North: A Novel

by Frederick Busch

A taut, dark, psychological page-turner from the best-selling author of Girls . Combining the pace of a detective story with the bold prose of a master storyteller, North is both an adventure and a pilgrimage. Alone and haunted by memories of his dead wife and child, Jack―who prowled the backwaters of Girls ―returns to upstate New York from the Carolina coast, where he has been working as a security guard. A New York lawyer hires him to find her missing nephew, last seen in the area of Jack's northern hometown. His search gradually uncovers a dark underside of rural life and a cast of dangerous characters. Jack is besieged by memories as he uncovers a brutal crime and finds himself in a turbulent relationship with a treacherous woman. In trying to save another's life, Jack must relive his own; memory, obsession, and reality fuse; and Jack discovers the truth of Faulkner's observation that "the past is not really past; it's not even over."

Genres: Mystery, Fiction

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Frederick Busch (1941–2006) was the recipient of many honors, including an American Academy of Arts and Letters Fiction Award, a National Jewish Book Award, and the PEN/Malamud Award. The prolific author of sixteen novels and six collections of short stories, Busch is renowned for his writing’s emotional nuance and minimal, plainspoken style. A native of Brooklyn, New York, he lived most of his life in upstate New York, where he worked for forty years as a professor at Colgate University.

Reviews

[girija · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found it difficult to get into this book even though I have to date loved his work... I am thinking perhaps I just wasn't in the 'right' frame of mind. However, my partner and my son really enjoyed this one. They would give it a 4.

In fact, after he finished, my son wanted to know if I had others like it on my bookshelf (backstory: he doesn't normally check out my shelves!).

Thinking... that I'll read it again sometime.

[Lynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

The narrator from Girls returns in a sequel of sorts. This isn't as good as Girls, and there are a couple of major contrivances to get past, but the strength and appeal of Jack's narrative voice remains undiminished, so it's worth reading if you've read Girls.

[Frank · Rating 2 out of 5]

Perhaps I would have liked this book more if I'd read the earlier novel with the same character ("Girls"), as some reviewers have said. In any event, I simply couldn't get attached to this plot or this character (or any of the characters in the book). One of the reviewers quoted on the back cover calls this "... a fast-paced detective story..." No way. Slow, slow, slow. I was turned off before I opened the book, as the back cover also claims to quote Faulkner's famous line about the past, even putting the phrase in quotes, but actually totally mis-quoting him. Not the writer's fault, probably. The plot was relatively interesting, but the dialogue put me off constantly - it rarely seemed realistic, and often seemed confusing. I won't be leaping into another book by this author anytime soon.

[Robin Mehaffey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book makes me think I should go back to all the books I rated "5" and change them to "4." I read it in one day...couldn't stop reading. It is the sequel to Busch's novel, "Girls," so you really do have to read that one first to get the full impact. It was also terrific which is why I went ahead and ordered "North" in hardcover when I found it wasn't available on Kindle. I found that the author died about six months after "North" was published so this is it. But Frederick Busch has several other books I haven't read so that's some consolation. I'm also thinking about the Goodreads rating system and wish we could give two ratings: one for 'story' and one for 'writing.' This book would get all ten stars!

[LeastTorque · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good sequel to Girls, in which the crime is a minor plot point in the story of a man still aimlessly not-very-seriously-searching for his center after its having been shattered in the worst way. Some of the writing is superb. Otherwise the pace and dialog and character are very Jesse Stone in feel, though I’ve only seen movies and not read Robert B. Parker.

[Bill Ibelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid read, but kind of slow for something billed as a mystery and not insightful enough for something billed as literary. Got kind of tired of the tall, strong, loner man who can't communicated and has to deal with a string of tragedies that are out of control. That everyone is worried about. I just kept focus on in his grief and his inability to communicate from under the weight of it. I'm not saying it was bad, but it just didn't resonate enough to move that slowlyh.

[Walter Polashenski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sort of hurts me to give Mr Busch a 3. Probably a 3.5. Started so contrived and got better. But not as good as some of his stuff. But I was happy at the end. And sort of sad that he died right after finishing this book.
So it goes.

[J Grant · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting read but found the ending a bit of a letdown

[Donna]

Didn’t finish. Didn’t care for his style of writing.

