In Boston?

by Russell H. Greenan

Der Maler Alfred Omega braucht nur eine Bank im Public Garden von Boston, um in Gedanken in die Geschichte zu reisen. Er ist mit einer Genialität versehen, die in ihm den Wunsch wachsen lässt, sich mit Gott zu messen. Um dieses Ziel zu erreichen, schreckt er in seinem Wahnsinn vor nichts zurück.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Art, Fantasy, Crime, American, Classics

400 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1968

About the author

Greenan grew up in the Bronx, had a tour of duty in the US Navy, and after attending Long Island University on the G.I. Bill, went to live in Boston in the early 1950s. For several years he worked as a traveling salesman selling industrial machine parts in remote corners of New England. His savings enabled him to travel to Nice, France where he stayed for a year to write. On his return to Boston he married Flora Bratko and opened an antique shop in Harvard Square. The business was short-lived but the experience provided an abundance of material for his subsequent career as a writer. In 1966, by then aged 40, he left his job as a ball bearing sales manager and traveled with his wife and three children to return to Nice with the intention of taking a year to finish a novel. This work was eventually published by Random House in 1968 titled It Happened in Boston? to significant acclaim.

Greenan maintained his career as an author by dividing his time between Europe and the U.S.A. and concentrating exclusively on writing novel-length works. To date ten novels by Russell H. Greenan have been published in the U.S.A. and France. Over 40 different editions of these novels have appeared in five languages.

Reviews

[Hakim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Russel H. Greenan's It Happened in Boston ? is nothing short of perfect. It is a truly magnificent story of artistic genius, paranoia, deceit, reveries and murder.
The author's quite impressive range of vocabulary, his frantic narrative style and all the endearing (or not so likeable) characters made this reading experience exquisite.
I haven't read a book quite like this one before. It really is genre-bending.
In a nutshell, if you're into bizarre stories with unreliable narrators and brilliant twists of plot, then this book is for you.

[Kate♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5stars

I REALLY ENJOYED THIS PLEASE DONT BE TURNED AWAY BY THE 3 STARS !!

This story is my perfect type of SO freaking weird. The switching POV, the almost stream of consciousness and watching our main character fall into insanity but also try to justify it and his paranoia was BRILLIANT. The ending of the book made me feel a lot of things - a bit emotional? A bit shook? A bit in awe?? I honestly think fans of HERMAN KOCH would really enjoy this!!

The reason it’s not a full 5 stars was I definitely didn’t vibe with the writing style (it’s from the 1960s and it definitely reads as such which I personally struggle with), and I got a wee bit lost a few times more than I think I was supposed to. Because of this writing style I didn’t feel very connected to the MC and I found most characters didn’t feel very distinct or different - their voices were all very similar besides the MC’s internal monologue.

But other than the writing style bringing the enjoyment down I really did love the story of this and recommend it if you aren’t incredibly picky about writing like me lol

[AdiTurbo · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. I truly despise all those intellectual-experimental writers who vomit brilliant philosophical ideas at you in no particular order and call it a novel. A good novel has to make you feel something. It is not an intellectual stage to help you prove what a genius you are. This is not literature. Not for me, thanks.

[Elise · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first time I read "It Happened in Boston?" I was in high school, and it was assigned to my creative writing class. I was reminded of how much I loved this underrated gem of a book last week, when I stumbled across it at a book fair. Mind you, what I found there was a 1968, first edition of "It Happened in Boston?" which cost me only a dollar, and oh what a find! After reading it again so many years later, I realize that Greenan's exquisite prose and his unique imagination have not lost any of their power for me. He grabbed me from the first sentence: "Lately I have come to feel that the pigeons are spying on me." How could I resist this spell he cast immediately from the start?

"It Happened in Boston?" is a story of friendship and love; it is a story about art and the role of the artist in the world. More specifically, it is the story of an artist who hopes to meet God face to face one day to confront Him about the evil and injustice in the world of His creation. This is a dark, twisted, disturbing, sometimes humorous and sometimes heartbreaking tale of a man who is driven by obsession, passion, and childlike faith, a man who is stalked by pigeons as well as a menagerie of other colorful characters, a man who navigates life or death decisions using ancient and mysterious manuscripts as his compass. What risks will this narrator take in order to meet God? Read this book and find out because in it Greenan tackles the questions most intelligent people have always raised, questions with answers possibly too terrifying for us to take. This book is so beautifully layered and resonant that it gave me much to think about, and it will haunt me forever.

Greenan has to be the most underrated author of the 20th century. "It Happened in Boston?" echoes Edgar Allen Poe and Vladimir Nabokov in Greenan's gifts for complex characterization and lyricism. While I was horrified by this narrator's thoughts and actions, I found myself falling in love with him regardless, or at least falling into some serious empathy and infatuation. Yes, Russell Greenan is that good, and this book is the closest one to perfect I have read in a *long* time-- a profound understanding of human psychology, beautiful sentences, and careful word choices--mot juste--at every turn. I am so grateful that it is now part of my permanent library. What a treat!

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book in a thrift store in Texas. I had this tendency when I lived there to go to the thrift store and open books whose titles or covers or descriptions interested me and read the first chapter. If the first chapter grabbed me, I would generally pick up the book, as even the hard covers were only a dollar. So a little warning to those who dare look into this one: it will start getting to you before you even finish the first chapter (which is one page long).

If you've ever longed for a novel that can paint a completely cynical view of the world while still remaining tender and gracious, this is probably the best place to start. This text inhabits a realm that I can only describe as somewhere between HP Lovecraft and Gabriel Garcia Marquez. The words almost sing off of the page at you with grace and style, but there is a tremendous feeling of foreboding peeling off the edge of each one, at some times more than others.

Although I gave it five stars, I will admit with certainty that it isn't for everyone. It's a cult classic for a reason... it blends so many different elements that I think a lot of people are bound to find something in the book they absolutely hate. It will be offensive to most religious people, and possibly to some atheists as well.

One last thing I will say, as I don't like to be longwinded or give away too much plot when describing a book: the ending will puzzle you unless you are much sharper than I am. It may have been two years after my first reading that the glorious day I understood it came. Anyone who reads this book and doesn't get the ending, please come to me. I will explain it, and you will die of joy and horror.

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the single most influential book - influential, that is, on my own reading tastes - that I've ever read.

It has one of the most compelling opening lines in any novel ever written. and it just gets better with each page.

The quality of the prose alone is enough to make it worth reading.

It has a great story, mystery, suspense, amazing characters and a satisfying (if perplexing) denouement.

I defy you to find a more bizarre and compelling novel. It can't be done. It doesn't exist. I know that few literati would agree with me on that point. But fuck them.

[Jack Strange · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great novel which crosses genres, breaks rules, pushes boundaries, and ends with a breathtaking deus ex machina - and actually gets away with it!

It contains horror for the horror fan, suspense for the thriller fan, and more than enough profound thought for those who want to be challenged intellectually by their reading matter. If you don't want that challenge, you can read it for pure enjoyment.

Everyone who loves literature should read this book.

What are you waiting for?

[Paul Ataua · Rating 3 out of 5]

After finishing, I read through so many five star reviews and they really surprised me. I was further surprised by the number of people who mentioned how fantastic and compelling the opening line was. I had to actually go back to look at it and try to work out why reviewers felt so in love with it. Maybe this is a book I would have really enjoyed when I was in my teens or maybe it is just not my cup of tea. It was well written and had its moments, but it really didn’t grab me.

[SmartAleq · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just recently rediscovered Russell Greenan--I read this book when I was a kid (book was published in 1968 and I had the paperback so I probably first read it in '69 or so) because my mom handed it to me--what was she thinking?! I mean, just because the protagonist is a serial killer, that's no reason a ten year old shouldn't read it, right? The thing was, I loved this book and have probably read it about a thousand times over the years, but probably not once in the last twenty, since I lost my copy somewhere along the line. As I read it now for the thousand and first time, I'm amazed to discover that I remember almost every word of the book and it's astonishing to realize how much of an influence it had on me.

So aside from nostalgia value, I have to say the book holds up very well and should be more widely read than it is. I've read other books by Greenan and enjoyed them, but this one's special. Check it out!

[Gordon Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read this when I was 16, not long after it was published. It remains my favourite novel of all time. A few years back I received a Christmas card from Russell, hand written, in response to a comment I made on his web site. What a treasure. I can't add anything to the reviews here, only join with the others to recommend you read this book without delay.

[tortoise dreams · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant if anachronistic artist begins to lose touch with this reality and determines to confront God.

