“Enter Oblivion”–the changing world

 

Harris, C.M. “Enter Oblivion”, Casperian Books, 2010.

 

The Changing World

 

Amos Lassen

 

We all know the importance of family and family like everything else is changing in our modern world. Our hero, Vince has had some important changes in his life too. He was raised in Brooklyn and became a boxer and a thug with his future promising him a place in the world of crime with the Narducci family. There is a problem, however—Vince is on the run. The novel is set in the 1980’s in London and when we first meet Vince he has been wounded. The reason for this becomes evident later. Vince’s life seems to be one of poor choices. He stole traveler’s checks from a British tourist and this is why he has gone to London. Once there he has to decide what he will do with the rest of his life and that decision weighs on him. As he explores the hostilities, he meets a cast of fascinating characters—a drag queen, a pop star, a skinhead.

This is a difficult book to review without spoiling the plot so I am not even going to try. This is more than just a coming of age story, it is a tribute to the past, to that decade of the 1980’s when music was important and life was very different. This is also more than a romance; it is also about redemption and it is about the importance of family and friendship.

The prose is lush, the plot is thick and layered and it is a wonderful reading experience. The only problem is that you will have to wait until publication in April to read it.