4 out of 4 stars
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Wilkes: The Awakening is a novel written by J.A. Harris.
The story, told in the third person perspective, was about a man who woke up in Bay Leaf Park with no memory of who he was. Aside from a bottle of liquor in the pocket of his windbreaker jacket and a clear plastic bag of white powder in the other pocket, there was no other clue to his identity.
He eventually learned that he was called Damian Wilkes and that he was a bum with no family. His father disappeared when he was young, his mother died, he had no siblings and he was living alone in the same house his family used to live in.
What was mysterious, however, was his total demeanor, which was surprisingly different from what other people knew of him. For someone who was involved with criminal activities, his manner was impeccable. He was sincerely polite and he spoke like a highly educated person. Not only that, he was also adept in physical combat and seem to possess extraordinary physical attributes like strength and speed but had no idea how he could dodge bullet or jump over a speeding vehicle. In addition, he was guided by visions through dreams and trances which helped him survive in the unfamiliar world he found himself in.
Unlike other books about amnesia on which the character forgot his name and his past but kept his habits and mannerisms, Wilkes seem to be possessed by another person who was a better version of himself. That alone made the book very interesting and difficult to put down. The author was able to tell a fascinating story by making Damian move forward instead of obsessing with the past.
He introduced the concept of good and bad by expertly distinguishing the good guys from the bad. As Capt. Mc Dermott said ‘there are far more good ones than bad ones’ which applied not just to officers of the law but to ordinary people like meat vendors, shelter keepers and bus drivers. Another relevant issue that the author included was the decline of moral values as evident in the attitude of children towards the adults and the indifference the adults displayed regarding the disrespectful children.
Although Damian was the ideal protagonist: well mannered, polite, respectful and a real deal hero, plus tall, muscular and good looking, there were other secondary but worthy characters like Capt. Collin Mc Dermott, Senior Officer Fernando Hernandez, Joe Williams and Walt and Peggy Dunham. The settings, Irish Town and Malletville, were vividly described while dialogues were expertly written. Even the use of the vernacular language by the African American characters was very convincing.
However, I was not overly enthusiastic about the ending. It was probably a strategy of the author to get the reader interested in book 2 when he wrote down on the last page that it was the end of book 1, when there was no mention, in any part of the book, that it was a series.
Nevertheless, it would not be fair to give this well-written book a rate of 3. So, despite my initial disappointment, I give this book 4 out of 4 stars. I recommend it to readers who enjoy mystery novels with a little touch of action. However, the book contains language not suitable for young readers.
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Wilkes
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