Terminal Island: A Jack Liffey Mystery
by John Shannon
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Book Summary Information
Author: John ShannonEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2004-04-18
ISBN: 0786713372
Number of pages: 256
Publisher: Carroll & Graf
Book Reviews of Terminal Island: A Jack Liffey Mystery
Book Review: A Complex and Compelling Portrait of Passions and Prejudice
Summary: 5 Stars
The great joy of "Terminal Island" is John Shannon's ability to address the many ethnic/socio-economic/generational schisms that make up Los Angeles without slowing the nimble pace of his narrative. As Jack Liffey struggles to catch the person responsible for a string of connected crimes, he falls for a police officer named Gloria Ramirez, a Native American who was raised by Latino parents who taught her to hate her own heritage. Liffey is forced to confront and eventually offer help to his viciously-bigoted father, Declan. But Liffey's Good Samaritan daughter believes that her newfound grandfather can discard his ugly beliefs by getting to know her African-American friends. Shannon also intersperses the chapters with entries from the perpetrator's diary, paralleling the investigation, giving us insight into the damaged soul's desire to redress old wrongs and bring honor back to his family that was "relocated" out of Terminal Island's once thriving Japanese fishing community during World War II. The result is a complex and compelling portrait of people linked by both place and past transgressions. In the end, we wonder if we can ever run from our former selves into a future where we are better people who can improve this world rather than tear it down. As Liffey tries to reason with the perpetrator of the crimes, he sounds as if he's trying to convince himself that forgiveness is, indeed, a great virtue: "[W]ar asks too much of a human being. They weren't bad people to start with, and most of them have healed. Time heals. Love heals. Work heals. The human mind is resilient, it finds a way." If Jack Liffey and his father are any guide, these words have truth at their core and there is hope for us all. (The full version of this review first appeared in The Elegant Variation: http://marksarvas.blogs.com/elegvar)
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