Dean Koontz's latest thriller, "Sole Survivor," is an exceptional book, mixing horror and euphoria in a tasty literary cocktail.
The story centers around a newspaper reporter named Joe Carpenter who lost his wife and children in a plane crash. The book opens on the one-year anniversary of the tragedy.
Joe has still not recovered. He sleeps and eats little, waiting for death to take him. He suffers frequent anxiety attacks where he imagines himself on the falling 747 with his family.
Koontz manages to weave terrible scenes of violence and destruction with gleaming moments of hope and euphoric happiness, treating the reader to both. If a reader is a fan of suspense, mystery or even religious stories, "Sole Survivor" provides enough to maintain interest.
At the cemetery, having built up the fortitude to visit the graves of his loved ones, he discovers people following him.
Later at the same graveyard, he meets Rose Tucker, a charismatic African-American woman who is photographing the gravestones of Joe's family. The reporter barely has time to speak with him before the persons following her arrive and she flees, with the stalkers in hot pursuit.
Curious to discover who this woman is, and why people are pursuing both her and him, Joe begins an investigation. As the investigation deepens, he realizes that these pursuers are inextricably intertwined with the tragedy of the 747 crash.
The story gets even weirder at this point. Joe encounters government cover-ups and a series of mysterious and violent suicides -- all the stuff that makes "The X-Files" so immensely popular.
Yet a dash of the supernatural is added, which translates the supernatural nature of the story into something far more fascinating.
All of this texture is conveyed with writing of unparalleled quality. As Joe Carpenter's world seems to grow more and more impossible around him, Koontz periodically throws in a vivid description or clever simile which brings to life the relatively ordinary existence of the characters who are not as complex as the paranoid Joe Carpenter.
The story is set in Southern California, and Koontz describes the complexities of life in Los Angeles and the surrounding area in great detail.
The best part of the book is Koontz's insight into the psychological state of Joe Carpenter. Carpenter's despairing indifference at the beginning of the tale evolves through various stages of rage, paranoia and fervent hope. His attitude towards God goes through even more dynamic changes, which are similarly fascinating to the reader.
There is a decidedly apocalyptic tone to the story, and though recently this genre of writing has become as overexploited as the legal thriller, "Sole Survivor" manages to be incredibly gripping and innovative.
I shall put it bluntly: READ THIS BOOK.
