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| Plot Summary of What Harry Saw |
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"
Riverhead, Sep 2002, 24.95, 320 pp.
ISBN: 1573222240
Following the tradition set by his father and grandfather, Australian Harry Hull is severely wounded serving in Nam. Harry returns to live with his father in the Sidney suburbs. His GI Joe dad, known for drinking beer with a straw due to a World War II injury, obtains a job for his son as a reporter with the Herald. While working there, Harry falls in love with Lucy Whitmoor. They share a seven-year affair while he observes the deterioration of his father.
When Joe dies, Harry feels alone and withdraws emotionally from everyone including Lucy. This ends their relationship as she can no longer reach him. Lucy leaves Sydney carrying Harry's child. When she returns she informs Harry she gave up their child for adoption. Harry needs to know why, but the truth may prove more devastating then he will ever want to see.
Thomas Moran leaves no rock unturned with this insightful look from within of an “emotionally blind” person that seems more like an everyman “nowhere man”. By the time Harry learns the meaning of life, he is too acrimoniously human. The story line is told from Harry's Monday morning perspective as he begins to understand what he lost. WHAT HARRY SAW is well written and as deep and baring as a tale can be, but should carry a warning label that this is also as sobering as any novel has been in years. The light at the end of the tunnel is an on rushing train fueled by despair and hopelessness.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of What Harry Saw |
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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?
- depressed
Time/era of story
- present (2000-2010)
Romance/Romance Problems
Yes
Family, caring for ill
Yes
Who is sick?
- Father
because he/she is
- physically ill
Culture clash?
- family young v. old guard
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Pregnancy/Child rearing
Yes
Major part of story:
- giving up children
Ethnic/regional/gender life
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- journalist
Age:
- 20's-30's
How sensitive is this character?
- 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
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 5 (an average amount)
Asia/Pacific
Yes
Asian country:
- Australia
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
Unusual Style:
- a lot of flashback and forwards
- 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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