Comments on: Damage Assessment http://www.openlettersmonthly.com/book-review-of-spooner-by-pete-dexter/ Just another WordPress weblog Thu, 18 Mar 2010 11:56:53 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Julian Peterson http://www.openlettersmonthly.com/book-review-of-spooner-by-pete-dexter/comment-page-1/#comment-928 Julian Peterson Sun, 21 Feb 2010 20:40:21 +0000 http://www.openlettersmonthly.com/issue/?p=187#comment-928 Mr Sacks has written a good review. For those of us who have not read all of Pete Dexter, he focuses well on recurring themes and characters. Sacks is especailly good on the confusion of poor Spooner who is baffld when his attempts to do right accomplish just the opposite. But he leaves out some of Dexter's most Dickensian figures,which for me make the novel a success. Where else are you going to find a Stanley Feint, the arm damged boxer,or Sylvester Gravee his black hospital roomate ? Graves is tethered to the ceiling where he provides comic relief for the damaged Spooner, even if he sounds dangerously close to Rastus. Julian Peterson Mr Sacks has written a good review.
For those of us who have not read all of Pete Dexter, he focuses well on recurring themes and characters. Sacks is especailly good
on the confusion of poor Spooner who is baffld when his attempts to do right accomplish just the opposite.

But he leaves out some of Dexter’s most Dickensian
figures,which for me make the novel a success.

Where else are you going to find a Stanley Feint, the arm damged boxer,or Sylvester Gravee his black hospital roomate ?
Graves is tethered to the ceiling where he provides comic relief for the damaged Spooner, even if he sounds dangerously close to Rastus.

Julian Peterson

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