The Big Clear, by Christopher Harris
The Big Clear by Christopher Harris
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Christopher Harris is known mostly as a fantasy football expert - he writes for ESPN and previously wrote for TalentedMrRoto.com - where I also wrote. While we exchange emails from time to time, I think I can be fairly unbiased in my review here (as I was with his first novel, Slotback Rhapsody) when I say that this is a very enjoyable book throughout.
The Big Clear is a noir mystery, which is evident from the cover and even from the title, which pays homage to such great noir films as The Big Sleep, Lebowski, etc. Set during the beginning of the Iraq War in 2003, it tells the story of Mason "Dub" Storm, a special forces veteran who now lives in Austin, TX. He is a gumshoe, a private detective, but not a particularly bold one - he tends to spend more of this time getting high with his friends Kid and Pete, and doing much of nothing except thinking about (and trying to forget) his days in Somalia, etc.
Like many great noir stories, The Big Clear begins as one thing and morphs slowly into something else. It is, presumably, the story of a missing boy - who turns out to be the nephew of Heather Easley, a rich, beautiful former classmate of Dub's. Dub is hired by Heather's sister, who has problems of her own - and the story takes off from there. While the book stays true to the noir/detective genre, it also has its own voice - and one that I greatly enjoyed.
(One nod I liked, whether Harris did it intentionally or not, was the use of "..." to express someone who is in a conversation but not responding. This, in my mind, is a nod to David Foster Wallace who used this often, and as one of my favorite people and authors, can't be acknowledged often enough. So, kudos to that!)
If I have one complaint, it is that midway through the book there is an extended flashback to Somalia, for important reasons that become apparent later on. However, I enjoyed the Austin story so much that I raced through it, hoping to get back to the characters I was more invested in. That's a backhanded compliment, I know, but it's the only part of the book that gave me any pause, mostly because I enjoyed the other parts so much.
Christopher Harris always has a way with words, whether it's painting a visual canvas of the Austin morning or the spartan conversation between two characters who want little to do with each other, or his more familiar way of breaking down the RB situation in Denver. (I think Montae Ball is going to get the job.) Here, he creates a new world that is completely engaging, suprising and true to the noir genre. The ending feels honest, doesn't cut corners and should leave every reader satisfied and looking for more.
Check out The Big Clear!