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Critic's Corner
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Reviewed by: Patricia Ann Jones Jimmy Tock, Koontz's protagonist and narrator of this serpentine tale writes: "I wrote this (book) to explain life to myself. The mystery. The humor, dark and light, that is the warp and weft of the weave. The absurdity. The terror. The hope. The joy, the grief. The God we never see except by indirection. "In this I have failed . . . I can't explain the why of life, the patterns of its unfolding. I can't explain it—but, oh, how I love it." On the night Jimmy Tock is born in Snow Village, Colorado's hospital, a terrible storm rages outside. Jimmy's grandfather, Josef Tock, in the same hospital, is dying from a stroke. Rudy, Jimmy's dad moves between the expectant father's waiting room and his dying father's bedside. Just before Josef dies, he regains his speech and predicts, in striking detail, particulars of the imminent birth of his grandson Jimmy. He also foretells five dark days in Jimmy's life—five days of terrible events for which Jimmy must prepare himself. Koontz, in his own inscrutable way, unfolds his tale of "Life Expectancy" covering each of these terrible days with ever increasing suspense. Along the way the characters jump from the page to perform their larger than life roles in ways that frighten the daylights out of you or make you laugh out loud. This is Koontz's forte—combining psychological horror, suspense, and humor. Jimmy meets Lorrie at the local library on the first dreadful day. Lorrie is a young woman whose beauty lies less in her awesome physical appearance than in the fact that she isn't a Freudian automaton and would never allow herself to be defined by those terms; she is nobody's victim, nobody's fool. She is motivated not by what others have done to her, not by envy, not by conviction of moral superiority, but by life's possibilities. For Jimmy, it is love at first sight. You will also meet father and son of the maniacal Beezo family. Maniacs by birth set out on a vengeance that stagger the imagination. What these two have to do with the Tock family becomes a plot twist like no other. Indeed, there are two plot twists that come as lightning from a clear blue sky. The Beezo's are tied up in both. Remember as you read, "When in the presence of a prince of madness, safety lies, if anywhere, in presenting yourself as a member of that same royal family." Jimmy is born into a family of bakers. He, as a baker, is studying to be a pastry chef, and braces himself for the foretold days as best he can. The first occurs in his twentieth year, the second in his twenty-third year; the third in his twenty-eighth; the fourth in his twenty-ninth; and the fifth in his thirtieth. As each fateful day passes, he moves closer to a fate he never could have imagined. For who Jimmy is and what he must accomplish on these five crucial days is a mystery both dangerous and wondrous—a struggle against an evil so dark and pervasive, only the most extraordinary of human spirits can shine through. I selected three quotes that struck me as profound and pertinent to the plot. "You can't scheme to defeat destiny." "When you're playing poker with the devil . . . no one leaves the table before he does." And, "What looks tragic might be comic on second consideration, and what is comic might bring tears in time. Like life." Watch for these and how they fit into this plot of hairpin mood turns. Koontz's fans will know what to expect of this prolific author who takes bizarre situations and makes them completely believable. For other readers, my best advice to you is — prepare to be enchanted. Copyright January 10, 2005 Patricia Ann Jones Save Up to 30% on this book at Amazon.com Jones is a published writer and book reviewer for Tulsa World newspaper. To comment on this review you may email pattij777@aol.com |
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