[NBK]⇒ [PDF] Devil Footprints A Romance John Burnside 9780099479543 Books

Devil Footprints A Romance John Burnside 9780099479543 Books

Download As PDF : Devil Footprints A Romance John Burnside 9780099479543 Books

Devil Footprints A Romance John Burnside 9780099479543 Books

I never read this author before, but look forward to read more. The plot is gripping, the journey is awesome, the characters as vivid as possible and the writing just perfect.


Tags : Devil's Footprints: A Romance [John Burnside] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. A breathtaking novel by the author of A Lie About My Father,John Burnside,Devil's Footprints: A Romance,Vintage Books USA,0099479540,General & Literary Fiction

Devil Footprints A Romance John Burnside 9780099479543 Books Reviews

Narrator gets away with murder, goes a little nuts, and descends into a stupid muddled stalking routine. Got my attention--what will be the bad karmic outcomes?
The town of Coldhaven in Scotland was never good for the Gardiners; father, mother and child dies by the mother's hand although the son didn't know what the townsfolk were doing to his parents and they were ignorant to what the school bully was doing to him. The townsfolk put dog poop through their mail slot, sent obscene letters and threatening phone calls. The town bully treated the lad in a sadistic fashion until with the advice of a kindly woman he took care of the problem.

He has a fling with Moira who dumped him for brawny Tom. Convinced he was the devil, she killed her two sons and then committed suicide. She made sure her daughter Hazel lived and Michael Gardiner begins to wonder if she was his daughter. He begins following her and since she hates her life she becomes friends with him. While his relationship with his wife falters, the same woman who urged Michael to take care of the town bully pushes him to get Hazel away from her father.

On the surface Coldhaven might look like a nice place to live but it is a cesspool of evil. Parents pass down that legacy to their children who pass it down to their children in a never-ending story that makes newcomers to the village feel the miasma of corruption. Told from the view of the protagonist, readers come to realize that horror is not limited to the supernatural but is stronger when it's humanly personal.

Harriet Klausner
This is a well written book, with a strange looping narrative. The narrator seems like a character from a Richard Ford short story, with limited self-knowledge, as he attempts to piece together the elements of his life. He is affected by a strange lassitude, and a matter-of-fact approach to the various horrendous events of the story, which include his "murder" of an older bully in high school.

There are various hints that this will be an updated version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, or James Hogg's "The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner", but in the end no such luck. The long final section, as the protagonist walks the 100 miles back home after being duped and dumped by the 14 year old girl who may or may not be his daughter, needs editing. And the ending itself is a big fizzle. Where Richard Ford or Raymond Carver could pull this off, Burnside struggles. What does it add up to? Perhaps an extended meditation on place, family, history and destiny .. but no real revelation or resolution. Burnside is, however, worth reading, if for no other reason than his evocative descriptions of light and water.

There is an overarching moodiness to this novel, a disengagement by the protagonist, which reminds me (again) from a line in "Rock Springs", by Richard Ford, where the judgement is this "Earl, you got a character that leaves something out." Unfortunately, the same can be said of this novel. It needs a little something in the way of plot. .. or perhaps some clear thematic resolution.
Up until the ending, this book had 4 stars. The writing was beautiful and the story, while not "sit on the edge of your seat", was captivating enough. But, the ending ruined much of that. It had no "bang". It answered very few of the questions and secrets that were developed earlier in the story. Perhaps it was meant as a commentary on something - but what, I'm not sure. Any of these things individually do not automatically mean a bad ending, but all taken together they do.

I would recommend "Out Backward" by Ross Raisin. It is a very similarly written book and has a similar story and setting (almost alarmingly so - I'm curious as to which of the two was written first), but, in my opinion is a much more complete book.
This book had a strong beginning and seem to promise exploration into themes of guilt and redemption. Unfortunately this did not happen. The drawn out ending seemed to have nothing to do with what went before. The end seemed to indicate that the book was about the protagonist's marriage. Unfortunately, up to that point, it wasn't.
I never read this author before, but look forward to read more. The plot is gripping, the journey is awesome, the characters as vivid as possible and the writing just perfect.