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Kara Shamy
, October 26, 2013
(view all comments by Kara Shamy)
***Worthwhile Read, Which Pays Sufficient Respect to Literary Forebears***
*American Odyssey* is a really good work of fiction -- definitely worth reading if the description of the story interests you. It is not, however, a historic contribution to the literary arts. So what, you ask? Well, I underestimated it at first, and I found a strength in author R. Douglas Clark's work where I expected to find a weakness.
At the outset, I expected the incongruity between author R. Douglas Clark's literary achievement and that of Homer, whose immortal classic *The Odyssey* Clark incorporates as context within his own work, would severely mar the work of contemporary fiction. I expected the book would seem that more amateurish, vastly overreaching its grasp, or maybe it would come off as pretentious.
All of these concerns proved unwarranted. On the contrary, Clark's invocation of classical literature served to dignify the subject of his story -- the travels of an Afghanistan vet newly arrived back in the US -- and elevate the issues of contemporary life to the level of histories that formed the basis of great epics. The frame of reference is an artistic technique that characterizes Clark's subject and is not meant to place the book itself in any particular tradition. This high-minded reverence for the tragic, heroic, and otherwise dramatic in his contemporary story distinguishes Clark's storytelling as serious-minded and ambitious -- and above all shows respect for the soldier at the heart of his story.
In sum, *American Odyssey* is a readable, worthwhile debut as well as an ambitious and timely project. I look forward to Clark's next publication.
Please be advised I received my copy through a Goodreads giveaway.
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