S. E. Hinton
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Subjects -> Literature & Fiction -> Genre Fiction -> Horror -> Dark Fantasy
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 68
Average rating: 2.5 of 5
Not Really Horror But Worth the Time 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
This is SE Hinton's first novel in over fifteen years, according to the blurb on the back. As such, there are many expectations that can come regarding the author of such works as The Outsiders, Rumble Fish, and That was Then, This is Now. Almost inevitably, Hawkes Harbor will be compared to those works that most of us will remember fondly from our younger years.
Unfortunately, Hawkes Harbor just doesn't live up to The Outsiders, which is unfair to Hawkes Harbor. On its own, Hawkes Harbor actually ends up being a very nice story. However, it does suffer on a couple of points. There is a lot of jumping back and forth in time as the main character, Jamie, struggles to remember his past while in a mental institution. Whether or not the feeling is on purpose, the disjointedness of the piecemeal recall can be disorienting and disheartening.
Also, as with the expectation of Rumble Fish quality, the reader may be confounded by expectation of plot and/or genre. Due to some of the reviews and blurbs on the covers, some people will come in with the expectation of a supernatural thriller, but the book doesn't start out like one, instead choosing to set the stage through the flashback scenes. Once involved in the book, it doesn't read like a normal supernatural thriller or romance in the vein of an Anita Blake novel. What the novel truly ends up focused on are relationships between Jamie and other characters and how those relationships change. There are certainly some exciting and terrifying moments, but more importance is placed on how people change and the evolution of their interpersonal relationships. In this exploration of perception and misperception is where there is some common ground with Hinton's previous, more well known works.
In the final analysis, I found the book very rewarding. I was ready to put it down in the middle due to the disjointed recollection of past events, but wanted to stay with it due to the book's relatively short length. In staying the course, I found the exploration of different relationships ultimately very satisfying. The jumping back and forth will kill off some readers' enthusiasm as will false expectations of what the book is supposed to be about. In the end, the enjoyment each person will derive from Hawkes Harbor will ultimately be up to that individual's taste. Your reaction will be a very personal thing.
Editorial Review:
An orphan and a bastard, Jamie Sommers grew up knowing he had no hope of heaven. Conceived in adultery and born in sin, Jamie was destined to repeat the sins of his parents--or so the nuns told him. And he proved them right. Taking to sea, Jamie sought out danger and adventure in exotic ports all over the world as a smuggler, gunrunner--and murderer. Tough enough to handle anything, he's survived foreign prisons, pirates, and a shark attack. But in a quiet seaside town in Delaware, Jamie discovered something that was enough to drive him insane-and change his life forever. For it was in Hawkes Harbor that Jamie came face to face with the ultimate evil....
