Review: The Turnaround & Giveaway

Summary: On a hot summer afternoon in 1972, three teenagers drove into an unfamiliar neighborhood and six lives were altered forever.

Thirty five years later, one survivor of that day reaches out to another, opening a door that could lead to salvation. But another survivor is now out of prison, looking for reparation in any form he can find it.

THE TURNAROUND takes us on a journey from the rock-and-soul streets of the '70s to the changing neighborhoods of D.C. today, from the diners and auto garages of the city to the inside of Walter Reed Army Medical Hospital, where wounded men and women have returned to the world in a time of war. A novel of fathers and sons, wives and husbands, loss, victory and violent redemption, THE TURNAROUND is another compelling, highly charged novel from George Pelecanos, "the best crime novelist in America." -Oregonian -- Back Bay Books

Thanks to Miriam at Hachette, I recently discovered a new-to-me author George Pelecanos. As a one-time resident of the DC metro area, I have been familiar with his work both as an author and a writer/producer of The Wire for a number of years; but for some reason, I had not picked up one of his novels until a few weeks ago when I read THE WAY HOME -- you can read my review here. I enjoyed that novel a great deal and immediately picked up THE TURNAROUND. I found that I liked this one even more!

There are so many great things to say about this novel, but I was blown away by how Mr. Pelecanos set the tone for this story. I mentioned earlier that I lived in the DC suburbs for over 10 years and even worked in the city for quite a few of those. While I didn't really spend too much time in the places he writes about, I can attest that his descriptions of the area are incredibly real. Even if you aren't familiar with these places, I have no doubt that you will see them vividly through his words and even "feel" as if you are there. In addition, I love how Mr. Pelecanos incorporates music and songs into this story. Not only do the songs help set the tone of the book, but they also help make the characters more real and allow the reader a better understanding of them.

Perhaps my favorite part of this novel was in how Mr. Pelecanos handled the entire wounded veteran storyline. I love how he showed that Walter Reed isn't this horrible place that is so often covered in the news (having said that, it is in desperate need of renovations.) He portrayed the employees as being very noble people who truly make a difference in these soldiers' lives. In addition, I can't say enough about how Mr. Pelecanos portrayed the wounded veterans. I think we all appreciate what these young men and women have done for our country; however, I know I often times forget the cost it can be to them personally. Mr. Pelecanos did an incredible job of showing how strong these soldiers are and how optimistic and hopeful they continue to be as they are faced with adversity.

I read both THE WAY HOME and THE TURNAROUND in preparation for the BlogTalk Radio show with Mr. Pelecanos that was took place in mid-April. I was fortunate enough to get to ask him a question or two! And while I liked both books, I really appreciated them after listening to Mr. Pelecanos talk about his writing. I found his passion towards the characters and the social issues that he discussed to be admirable. I was also so impressed with how much research he conducts while writing his novels. Plus, I thought he was just a brilliant man who constantly was saying insightful things. I now consider myself to be a big fan and can't wait to go back and read his earlier books.

Although I really liked THE TURNAROUND, I'm not sure that it a book that is going to appeal to everyone. Mr. Pelecanos' books are very real and often times "gritty," so I tend to think that men will probably enjoy them more (however, I hate to make a general statement like that.) I will say that the male characters in his books are extremely complex and well-developed, and I know that they would be fascinating to analyze and discuss. I also think it would be very interesting to delve into the themes of change and redemption. There is a reading group guide available if you'd like to take a look at the issues in this novel, or you can read an excerpt of Chapter 1 here.

If you are interested in winning a copy of THE TURNAROUND (I just happen to have received an extra one), please leave a comment telling me if you've ever read a book by Mr. Pelecanos or if you've seen The Wire. For an extra entry or two, you can blog and/or tweet about this contest with a link back to this post. I will accept entries until Friday, May 22nd at 11:59 p.m.; and I will announce the winner the following day. This contest is open to those of you with U.S. or Canada mailing addresses only. Good luck!