Author: Sean Doolittle
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Binding: Hardback
Publication Date: February 2009
A young couple moves into an idyllic little cul-de- sac—and ignites a harrowing journey into darkness as a shocking accusation is made, a family is shattered, and the mystery of a long-ago crime begins to unravel.
Safer is a suburban crime story that echoes Lolita in a suspenseful and immediately engrossing story. Doolittle takes the fears that drive people to Suburbia, the secrets that hide behind closed doors and twists them all through a funhouse mirror and gives us THE nightmare scenario.
The story is told to us in cherry-picked details parsed out and handed to us in a deliberate fashion. Right from the beginning Paul Callaway gets us on his side saving the more judgmental moments for later on. The order of information and his willingness to dance around certain things marks Paul Callaway as a classic example of an unreliable narrator. As he lays out the narrative and paints the picture for us the cul-de-sacs of the story are like the suburban neighborhood of the setting.
The “us” in the last paragraph is important because throughout the book Paul takes a break from the narrative to directly address the reader and in some cases point out the tricks that make him unreliable by deflecting us away from details that are important. There are times when this feels like a magician telling you the mechanics of the trick while he’s performing it and still fooling you anyway.
The strengths of Sean Doolittle’s body of work have always been clearly on display. From Dirt on through to The Cleanup he’s sanded away the rough edges and pushed those strengths into greater relief so that they are now showcased front and center. Not only is Safer a continuation of this trend upward but it shows Doolittle’s growth as an artist and stylist and a willingness to push himself in to new areas with extraordinary results.
That may be the final word but I’d like to give a parting prize for those willing to take it. A question for after you’ve read the book; one for further consideration. Is it possible that Paul Callaway isn’t as he seems and that he is more complicit in the action and the crimes committed then the surface story would suggest? Or to phrase the question another way; Lolita was a confession and given its influence is Safer one too? A close re-read MAY or may not bear this out but I look forward to jumping back into the book again to find out.
Well played Mr. D, well played.
For a brief podcast on the origins of and some of the ideas behind Safer please go here.
