Let me turn you on to "The Turnaround"

I was slow to read George Pelecanos' The Turnaround - so slow that it's now out in paperback - because a friend whom I usually trust said it was only so-so. She generally likes Pelecanos, but was unmoved in this case.

But I was spurred on by finishing Pelecanos' new novel, The Way Out,  and I was in a Pelecanos state of mind. So I reached next for what I had: The Turnaround. Figured: how bad could it be?

The verdict: It's not bad. It's good! A moving, solid story, about fathers and sons, how the sins of the past inform our present, how crime affects us as victims and perpetrators, a call to consider forgiveness no matter how badly you've been treated. You know, the usual depth and intelligence and socially aware sort of stuff you expect from Pelecanos. I wouldn't say it's better than his best (in my mind The Night Gardener and Right as Rain), but I'd definitely advise fans to check it out. Of course most of his fans have more sense than me and have already read it...

Comments

[Alex S.]

I really enjoyed it, too. But liked The Way Home a bit more. I think he was trying a little too hard on The Turnaround.