Sign in with Facebook
Tracy Towley's Reviews > The Zero
The Zero
by
by
I typically read several books at a time because reading one book for 4 hours makes it difficult for me to concentrate. Switching between two or three books is much easier for me.
This was the first book I've read this year where I found myself unable to pick up another book because the story was simply too engaging.
The Zero starts off with the protagonist waking up on the floor while someone is banging loudly on his front door. He quickly looks around the room to note the empty bottles of liquor, as well as a discarded gun. Within a few minutes he realizes that his head is actually matted with blood - as a result of a self-inflicted gunshot to his head.
Soon we learn that the book takes place days after September 11, 2001. The main character is some sort of police officer whose job it is to take celebrities and politicians on tours of ground zero. His partner is a real asshole, who expresses several times his gratitude for the attacks, as it's lead to many perks for him.
There isn't a lot more I can say about the book without giving it away, but I do need to mention that the story is told in bits and pieces. The main character is losing bits of time and as the story progresses, the gap in his memory gets wider and wider. Eventually he's missing whole days.
I'd read many reviews of this book and was a little concerned, as some people expressed annoyance with how the book was written. As I mentioned, the main character has huge gaps in time and it's clear throughout the book that in the gaps he's doing terrible, terrible things. Some people found it hard to follow. However, it's supposed to be. I mean, the guy wakes up and finds himself in bed with a dead woman and is confused. You are also supposed to be confused - I didn't find that to be a negative thing about the book; it was actually what made it intriguing.
In summation : I want everyone I know to read this book, so we can talk all about it. However, there are very few people I would recommend it to, due to it's difficulty level (this is not a book for casual readers), its subject matter (there are many uncomfortable jokes about 9/11 that I laughed at and then felt shitty about right after) and the general genre (it's basically a police caper, which isn't anything I'm into). I'll definitely be reading more by this author.
This was the first book I've read this year where I found myself unable to pick up another book because the story was simply too engaging.
The Zero starts off with the protagonist waking up on the floor while someone is banging loudly on his front door. He quickly looks around the room to note the empty bottles of liquor, as well as a discarded gun. Within a few minutes he realizes that his head is actually matted with blood - as a result of a self-inflicted gunshot to his head.
Soon we learn that the book takes place days after September 11, 2001. The main character is some sort of police officer whose job it is to take celebrities and politicians on tours of ground zero. His partner is a real asshole, who expresses several times his gratitude for the attacks, as it's lead to many perks for him.
There isn't a lot more I can say about the book without giving it away, but I do need to mention that the story is told in bits and pieces. The main character is losing bits of time and as the story progresses, the gap in his memory gets wider and wider. Eventually he's missing whole days.
I'd read many reviews of this book and was a little concerned, as some people expressed annoyance with how the book was written. As I mentioned, the main character has huge gaps in time and it's clear throughout the book that in the gaps he's doing terrible, terrible things. Some people found it hard to follow. However, it's supposed to be. I mean, the guy wakes up and finds himself in bed with a dead woman and is confused. You are also supposed to be confused - I didn't find that to be a negative thing about the book; it was actually what made it intriguing.
In summation : I want everyone I know to read this book, so we can talk all about it. However, there are very few people I would recommend it to, due to it's difficulty level (this is not a book for casual readers), its subject matter (there are many uncomfortable jokes about 9/11 that I laughed at and then felt shitty about right after) and the general genre (it's basically a police caper, which isn't anything I'm into). I'll definitely be reading more by this author.
Sign into Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ to see if any of your friends have read
The Zero.
Sign In »
Reading Progress
Finished Reading
August 28, 2010
– Shelved
