We Are All Accomplices.

Book Review of “Saint John of the Five Boroughs” by Edward Falco

This book is the first novel I have read by Edward Falco. I will be sure to read the rest soon. When I picked this book up at my local library I was not sure what to expect. Saint John? I am Catholic so I of course thought of the New Testament…The Five Boroughs? Well, I thought New York City…I was close enough.

It is a nicely layered novel about a period of transition for a group of people whose lives are related by marriage, etc.

Avery is a college senior. An art major, in Virginia.

Grant is an artist from Brooklyn, New York.

Kate, Avery’s mother, is a widow, living in Salem, Virginia.

Hank, Kate’s brother-in-law, is married to Lindsey. They have an 8 year old son named Keith.

Now this seems like a lot of characters…But Falco introduces them at a nice pace. Each is clearly defined, and there is no confusing their storylines.

Early on Avery meets Grant under awkward circumstances, and they have a strange interlude. Afterwards she decides to move to Brooklyn with him and drop out of college.

At this time, Lindsey is unsure about her future. She and Hank have been married for sometime. Hank is older than her by more than a few years. They have an eight year old son. Her mother is deceased and her father is in a nursing home. She seems to be unsettled by the fact that her brother is involved in the war in Iraq. She is still searching for something…

Once in Brooklyn, Avery is very attracted to Grant’s world and his “artist life style”. But Grant is largely about his own darkness. But still, Avery is very happy. She meets some interesting people thru Grant. Avery finds a job at a restaurant and feels she is building a life for herself.

Her family does not hear from her often enough… Kate and Hank and Lindsey come to look for her in New York and many things change for all of them…

Much of this book deals with the effects of certain decisions we make. What manifests afterwards.

I often write of my desire to read about artists. To try to understand their life and what drives their creativity. This book reminded me of my late teens and early twenty’s. What a rush it was to leave home at 18 and head off to college. Back then I craved meeting new people. I remember how cool it was to meet certain people and find an instant attraction to them. Maybe because you saw in them, what you had always imagined you would be. There were certain things you wanted to experience. If only for just a short time. To be away from your parents. To be on your own. To try to make a life for yourself. A sort of maturity. A sort of redemption. Growth.

It was these kinds of things that “Saint John of the Five Boroughs” did for me. Reminded me of the growth that can occur in a short period of time. I really did enjoy this book. I guarantee that you will relate to some of the characters. You will be able to empathize with at least one of them. It is a story that will make you think, feel and remember…