Book Review: It Happened in Boston? embodies the beauty and necessity of used-book shops. This is the kind of book that will never make the best seller lists, will not stay long in print even when revived as here, but when accidentally discovered on a dusty shelf will make someone's day and may change their life. Originally published in 1968, this edition is part of the Modern Library's 20th Century Rediscovery series, with an introduction by novelist Jonathan Lethem (Motherless Brooklyn). He calls it a "magic spell of a book," among other gushing, and how right he is. At times I forgot I was reading a book, and felt I was in Boston with the characters, standing in a room, watching and listening to them talk. It sucked me in, took over my mind, bewitching. The plot is not the main point here. A struggling artist, a troubled marriage, friends with troubles, odd characters, betrayal, murder, art and more art, even more art, a troubled mind, and a need to confront God ("now I would like to ask Him some questions"). The artist goes through his daily routine, persecuted by pigeons, doubting his sanity ("well, maybe I am hopelessly mad"), wondering if others are mad, while entering other times and places. Betrayed, exploited, he stops painting, and becomes obsessed with getting to the bottom, or the Top, of all of life. Of course, "whom the gods would destroy, they first ... ." There is humor in It Happened in Boston? There's dark comedy, along with alternate realities and only a tenuous connection to this reality, but also human warmth and friendship. This is a lost masterpiece; Lethem calls It Happened in Boston? "a little masterpiece on the subject of the world's neglect of masterpieces!" If you're willing to enter the mind of madman, and go on a journey unlike any other, read this singular work, this unique and unusual book. Oddly, the only other novel I could even think of comparing it with is another unknown book like no other, also published in 1968, titled The Universal Baseball Association by Robert Coover. Both are sui generis and address God, reality, and its tangents. Check your library, scour used-book shops, do what you have to for this reading experience like no other. [5 Stars].

[Max · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing else quite like it. With strong notes of John Kennedy Toole's "A Confederacy of Dunces" and Kazuo Ishiguro's "The Artist in the Floating World," then tapering out with Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper" and arguably a subtle hint of Shin Megami Tensei, this was an absolutely unique blend. If any of those names do anything for you, you'll probably feel at home here. I was hooked less than halfway in and could not put it down. A particularly jarring scene will probably haunt me from now until forever. Some very strong characters throughout, described beautifully and succinctly and, a few times, hauntingly. Highly recommend this one.

[LisaMarie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's always great to discover a classic you never heard of and then actually end up really liking it. At first I was afraid that even though it sounded my kinda weird in some ways, it also might be a bit too 1968 in its attitude about stuff like Siddhartha or read like Catch-22, and I'd end up DNFing it from being bored and confused and none too amused.
But to my pleasant surprise it's more readable than many current releases I've delved into recently (or listenable since I did the audio).

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really had no idea where this book was going. It starts out with a man who sits on a park bench and experiences "reveries" which seem like lo-fi time travel (or basically a vivid imagination transporting oneself to another era). Then we get all kinds of backstory about this man's life as an artist. From there things get wild. Scandals! Murder! Backstabbing! Pretty delightful..

[David Rickert · Rating 5 out of 5]

It now costs $80 to get a copy of this out of print masterpiece, but I'm tempted to say it's worth it. A weird novel, but it's craftily written, deftly plotted cross between John Kennedy O'Toole and Nabokov. It's been a while since I enjoyed a novel this much and I can't wait to read it again. Probably in my top ten books of all time.

[Iris · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a marvelous gem of a book! It has almost everything to satisfy every genre of reading. At first it felt (and in my head, sounded to me) as if the story is being told by Clifton Webb as Mr. Belvedere with all the highfalutin jargon but soon enough I was carried away by the intricacies of the story. Highly recommended.

[Robert Fass · Rating 5 out of 5]

It Happened in Boston? is one of those books that stays with you forever. Vivid, fantastic, clever, audacious as hell. Wonderful.

Breaking news update: It will be my honor and pleasure to narrate the audiobook of It Happened in Boston? which will be released at the end of 2014.

[Elena Alvarez Dosil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review originally published at: http://www.lomeraniel.com/audiobookre...

I was offered a copy of this book in audio format from the narrator in exchange for an honest review.

This is the story of an artist with a twisted mind which, after some tragic news, decides to take revenge for all what happened, and tries to find God and kill him, because how can God allow for such misfortunes?

