4 out of 4 stars
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Windfall Nights by William Claypool is a book in the fiction section, set for most part in the 1960’s. It follows the story of two men, Thomas and Julian, as they overcome their misery and follow their separate paths in life only to meet again. A terrible motor accident forces Julian to miss college and recuperate. Now a semester behind, Julian returns to finish college, as he’d promised his dying mother that he would complete his education. He takes up a job at Hotel Lafayette as a night bellman to cover his expenses. There he meets and befriends Thomas, the hotel handyman, a college dropout, whose many talents include being an exceptional pianist. Like Julian, Thomas also lost his father a few years back and is still coping with the depression.
Thomas is a mystery to Julian in many ways, the more he finds out about him, the lesser he feels he knows him. An terrible incident on the last day of Julian’s job at the hotel forces Thomas to disappear. Years later, Julian, now a journalist, meets Thomas in the city of Saigon at the height of the Vietnam War, where the latter is serving in the army. Even after so many years, Julian is still as surprised by Thomas as before, and accepts that it will probably take a lifetime to understand Thomas.
The story is written in first person, from Julian’s point of view, where he is cruising with his wife, Anna, and reminiscing about his past. With all his friends drafted to serve in the war and his father remarrying after his wife’s sad demise, Julian feels deserted by both family and friends. This is where the Lafayette comes to the rescue, bringing a whole circus of interesting people for Julian to meet. This is also where the fun starts for the readers, because every single character had something to contribute to the story. From the witty and philosophical circle of retired professors to the ever-practical Danielle (Thomas’ girlfriend), to affectionate Margery (Thomas’ mother), the reader journeys with Julian to discover a new meaning to life.
Another wonderful aspect of this book is its superb writing. The smooth flow of the story, brilliant vocabulary, and descriptive narration make up the author’s excellent writing style. Combined with the delightful characterization mentioned above, the novel envelops the readers. Coming to the plot, it’s not so much about the central storyline but the loosely connected events in the plot, which have their own story and lesson to share. Though the story does basically revolve around Thomas, how he overcomes his sorrow, how he redeems himself, how he hopes to find some peace in his life; there is something for every character here. Like Thomas said, “Well my happy ending hasn’t been written yet. I’m still looking for it.” To which Julian replied, “Aren’t we all?”
All the three elements: writing, characterization and plot, align perfectly to deliver an engaging and thought-provoking story to the readers. There is so much more to write about and many pearls of wisdom from the story that I want to share, but I’ll restrict myself to giving a 4 out of 4 stars to this one. Its definitely worth a read.
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Windfall Nights
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