If this is the truth, then you can keep it!
Written: Dec 29 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Engaging enough story line.
Strong comment on man exploiting man.
Cons: Not too many laughs.
Never going to be a "must read" book.
The Bottom Line:
Very dark and depressing tale of cynicism, and truth, as a small town newspaper reports on a murder during the 1970's industrial depression.
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| cr01's Full Review: Michael Collins - The Keepers of Truth |
"The Keepers Of Truth", is a starkly depressing book set in that distant depressed era of the late 1970's, in a small industrial town on the edge of the American great plains.
The narrator of the book is Bill, a trainee manager and cub reporter for the towns only newspaper, "The Truth".
Bill is a deeply cynical man who feels the industrial decline of the town very keenly - once great steel mills and proud manufacturing plants of refridgerators and car parts, clanked in this town - and Bill's father and grandfather owned the now defunct refridgerator company (yes, they were "fridge magnates"!).
Now with the advent of the late 1970's industrial depression, factories are crumbling and silent, unemployment and suicides at a record high.
Bill's life is at a parallel with this town's decay, as he lives alone in a crumbling mansion, alongside the town zoo. The newspaper company is in terminal decline, with little local news to report on, and is being shaded by the local TV news programmes. His boss is close to retirement, and is in negotiation to close the newspaper down, and the only other employee, an aged photographer, has terminal cancer. Bill lives too, with his father's failure, a failure which led to his suicide, four years previously.
Suddenly, an escape route appears for Bill and his newspaper colleagues - the town tear-away, a steriod popping, tatooed, burger bar chef, Ronnie, suddenly announces that his no-good father is missing.
A severed finger is found, and murder by Ronnie, is suspected.
Suddenly, Bill has a chance to make a name for himself, and move on. His boss can bow out with a coup, and the town can forget about its woes for a while.
The book follows the cynical attempts by each of the main charactors to cash in on the events - Ronnie negotiates a pay rise, as ghouls and freaks come in droves to watch him fry bloody hamburgers, the newspaper drums up the story to negotiate a better selling price and to establish Bill's name, and Ronnies ex spreads tale and rumour to try to get Ronnie convicted, so she can inherit the family home.
While the book is certainly engaging enough, with plenty of action and twists in the tale to create interest, "The Keepers of Truth" is never going to be a huge seller or prize winner, with it's unusual and slightly disconcerting subject matter, and sadly predictable ending.
"The Keepers of Truth", was published in 1999, and like I, you should find the book heavily discounted. At the price I paid ($3), this is a good purchase.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
cr01
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 in Hotels & Travel |
 in Books |
 - Top 500 |
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Member: Chris
Location: Yorkshire, England
Reviews written: 363
Trusted by: 343 members
About Me:
Phew, Poland, Italy and a successful job interview under my belt... catching up!
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