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Sistine
400 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 8, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 5, 2012
I read Michael Hogan's Sistine on the heels of finishing his other recent release, Dog Hills. It's astonishing they were written by the same author, testament to Hogan's remarkable range.
Where Dog Hills was a sparse, linear tale fit snugly into the noir genre, Sistine is an eloquent, introspective, and deeply sensitive story redolent of references to Michaelangelo's masterpiece and the history and politics behind it. It is also a deeply disturbing tale of the behavior of the Catholic Church and its lawyers during the pedophile abuse scandals.
Hogan's hero (apologies) in Sistine is Dennis Wertz, a failed Jesuit outcast and recovering alcoholic. His story is told (present tense) is a sort of fever dream that turns the notion of the "unreliable narrator" on its head. We feel that there is something wrong with this man - Depression? Mental instability? - and yet we have no reason to doubt the clarity of his vision. He is a fragile man, deeply flawed, but possessing a strength of character that is never in doubt. Like Hogan's Bollo in Dog Hills, Dennis Wertz is never in control of his fate, but still able to do the right things.
And some of them require enormous courage.
Sistine is a crime story that might have been written by John Updike. It is smart, intellectual, deeply insightful, and darkly funny.
Where Dog Hills was a sparse, linear tale fit snugly into the noir genre, Sistine is an eloquent, introspective, and deeply sensitive story redolent of references to Michaelangelo's masterpiece and the history and politics behind it. It is also a deeply disturbing tale of the behavior of the Catholic Church and its lawyers during the pedophile abuse scandals.
Hogan's hero (apologies) in Sistine is Dennis Wertz, a failed Jesuit outcast and recovering alcoholic. His story is told (present tense) is a sort of fever dream that turns the notion of the "unreliable narrator" on its head. We feel that there is something wrong with this man - Depression? Mental instability? - and yet we have no reason to doubt the clarity of his vision. He is a fragile man, deeply flawed, but possessing a strength of character that is never in doubt. Like Hogan's Bollo in Dog Hills, Dennis Wertz is never in control of his fate, but still able to do the right things.
And some of them require enormous courage.
Sistine is a crime story that might have been written by John Updike. It is smart, intellectual, deeply insightful, and darkly funny.
August 14, 2013
"Sistine" is a no-holds barred look at the Catholic Church's mishandling of priest-sexual predators and the byzantine world of Church-business relationships and class hierarchy in Boston. It sheds a light on the dark underside of the denial and cover-up of an evil chapter in the Church's handling of these monsters. The writing is sometimes inspired and on the level of a Faulkner. The dialogue of the characters is sometimes repetitive and not as crisp as the narrator-observations. The story is a good one but at times takes a few detours without following up. In the hands of a great editor, this work could be polished and sharpened into something very powerful. I think this novel would make an interesting movie, as well.
December 17, 2012
A little over written. Not sure Catholics will enjoy it. Good story overall.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews