Hungry Ghost

Rating:
Summary: Sadly Flat
Review: I really wanted to love this book. I ordered it hoping that it might work for a class I teach on Buddhism. Ultimately, I found it silly and rather self-aggrandizing. I don't like how Tom Robbins now writes thinly veiled didactic books: he tells you he has the coolest tastes and the coolest worldview, and spends the length of the text telling you all about this. In some ways I feel that Kachtick may have fallen into this trap: I got the sense that he was writing just to convince us that his ways are the coolest ways, and that we should adopt them: his character development is weak--he writes characters to symbolize stereotypes, making judgments about most of them as he goes. His female protagonist is a wimpy virginal character who tags along with the male protagonists' ideas and mood swings (gender conscious folks will probably cringe at the character). The main character himself is so internally unhappy and unlikable that I felt relieved when the book ended. Kachtick made the embarrassing mistake of adding a James Bond escape-from-prison-hero-type-scenario that was so ridiculously out of place and cliche.
I admire Kachtick for what he seemed to be going for--to show us a character imprisoned in his own consumerist appetites, as well as a character who successfully works toward transcendence of these appetites. We need more of this, more fiction that portrays the ills of our times, as well as the medicine (according to Kachtick, Buddha Dharma). This book, however, just felt far too flat, and with far TOO clear of a point, to really hit. I will give him this credit: the book had me drawn in enough, like a sugary t.v. show, to keep me reading until the end. Also, his portrayal of the state where one fully drowns oneself in sense pleasures was right-on.
I know that the author does amazingly valuable work with the Lineage Project, teaching meditation to incarcerated youth,so,ultimately, I thank Keith for putting himself (and his tastes and worldview) out there.

Rating:
Summary: A LITERATE, Character-driven Page-turner!
Review: I stayed up way past bedtime to finish this story! It left me with a wonderful satisfied feeling I wish I got from more novels. I feel I know the characters really well--their good points and quirks, the tiny details of their minds and hearts and environments, their blind spots and flaws--although one of the things I most appreciate is the way Kachtick never judges these flaws, but remains consistently compassionate toward his very human characters.
So far this review makes Hungry Ghost sound like a character-driven novel, and it is that, but it is also an exciting can't-put-it-down page-turner with twists and turns that surprised me again and again. Not too many novels I have come across are so strong on both plot and character. It's moving, it's inventive, and it's funny--I was often laughing at the scrapes these characters found themselves in, their take on things, and the author's clever structural decisions as well.
All of this comes to us through a beautiful, fresh, accomplished prose that is a pleasure in itself. This is a wise, charming, entertaining and generous novel, highly recommended for fans of smart adventure, for lovers of good writing, and for spiritual seekers of all stripes.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Read
Review: This is a fantastic book -- compelling characters, unexpected twists, and great adventure. If you like adventure stories, you are in for a treat. In the end, however, this is a book about transformation and one man coming to terms with how to live in a way true to his heart. I really enjoyed such a finely written book with such a good message. This book is for anyone interested in adventure, Buddhism, transformation, or simply a good story.