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A group of men have come together as a family in a large city. The world sees them as homeless, but they see the worth and talents each brings, and have banded together to take care of each other. Ho is a former martial arts instructor who walked away from fame and fortune when he decided he was losing his honor by gaining riches. Lamont is a former convict and poet, now a man who drinks to make it through the day. Michael was a high-roller; a stockbroker with all the accomplishments of wealth until he became a gambler and lost all that he had accumulated. Brewster is a high-functioning schizophrenic, rejected by his family and on and off of his medicine. Target is a damaged man that none of the others understand. Ranger is a Vietnam vet who returned physically but not mentally from those brutal fields.
This group comes together to accomplish a goal, something that is compellingly important to one of the group. Each man contributes what talents he has and they work together to accomplish their task. As they work, each also starts to let go of his demons and move toward a healthier place; helped by each other when nothing society had to offer seemed to help at all. The theme is that each man has his own truth, his 'haiku' and his life task is working toward the discovery of this inner truth and honor.
Readers will recognize Andrew Vachss as the author of the Burke series; eighteen books that have some of the same themes. That series focuses on how society ignores the helpless; children who are molested and women who are degraded and brutalized. Burke and his group of friends work together to save these victims. In this series, the theme has been twisted a bit to show that there are other victims of society; the homeless who each have a story and an event that has put them where they are. Another twist is that now the same individuals others would see as victims have the ability to save themselves as well as others. Fans of previous Vachss books will enjoy Haiku; it uses the same sparse writing and the themes of honor and protection of those less able to help themselves. This book is recommended for readers of crime and mystery books.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted April 18, 2010
Lots of things to like about this novel: its down-and-out characters, its hard-won and hard-edged wisdom, its plot coming down to a rather mundane activity, moving a library.
The heart of the novel, revealed piece by piece, story by story, concerns exile, penance, and, for some, possibly, a less-fragmented life.
Like haiku, Ho, the narrator and main character, travels light, listens well, speaks little, sees and feels much, but quietly.
I never thought of haiku as hard-won or of a single haiku as a life practice; that aside, this stark novel has a season & cuts deeply into the seasons of our lives.
Anonymous
Posted January 30, 2010
While Vachss still writes this story in a dark mood, his character development is lacking. Didn't really enjoy the ending but will continue to read Vachss - Burke is still an awesome character, bring him back!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted January 4, 2010
I'd noticed in the last 3 or 4 Vachss novels in the Burke series that he seemed to be mailing it in. It was as if those books weren't meant to be read by any outsiders but only things to be written out and understood in only Vachss' head. My hope was all that would change with the departure of the Burke character and the introduction of his newest novel, Haiku. How wrong I was. It's gotten worse. Vachss seems to no longer be writing for the reader but rather for his own self absorbtion. He's designed his own language and inserted those words into characters less believable than any in Harry Potter novels. For me Vachss is done. He's no longer relevant to my reading list.
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Posted April 2, 2010
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Posted March 20, 2011
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Posted September 9, 2010
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Posted May 5, 2011
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Overview
From the author of the acclaimed Burke series comes a sharply affecting new novel about a group of outcasts who undertake a “mission” to save a schizophrenic’s hidden treasure.When his most beloved student dies as a result of what he believes to be his misguidance, Ho renounces his position as a revered sensei, abandons his dojo and all of his possessions, and embarks on a journey of atonement on the streets of New York City. Here a group of homeless men gather around him: Michael, a gambler who lost it all; Ranger, a psychotic Vietnam veteran; Lamont, an ex-con, poet, and alcoholic in that order; Target, a compulsive “clanger”; and Brewster, the...