3 out of 4 stars
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Guardian of Deceit by William H. Coles
Most of us had our opinions of what life is, and what we expected the future to be for us. Now, many years and experiences later, we look back and say “well, reality is sure a lot different!” or “the world is truly wider and bigger than was my idea of it!” In Guardian of Deceit, William H. Coles takes us through Darwin’s version of such a journey. Darwin, the protagonist who had been raised in earlier years by loving, devoted parents, and then after their death, by an aunt who has him at heart, sets out to Pittsburgh to begin life with his professional athlete cousin, Luther, who was to be his new guardian. He arrives Luther’s household and gets a feel of his “big” life, which is a world away from his former. Darwin is thus led to discover different circles, and varied ways of life to which he adapts sometimes efficiently, other times with poor judgment.
From learning to drive a car, to honing the basic instinct of survival, Darwin embraces a lot in this new life where a young teenager boy is suddenly facing issues related to relationships, fame, gambling, social status, murder and a “weird kind of love”.
One thing I find commendable, is how the author shows the flexibility and accommodating nature of Darwin’s character without ever really telling it. That is pure art. He also tactfully makes a little story of Darwin’s encounter with each new character, not just Luther, rolling the ball as he unveils how the boy’s character and mindset are influenced or shaped by each. Then, he touches a little of different genre to produce a great blend at the day’s end.
While I find his revelation of character interesting, the structure of the book was less than skillful. The chapters are widely uneven in length and content. Some are extremely long and jumbling different main ideas, yet others are so scarce, they could be taken out without much effect to the story. Also, the artistic unveiling of characters didn’t end with a curtain closing. For more than one character, I was left asking “so what happened to him/her?” Lastly, I find the title “Guardian of Deceit” lacking to encompass / reflect the content of the book. Darwin’s life was shaped in fact, in much greater proportion by characters other than Luther, his “guardian of deceit”. The character Luther, in my opinion, was not one with a backbone strong enough to bear the title of the book.
I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars because its story-line is rich with interesting and real characters, transcending various strata of society. I’ll keep one star out because of poor structure, weak character round-off and the title-content discordance.
If you’re looking for a book that takes you through a journey of growth and adaptation, from “naïve” to “been there before”, showing adjustments, cuts, compromises, fitting-ins and mistakes, while striving for the goal, Guardian of Deceit is that kind of book. With a bit of medicine, music super stardom, sports, politics, crime and investigation, and then the regular life, the book beautifully blends many worlds to three hundred and something pages of a good read that almost anyone can relate to!
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Guardian of Deceit
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