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| Plot Summary of Tearjerker |
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"
Graywolf Press, Oct 2004, 15.00, 224 pp.
ISBN: 1555974090
As far back as he can remember Evan Ulmer has wanted to be a writer. After years of receiving rejection letters, he snaps. He abducts New York editor Robert Partnow at gun point. He places his “guest” in the basement of his home in Saxhurst, New Jersey. The basement is contained by a chain link fence and even has a porto-toilet. Obviously Evan has planned this caper for some time. Bob remains incarcerated for forty-five days, but Evan never physically harmed him in anyway and they actually shared meaningful dialogues. Bob believes that if they met in a more acceptable manner, they would have been friends.
At the same as the kidnapping, Evan meets Promise, a woman over a decade younger than him who also wants to become a writer. Her optimism grips Evan, who gives away too much information. Promise goes to Evan's house demanding to see the basement. He shows her and she demands he free Bob.
There is very little action in the TEARJERKER as the story line contains conversations between the three primary players.The protagonist cannot explain to himself why he kidnapped Bob, but a lot of what is inside Evan and his prisoner come out during their discussions. This crime thriller is different in tone than most of the sub-genre because of the dialogues and the ironic ending. Readers will like this predominantly passive character study that subtly keeps the audience attention from the moment Evan acts until the final chat.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Tearjerker |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book?
- thoughtful
Time/era of story
- present (2000-2010)
Life of a profession:
- writer
Crime & Police story
Yes
Story of
- criminal becomes sensitive
- kidnapping
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Job/Profession/Status story
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- writer
Age:
- 20's-30's
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- none
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Northeast
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
Unusual Style:
- a lot of stream of consciousness
Amount of dialog
- significantly more dialog than descript
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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