freedomland

I have just finished reading by Richard Price. What a heartbreaking and powerful story. It is a complicated story about crime, and racial tension. The story is set around the main characters Brenda Martin, whose son is missing, detective Lorenzo, and an eager news reporter, Jesse.

The story opens with Brenda Martin walking in a daze down a street in a depressed, inner city area of New Jersey. You are not sure what exactly has happened to her, but you know it isn't good. As the story unfolds, you can't help feeling sorry for this woman, even though all the signs are that she is not being honest with anyone, including herself, and has somehow become completely isolated from everyone around her - her family, her work colleagues, and her neighbors. In fact, that seems to be the common thread which binds these three dominant characters together. The detective, who struggles to retain control of the Armstrong housing project that he polices, is torn between being friend and confidante to the often desperate people in the neighborhood, and maintaining law and order strictly by the book. His own personal relationship with his wife and children also adds to his isolation. Jesse, the reporter, also lives a kind of lonely life, chasing after that "special story" then phoning in the details to someone in her office, never quite making a real connection with anyone.

As the harrowing tale develops, the tension builds in the sultry, claustrophobic heat of a late New Jersey summer, adding to everyone's fear and frustration. One error in judgment leads to another, causing potentially catastrophic results along the way. You are not quite sure how things are going to turn out at any point, but you know that at any moment someone's pent up anger, hatred, and fear could tip the balance in a city that is waiting to explode.

I am not going to tell you how it ends, but it is a great story, challenging us to think about issues that we would probably rather avoid, and although it is a work of fiction, you could still see this tragic tale happening in one of our cities. If you don't read the book, please go and see the movie when it comes out.