This book is like nothing you have ever read before. It cannot be categorized and it seems to bend several literature rules, just to achieve a beautifully written prose. The first half of the book is composed by several flashbacks in random order presenting the artist and the rest of the characters. Each of them has something that makes them unique. Nothing seems to happen in this first part, in which it seems we are thrown upon without any warning. The main character seems to have a disturbed mind and is far from nice or kind. I almost hated him when he killed the family cat. But this is nothing compared to the second half of the book, the part where Greenan puts the puzzle pieces in order and we get the whole story of what happened in Boston. It is the part in which the artist loses touch with reality and the story becomes really dark.

While I was listening to this book I had the impression that I was watching a play where I could see the all the characters. The language used by the author is really rich and almost petulant at some points, in order to illustrate the personality of the artist, which is an arrogant man full of himself. I also think that this book focuses on the form rather than in the content, which seems deceitful at times.

The book is narrated by Robert Fass, and let me tell you that this was a wonderful narration, very clear and 'bright'. As the book is written in first person, Fass becomes the artist, but he also displays an ample range of voices for the rest of the characters, which Fass helped to bring them to life.
If you are in for something different and want some rich language literature, I encourage you to listen to this book. I am sure it will not leave you indifferent.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not sure how I feel about this book. On one hand it is significantly darker and sadder than I would choose to read. Death, torment and the macabre are not my usual “escape”. But....
The writing does transport you. The daily slices of life and the cast of characters in the Park absolutely take you there as does the rich way that he writes. Some of the vocabulary could require a thesaurus if one really wanted to appreciate the pictures painted (pun intended) but i followed along well without one.

“It was they who tipped me into that maelstrom of false marcheses, mercenary Bergamese whores, slippery Italian counts, witless German art experts, villainous Peruvian generals, paranoiac harpies, spiteful Russian cats, specious Polish wizards, spying pigeons, nosy janitors and ambitious Irish cops”

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant tale. Narrated by an artist who is probably certifiably mad. He is also brilliant and hilarious. The scenes with strychnine are disturbing, be warned, but the plot is quirky and intriguing. So many clues are casually tossed into the narrative.
I wondered what he was talking about. Why is he looking for sugar bowls? Why is he not working? Who is he talking to and are the pigeons plotting against him?
Everything seems to come together at the end and then spins out of all understanding at the last minute.
I wanted to turn back to the beginning and start again.
Excellent book!

[Robert Wechsler · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very pleasant surprise. The narrator̕s voice is the novel̕s greatest accomplishment. It is intelligent but matter-of-fact, even as the story and the narrator become increasingly crazy. In fact it is the tension between the voice and the narrator that allows the story to work. There̕s something exhilarating about the novel, despite the pitiful narrator and the fact that you can never believe what he says, although you do. Just like reality, only more so. It̕s a great spin on the dramatic monologue. Something to read again someday.

[Jazz · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a strange and wonderful novel. It's hard to describe but it kept my interest to the very last page. Perhaps because its main character was a painter, the book interested me even more, with its descriptions of the painting process and history of art. It's not a traditional novel in any sense, nor can it be categorized. Is the narrator mad or living in another plane or experiencing supernatural powers? What is going on? All I know is I couldn't stop reading it as the questions of how it would end compelled me forward.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disturbing. It was a difficult novel to wade through and it took me a few weeks to finish. I suspect the main character to be autistic. The ideas presented and storyline were quite unlike anything else I've read and the language was wonderful.

[Marion · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intriguing concept of time-travel from a park bench in Boston. Fun to "travel" with the author around the city and elsewhere. Perfect Halloween season read. Author note 35 years after he wrote the book, explaining its genesis, bumps this from a 3-something to 4.

[James Napoli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant, odd, one-of-a-kind monologue reflecting a strange and darkly funny interior state of mind of someone who is not quite fitting into society. Has some resemblance to "A Confederacy of Dunces" in that regard.

[Maurice Fitzgerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

I my god this is such a great book. The only thing Is can compare it to is The Falls film by Greenaway except the book makes more sense

[Vardah Nawaz Khan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5. loved the ending

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Curiously weird little book. Kind of meanders around awhile before the story gets going. Something about the writing never quite grabbed me. It's like the author is trying too hard, and it shows, and is distracting. Ends well, though.

[Nzric · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointing. For a book that is so centred on the inner life and thoughts of one character, it seems hung up on what the protagonist does rather than explore who he is. A little hollow.

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book just before the Chicago Tylenol murders. It seemed plausible.