Cities of Men

Cities of Men captivated me from the first page. Jensen introduces his characters in the rain, and the emotional storm of the novel never lets up. The story saddens page by page, examining big subjects like the effects of war and parental neglect, but the novel has plenty of bright spots as well. The characters Jensen has created are enjoyable to read, and it's obvious he has been working with these characters for quite some time. Coop is a first rate lens through which to view the world, and the father character and Sebastian add indispensable wisdom and wit, respectively. Even the characters that you are often invited to hate are written with such delicacy that your heart breaks for them, inviting you to see each of them as the protagonist of another story. The novel remains vivid and engaging all the way to the end, only gaining momentum with each chapter. Just when you think the resolution is surely coming, Jensen doubles down, making you squirm just long enough so that you feel what Coop is feeling. And this is the essential point, and what we should value in good fiction. Jensen makes us feel the pain of his characters. He doesn't shy away from hard moments, or try to direct to something easy or pretty; he takes Coop and his father to their breaking point and asks them to respond. This examination of emotional hurt and shame is where we see the heart in each character. The pain in a story is where everything takes shape—it's what produces change and explains actions even years down the road. Without feeling that pain, the story is flat, pointless, and not even worth reading. Fortunately for us, this story was crafted by a gifted storyteller. I'm excited to see what's next from William Jensen.