Hadrian's Walls

No question that this book fits nicely into my all-time top 5 list. In fact after reading it I ordered a second copy for my very-picky mom, who also couldn't put it down. Don't hesitate or be misled by a wordy review, or you'll be scouring the used bookstores and auction sites later, which is where I had to pick up an out-of-print Draper book to insure my future Robert Draper collection. Buy this book - while you're thinking about it - you'll be blown away by the author's insight.

I was priviliged to meet Mr. Draper at a book signing in Longview, Texas last week. Soon thereafter I finished the book, whch has characters which not only have depth and dimension but who I know as counterparts in everyday life. Although they are (honestly) fictitous, they are flesh and blood within this story, and will be to anyone who has lived around small, east Texas towns like Sheperdsville (or Huntsville, Palestine, or any of the other Texas towns that the prison system holds as the primary local industry). Hadrian Coleman is the new honorable man in a world turned against him. I look forward to Robert's next book, which he assured me he's well along on. I'll be waiting to read the galleys when I can get my hands on them.

In his debut novel, Robert Draper deftly steers his reader off the main highways and deep into the red-dirt cotton fields and the dark pine forests that lie east of Houston, Texas to visit a company town where incarceration is the company business. Shepherdsville (standing in for Hunstville), Texas is the home of the state prison system bureaucracy and many of its notorious penitentiaries. The compelling story skips around the lives of two small-town boys who grew up together and remain bound to each other in ways that they do not imagine. One would become the town's top prison boss; the other would become the prison's only successful escapee. It is a story of loyalty, lies, love and legacies among fathers, sons and best friends. Those who have enjoyed the crisp writing and engaging character descriptions from Draper's many pieces in Texas Monthly and GQ magazine will not be disappointed by his first novel. Draper starts off wordy in the first chapter (would anybody in East Texas really describe someone as "Mister Loquacious"?); but he quickly recovers his sense of economy and delivers a clear winner.

For all those wishing to know what "real" Texas is all about read this book. The characters are straight out of central casting and can be found on any street corner in east Texas! I hope this is the first of many books from this author.

It's rare to find a debut novel with such rich, yet real characters as are found in Hadrian's Walls. The plot is exciting and the novel is truly a page turner. I found myself wanting to follow Hadrian even after I turned the last page.