Review: Harry, Revised

Jun 15 2008

Last week I finished reading Harry, Revised by blogger Mark Sarvas (from The Elegant Variation). Since I made a big deal about receiving the book on my front doorstep in this previous post, I thought it’s only fair that I write a few words about the novel.

First, I must say that in the beginning Harry Rent (the protagonist) is a very unlikeable character. Who goes to a diner and hits on Molly the waitress on the day of their dead wife’s funeral? Much of the stuff Harry does in the beginning of the novel is quite selfish and he comes off as very uncaring. Even when he tries to be a "good guy" by helping out the very overweight and unattractive Lucille (another waitress at the diner), he’s doing it merely to impress Molly. Of course, the reality of his plan is much different than what he conjures up in his overactive imagination.

Don’t get me wrong, an unlikeable character doesn’t make for a bad novel. Quite the opposite, in this case. The narrative moved along at a good pace and I enjoyed how the narration jumped from Harry’s present life trying to woo Molly, to the past with his (now dead) wife Anna.

His life with Anna started off on a good note until Harry learned that her upper class parents looked down on him. The "breaking point" came when he overheard her lying to her parents by saying he went to Harvard Medical School. While Harry is a successful radiologist, he did not go to Harvard, and the fact that Anna had to lie to her parents really weighed on him and is perhaps the catalyst for his future infidelities.

Without giving away the ending, I think Harry really does grow throughout the novel and is able to redeem himself by coming clean with Molly about his past and finally being honest with himself.

Overall, the novel is a great read and I’d highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good novel by a new author who is probably someone to watch.

Review: Harry, Revised

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