First Tiger

This book goes down as easily and memorably as a Raymond Carver story. My wife and I both couldn't put it down. You're drawn into the lives of characters who can barely seem to hold it together. Upon first meeting them, you might be tempted to dismiss the father as a dreamy incompetent, his wife as a bitter and heartless woman, the son and protagonist Jake as a ne'er-do-well punk. But quickly you find your sympathy growing for all of them. "Dad" is a good-hearted would-be philosopher with intellectual gems to share. It becomes clear that his wife, Jake's stepmother, has sound reasons for her behavior and, beneath a harsh exterior, a sad heart of her own. Jake, despite specializing in reprehensible and even atrocious behavior, is highly appealing. How the author could have such a finely polished voice in his first novel is beyond me. Read it!

This is a stunner of a book. It happens to be a first novel, but doesn't read like one. The author treats his characters with generosity and understanding, revealing the the positive qualities that coexist with their obvious flaws and frailties. There's a chronically depressed father, who can't figure out how to make peace with life, but manages to impart wisdom and resilience to his children. There's a kid sister who could hold her own with Harper Lee's Scout. There's an uncle whose distant existence is reflected through the influence he has managed to have on a nephew he has never met.The portrait of the teenage central character is particularly strong, capturing the weird mix of fatalism and perceived invincibility that is the adolescent mindset, as well as the good nature that can lurk beneath a stubbornly opaque surface and seemingly hell bent behavior. There is a lot of darkness and sadness in these pages. Ultimately, however, the book leaves you feeling better about human nature in all its manifestations. These characters are going to stick in my head for a long time, and I'll be glad of their company.

Harrar is a voice to watch. His ability to portray men as men as well as human will touch anyone.

I picked up this novel after I read the author's wonderful story in the 1999 Year's Best and I loved it. The novel is beautifully written (although the author never lets pretty prose get in the way of storytelling) and the characters are well depicted and real. There is lots of conflict and yet there are no "villians"because that is often the way real life is. I think Jake's father is a particularly amazing character. He is a shell shocked Vietnam Vet and yet he is not the stereotype that we often see in fiction and film. He is a very sad and compassionate man. Ultimately, Jake learns that he is mentally tougher than his dad. In any case, enjoy the book. I think the author could definitely become a very important novelist of his generation - he'll probably have to cast his net a little wider to get there but I have no doubt that he will!

This is one of the best books I've ever read. I read it at a very busy time, but found myself prying loose a few minutes or an hour here and there so I could keep going. It's the story of a "trouble-maker" and the vividly-drawn people of his life. They are all very different from me but I felt inside them. The ending seemed inevitable when I got there, but I never saw it coming. Days later, I find myself thinking about this story as I move through my own world. I hope Harrar has more on the way.