with everything the rest of us leave behind: all of our fears, our horrors and our hates, invading the life and mind of the young man.
Unable to escape his gift or, rather, curse, as Harry himself seems to see it he draws himself into an obsessive-compulsive cocoon of padded walls, planned safe routes' and avoidance. Anything he cannot control, Harry drowns in a flood of liquor, numbing his senses and halting the flow of the echoes that torment him. It is only after meeting a fellow barroom regular an older man, perhaps representing the only future Harry will have if he continues on his self-destructive safe' path and an unscheduled deviation from his normal routine that Harry begins to believe that there must be a better way. Enter Tad, a middle-aged martial arts master gone to seed, who drinks a nightly tribute to his own sad memories, a startling contrast to young Harry, who instead uses the alcohol to blot out and numb away everyone else's lingering echoes. Together, the two embark on a quest to regain their control find their centers over their own lives.
Lansdale creates the world through Harry's eyes or, better, his ears; readers find the idyllic quiet of what seems to be modern day small town perfection shattered by the silent reverberating screams left only for Harry to see. Hidden here, and perhaps everywhere, are the dirty little secrets and softly spoken lies that are the underbelly of even the happiest of settings.
The idea is fairly simple: the story of a young man, who, as a result of this childhood illness, sees and hears what is not there. Or, rather, what once was there, but has long since lapsed into the forgotten memories of countless villains and their hapless victims. Where Lost Echoes differs from a bevy of other paranormal thrillers is that the focus is not on the hero learning to use his gift to save the day, but rather learning to cope and bear the weight of knowing, seeing and feeling what others have left behind.
The novel is broken into three basic components, all centered around the story's major player, Harry: a battle against the self, a battle against alcoholism and a twisted little mystery that draws both together. These major components of the story arc are oddly segregated, with the mystery crime-drama aspect relegated to the last and least important position. While the mystery of an accidental suicide that could be a murder, wrapped in the perfumed cloud of a returned childhood crush, is intriguing, it plays only a supporting role to the real drama of the hero Harry's battle with his alcoholism and the terrifying visions the title's lost echoes that come to him carried on waves of seemingly harmless sound.
This is in itself an intriguing idea: bring realism to the idea of a human being plagued by haunting visions of the past. Visionaries, psychics and mediums are a dime a dozen in fiction of a paranormal bend, but rarely do they possess such depth and reality. Lansdale presents Harry as sympathetic figure, plagued by visions he does not want and cannot stop. He is no sage mystic, using his supposed fight when and if he feels it necessary; he is just a tired, overwrought kid, attacked daily by a barrage of horrible images, vestiges of the inhumanity man wreaks upon himself and others. The evil men do, the author seems to subtly remind, can never truly die away. And while most can forget it with the passing of time, there are some, like Harry, who can never ignore it. He must deal with everything the rest of us leave behind: all of our fears, our horrors and our hates, invading the life and mind of the young man.
Unable to escape his gift or, rather, curse, as Harry himself seems to see it he draws himself into an obsessive-compulsive cocoon of padded walls, planned safe routes' and avoidance. Anything he cannot control, Harry drowns in a flood of liquor, numbing his senses and halting the flow of the echoes that torment him. It is only after meeting a fellow barroom regular an older man, perhaps representing the only future Harry will have if he continues on his self-destructive safe' path and an unscheduled deviation from his normal routine that Harry begins to believe that there must be a better way. Enter Tad, a middle-aged martial arts master gone to seed, who drinks a nightly tribute to his own sad memories, a startling contrast to young Harry, who instead uses the alcohol to blot out and numb away everyone else's lingering echoes. Together, the two embark on a quest to regain their control find their centers over their own lives.
Lansdale creates the world through Harry's eyes or, better, his ears; readers find the idyllic quiet of what seems to be modern day small town perfection shattered by the silent reverberating screams left only for Harry to see. Hidden here, and perhaps everywhere, are the dirty little secrets and softly spoken lies that are the underbelly of even the happiest of settings.
Joe Lansdale is one of my favorite authors. I have read all of his Hap and Leonard novels as well as many of his stand-alones. I have enjoyed them all and have not been disappointed in any of them. LOST ECHOES is another gem from him that I thought was a very compelling page-turner.
The protagonist, Harry Wilkes, has had a very unique ability ever since contracting the mumps during childhoodâhe is able to see visions of the past that are triggered by noise in an area where a violent or tragic event has happened. The visions are really a mental hell for him and takes him back to witness some very awful occurrences including accidents and murders. He is unable to live a normal life and is depressed by the brutality he is able to witness. This leads him to drinking which somewhat soothes his tortured mind. Then Harry meets another drunk, a formal martial arts teacher named Tad who he becomes attached to. Tad helps him try to master his gift and find peace. But then a friend from his childhood, Kayla, wants him to use his gift to find out what really happened to her father, an apparent suicide. But was it really a suicide? Kayla thinks not. Lurking within the story is a pair of serial killers who may be linked to Kayla's father.
Another very superb thriller from Lansdale that I had a hard time putting down. I'll be looking forward to reading more from him.
The protagonist, Harry Wilkes, has had a very unique ability ever since contracting the mumps during childhoodâhe is able to see visions of the past that are triggered by noise in an area where a violent or tragic event has happened. The visions are really a mental hell for him and takes him back to witness some very awful occurrences including accidents and murders. He is unable to live a normal life and is depressed by the brutality he is able to witness. This leads him to drinking which somewhat soothes his tortured mind. Then Harry meets another drunk, a formal martial arts teacher named Tad who he becomes attached to. Tad helps him try to master his gift and find peace. But then a friend from his childhood, Kayla, wants him to use his gift to find out what really happened to her father, an apparent suicide. But was it really a suicide? Kayla thinks not. Lurking within the story is a pair of serial killers who may be linked to Kayla's father.
Another very superb thriller from Lansdale that I had a hard time putting down. I'll be looking forward to reading more from him.
Lansdale's writing makes the impossible seem merely improbable. This story is a murder mystery and psychological thriller with a bit of the supernatural thrown in. The hero of the tale, a young man named Harry, has the unwelcome ability to experience past traumatic events suffered by others when a sound associated with the event occurs. This ability places him in jeopardy when he âexperiences" violent crimes that have happened in the recent past. Lansdale manages the various encounters in a satisfying crescendo of action. Recommended.
Interesting twist on the main character, I liked it but it's kind of weird. If you like Joe Lansdale, you'll probably want to read it.
