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chriswolak's review
3.0
I could relate to the games people played within their relationships and with themselves. It was fascinating to watch various characters begin to tire of their games, see how they hit a wall, and then struggle to learn new behaviors. Through finding themselves, they rediscover each other and vice versa. I think the novel is a great lesson in how while it isn't painless to live an honest life (as in authentic), it is much more rewarding and does make life easier in some ways.
It disturbed me that Sonny leaves Joe to die in the tunnel. This scene seemed a bit too dark for the rest of the novel. Joe is a scumbag and I figured he'd get what's coming to him. However, I had become a bit sympathetic towards Sonny and was hopeful about his future prospects, but to have a new start as the result of Joe's horrible, preventable death really causes me to question Sonny's ability to ever have a strong and stable foundation. But then, perhaps he'll never quit playing games.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book. At first I thought it was corny that Haynes had the climax--which I see as when most of the characters reach their own sense of independence from their own games--leading up to America's Independence Day, but then, perhaps, I have a small streak of cynicism. Issues about the land are threaded through the book, so the 4th of July aspect works on a broader level, too.
It disturbed me that Sonny leaves Joe to die in the tunnel. This scene seemed a bit too dark for the rest of the novel. Joe is a scumbag and I figured he'd get what's coming to him. However, I had become a bit sympathetic towards Sonny and was hopeful about his future prospects, but to have a new start as the result of Joe's horrible, preventable death really causes me to question Sonny's ability to ever have a strong and stable foundation. But then, perhaps he'll never quit playing games.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book. At first I thought it was corny that Haynes had the climax--which I see as when most of the characters reach their own sense of independence from their own games--leading up to America's Independence Day, but then, perhaps, I have a small streak of cynicism. Issues about the land are threaded through the book, so the 4th of July aspect works on a broader level, too.
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