Safelight

I must admit that I was a bit skeptical at first, but this book is like a freight train steeming down the tracks with a belly full of coal. Burke has an uncanny ability to pull you in and empathize with his characters. As a professor of literature at a well-to-do Ivy league school, I added this book to our reading list and received kudos from many a Michael Stipe wannabee. Bravo Burke. Long Live Dog Daughter Down

There is no doubt that Shannon Burke has emerged as an important writer. This work is very hard to forget. You'd like to tell yourself that since it's a novel, he's just making up stuff--but as the New York Times pointed out, Burke spent about five years in Harlem as an EMT. In a way, this is a war novel, akin to early Hemingway. Burke is trying to make sense of what he saw and experienced, a lot of it gut-wrenching. If you like spiffy, bleach-cleaned, MFA-program novels, this ain't for you. Burke's work harkens back to an earlier time in American literature, when books were earned and not gift-wrapped by faculty advisers. The writing here is spare, poetic, and perfectly pitched. The characters leap off the page. Money well spent in my opinion.

"Safelight" is a novel that pulls you in at the start. There is no building of characters, no climax. You either step right in and enjoy the ride or get off. The main character is such a hard nut to crack. There are some authors who want you to empathize wth the characters and you are drawn into the story. Mr. Burke does the opposite, he intentionally keeps the main character distant. You never really get inside of what he's like, only a glimpse that he does have feelings when he carries on a relationship with an HIV positive female. The book wasn't very long and reads like snapshots. You'll get your focus but then it's gone. You'll either finish this book and stick with it because reading this chaos is manageable or you'll put it down out of frustration that it's all over the place. There's no middle ground with it. I invite you to give it a try and if you finish it I can guarantee you won't forget it.

This is a book that grows on you. The prose is sparse, and the book essentially consists of short vignettes that initially have no apparent meaning or relation to the other scenes. I was at first somewhat frustrated with the novel because I could not immediately figure out where the plot was leading to, or even what the plot was. However, the scenes gradually build to a crescendo, and the result is a book that is simultaneously sad and inspirational, one that creates a mood that lingers long after you have finished it. Burke's writing style is distinctive and highly impressive for a first novel. It probably didn't help that I read this book shortly after finishing Tom Wolfe's latest novel, as the two styles could not be more different. Wolfe can devote paragraphs to describing the clothing of a minor character, and it takes at least days of devoted reading to get through his tomes. I zipped through Safelight, however, in just a couple of hours. But I do not mean to imply that book is lightweight; its message of regret, grief, and daring to love despite inevitable heartbreak makes this a disturbing yet highly moving novel. I look forward to reading more of Burke's work in the future.

A wonderful work of literature. The imagery Mr. Burke evokes is very graphic and intense, but he makes sure he doesn't fall into the "reading audience is dumb" trap by telling you too much. Burke's characters develop quickly, as does the story line. No Tolstoy, Burke has preferred to keep things short and sweet. Now I'll do the same with this review. A must read for true literature fans.