How do I begin? The book, Los Alamos, has a solid plot and excellent historical references, but the author has quite a ways to go with his character development and storyline skills. The central figure, Michael Connolly, remained a relative unknown throughout the book. There was no indication of his age, past experience before working for the government, previous marital or relationship status, education level, hobbies, etc, etc, etc. to extent that Connolly remained a familiar stranger throughout the book. His romantic interest, Emma, was developed very similarly, with more previous history given of her life, but many parts still missing.
Joseph Kanon relied heavily on conversations between individuals to reveal and develop many parts of his storyline, but as a reader, I always felt that I was not privy to all of each conversation, leaving me grasping and trying desperately to divine what was left out of the conversation. Characters introduced throughout the book left me scrambling a few pages later to remember who they were or why they mattered.
Kanon's description of the area around Los Alamos and Santa Fe did not generate clear visuals in my mind of how the area actually looked. I've visited that area in New Mexico a number of times, and Kanon's descriptions are so lacking that they make me wonder if he has ever set foot in New Mexico.
This is Mr. Kanon's first novel, and it shows. I'm glad I acquired the book through Paperback Swap and not from a bookstore for $25.
Joseph Kanon relied heavily on conversations between individuals to reveal and develop many parts of his storyline, but as a reader, I always felt that I was not privy to all of each conversation, leaving me grasping and trying desperately to divine what was left out of the conversation. Characters introduced throughout the book left me scrambling a few pages later to remember who they were or why they mattered.
Kanon's description of the area around Los Alamos and Santa Fe did not generate clear visuals in my mind of how the area actually looked. I've visited that area in New Mexico a number of times, and Kanon's descriptions are so lacking that they make me wonder if he has ever set foot in New Mexico.
This is Mr. Kanon's first novel, and it shows. I'm glad I acquired the book through Paperback Swap and not from a bookstore for $25.
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