Mr. White's Confession : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: A stunning, lyrical tale
Review: Though it has flaws, heaven knows, this tale of trampled innocence is moving, at times beautifully written, and deeply satisfying. If the title character's quasi-religious epiphany at the end doesn't reach quite the heights of profundity the author clearly intended, it nevertheless evokes a powerful sense of empathy and pity from the reader. The antagonist's final actions before abruptly departing from the pages of the novel are mysterious indeed (a less polite reader might attribute this to the writer's clumsiness), but in some ways fit perfectly into the novel's existential scheme. An awfully good read.

Rating:
Summary: Contemporary mystery set in the noir world of the past...
Review: Two dance-hall girls are murdered in the Minneapolis of the late 1930s, and a slightly retarded man is falsely imprisoned for their crimes. The story alternates between the diary entries of the suspect, Mr. White, and the life of the police detective charged with solving the crime. This contemporary mystery set in the noir world of the past is an engaging story that leaves the reader with a bittersweet feeling.

Rating:
Summary: A Mystery about the Mystery and Beauty of Life
Review: What a marvelous novel: a searching exploration of memory, love, beauty, good/evil, and the hideously mistreated victim, who endures life and takes himself to a higher spiritual plateau. This novel is soaked in mystery, albeit most of it not of the superficial kind that litters most mysteries by, for example, Sandford, Grafton, Patterson, E. George. Readers enjoy a speed read through the kinds of novels written by most mystery authors. I have no quarrel with them. But I would argue vehemently that one Mr. White's Confession is worth more than all the "speed read" novels put together. I am of course making a value judgment, a rather absolute one, but the depth and beauty of this novel demands praise and the most heartfelt entreaty that if you are reading this commentary that you read this novel--your life will be enriched. This novel almost broke my heart at several points. But what it really did is stir into my consciousness the memories of love and beauty in my own life; it made me take stock of where I have been and how important it is that my future create memories that are full of love and beauty. Read this book and be the wiser for having read it.

Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece
Review: While this is touted as a mystery novel, and even won the Edgar, it is far, far more. It is, in fact, a frist rate novel in every respect. The reader will be faced with two enormous unanswered questions before the last page. One has to believe that the author intended it that way, to make the reader think about those questions for days and days. If you only read one novel this year, make it this one.