BookOpinion

BOOKOPINION REVIEW: I have read many Dean Koontz books, and none have left me feeling as tormented as the author’s latest novel, “The Darkest Evening of the Year“. Koontz offers up an array of hideous antagonists, the worst of which made me literally sick to my stomach. Part of the torment comes from his graphic descriptions of dog abuse and child abuse. Koontz’s beloved dog, Trixie, passed away recently, and that sorrow is obvious throughout the book. Having lost my own beloved dog recently, I thoroughly empathize.

Dogs, specifically Golden Retrievers, are some of the most vivid characters of the novel, which centers mainly on the life of Amy Redwing, whose life revolves around rescuing dogs. The novel opens as Amy and her boyfriend, Brian, are in rescue mode, attempting to save a dog from a wife/child beater who doubles as the killer of the family pets. After saving both the family and the dog, Amy takes the dog in to live with her other beloved Goldens, but Nickie, this new dog, is special, forming unusual bonds and connections with both people and other dogs.

The novel flips back and forth between the protaganists’ (Amy and Brian) story and the villains, an unsavory cast of lowlife private detectivies, hitmen, and two others who will make your skin crawl. I enjoyed getting to know Amy, but I never felt like Brian became a full character. I didn’t feel the sympathy for him that Amy and several others garnered. Some of the book felt a little rushed, unusual for a Koontz book, which can sometimes be a bit overburdened with detail.

This is a dark book, darker still if you are a true dog lover. Anyone who can read this book and not want to rush down to the nearest animal shelter and bring home a couple dogs (or a cat) to love, has a heart of stone. The thing to love about Dean Koontz is that he has no illusion that the world is not a dark and evil place, yet he always offers to the reader protagonists that defy the darkness and manage to find hope and peace. “The Darkest Evening of the Year” is no exception.

I still say “Life Expectancy” (which I just reread for the fourth time) is his greatest work, but any true Koontz fan should enjoy this latest book. Now that I have devoured this latest, I will try to patiently await the release of the next Odd Thomas book, which is scheduled for April, 2008. In the meantime, I will try to convince my husband that we need to make a trip to the local animal shelter in the near future.

– Jane Leisteiner