[Robert LoCicero · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very entertaining volume by this excellent American author. The characters are nicely developed and the story is intriguing with action interspersed with copious amounts of internal discussion by Jack, the protagonist who is ex law enforcement and now freelancing. Jack most ruminates on his lost daughter, relationship with his former spouse and details of a previous case involving the kidnapping and murder of a young girl. These are the demons that play havoc with his current pursuit which involves another missing young male. The search and action returns to the former upstate New York territory which evidently was the scene of an earlier volume in which the other deaths were detailed. Author Busch has a great way of bringing the atmosphere of any physical environment in which the characters find themselves, to life for the reader. This is a fine story with some sexual content that some might find over the top but all of it adds psychological spice to the internal mystery which is the question: what makes Jack tick. I enjoyed the story and did not find the key to this character. I believe I will give the earlier volume a try. This author is highly recommended for his clear language and nice exposition of a character's feelings (even if the genesis of those feelings remains hidden).

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was a time I read a lot of detective stories. I enjoyed them but was never obsessed with them. I suspect this is because so many detective stories morph into series and I am generally not a fan of literary series. If I find myself reading the 4th book in a series and I haven't read the first 3, I wonder what I have missed, what pieces of the detective's life don't I know that add nuance to his character. When I bought "North" at a book sale I did not know Frederick Busch and I did not notice this was a detective story, and I certainly didn't know it was a sequel to a book published in 1997, "Girls". I bought the book because it was a book sale for a good cause, and because it takes place in upstate New York, not far from where I live. Apparently Frederick Busch lives in upstate New York and it shows in his writing. He obviously knows the sights and sounds and wildlife and the unpredictable weather, as well as the small town feel of life north of New York City. (And yes, I imagine that he why he has titled the book "North".) So I did enjoy the setting, and the quasi-detective Jack is engaging and sad and human, and the story is compelling though a bit predictable. This book was published in 2005 so I didn't feel lost because I never read its 1997 prequel. It was easy to read and I was entertained. I won't go out of my way to read another Frederick Busch novel but I will be happy to read another should it fall in my path.

[Destiny Page · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like I was reading parts taken from several different books all meshed together, as it's all been done before, and scrunched together to make this story. However, I did enjoy the noir feel of it. The male protagonist was likeable, dark, but mysterious, a hard nut to crack but a lover deep down- if he'll let you in. The scenery descriptions were just as dark, which I enjoyed. I thought I would be going in with my focus on the suspense of the mystery, but the the story had more to do with the complexities of the protagonist, his past, and his relationships. I did not care for the female villain - her character just seemed contrived at points. The suspense did build up nicely, but had an almost corny climax that was not quite worth the build up and not quite believable. Don't get me wrong, this book has plenty of steam, plenty of suspense, witty dialogue and is an easy read. There were just some parts of the plot that I couldn't buy completely.

[Bookmarks Magazine]

The Washington Post notes that "Dashiell Hammett's fingerprints are easy to spot" in Busch's latest effort. The author knows how to stylize dialogue, pace a scene, unfold a story, and, of course, introduce the treacherous woman__and make it all seem familiar and surprising at the same time. The tortured Jack, "part hard-boiled detective and part tragic hero," (Washington Post) captivated all critics' imaginations with his introspective meditation on his own life. After all, in order to save a life he must relive his past. But can returning to the scene of past crimes offer salvation? North is not as suspenseful as you might hope, but it seems that's not the point.

This is an excerpt from a review published in Bookmarks magazine.

[Rhonda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was beautiful, sublime. The story hooked me, and the prose was poetic. I could not put the book down. I started the book in the afternoon, and woke up early the next morning to finish it.

[Doug]

Jack bouncing around from job to job is hired by an attorney to look for a nephew that has gone missing. This job takes him back to his where he used to live and brings back memories of his dead wife and child. I like the story and the character, Jack.

[Fred Orner · Rating 3 out of 5]

An absorbing book; hard-boiled yet lyrical at times.

[Nikki · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't like the characters or the story really (this might have to do with something that dies at the beginning and me having just lovingly acquired one). Loved the writing style.

[Randine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love stories about upstate New York and smart writing. BING!

[Margie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable writing. No frills, nothing fancy. Just a wonderfully written story. I would definately read this author again.