Novel, 1970

A slim, simple tale, boldly written, in which the trajectory of the main character has an almost Homeric, heroic feel about it. This is a book of a few contrasts and a thin hold on sanity, but there’s a real drive and compulsion leaping off the pages. The characters – particularly the three in charge of the library – have a real vibrancy, while descriptions place the world of late twentieth century San Francisco in an alien bubble, while escape leads to further troubling surroundings. There’s a fragility and beauty here, which his hard to fully explain.