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Honest Faces
During the autumn of 2008, Frank Allerton, lifelong resident of the small eastern Ohio town of Vernen, is visited by a brother whom he has not seen or heard from in forty-seven years. This bittersweet reunion, however, has a pall cast over Frank can't help being reminded of the family tragedy that originally drove the brothers apart. Meanwhile, several of Frank's neighbors and friends are struggling to cope with their own pasts and uncertain futures. These include crusty retired Army colonel Conrad Haygood; his mentally challenged yet curiously perceptive middle-aged daughter Ruth; devout but suffering waitress Cora Roeder; Cora's adoptive niece Gretchen, an aspiring poet and elementary school teacher wavering between idealism and cynicism; and Malcolm Peters, himself a retired teacher recently transplanted from Washington, D.C. and the town's only black resident. When violent death suddenly intervenes in Vernen's quietly conservative community life, it sends the residents into confusion as they try to make sense of an apparent suicide that actually may have been something more. Taking it upon himself to find the truth behind the tragedy, Malcolm discovers that some people may not be as they appear, for, as Gretchen observes in one of her poems, sometimes "craft and guile...sport honest faces." Malcolm's investigation leads him to some unsettling revelations as he encounters Frank's manipulative sister-in-law in New Jersey and a shadowy drifter of undefined identity and motivation who may be the key to the puzzle. A tense drama of deceit, disillusionment and hope, Honest Faces examines the age-old dilemma of maintaining a moral center in an amoral universe, and the challenge of reconciling one's closely held principles with outward action.
202 pages, Paperback
First published June 16, 2010
About the author
Steven Donkin
7 books34 followersSteven Donkin is public high school science teacher in Washington, D.C.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 21, 2013
Life is messy, subtle, confusing, ambiguous. There are usually no clear resolutions, no big fanfares, no Hollywood endings __ except of course in Hollywood movies, which we go to to escape the chaos and frustrations of every day life.
Author Steven Donkin is able to capture the nuances and inexactness of both every day life and the moral conundrums we often must confront, with an engaging and introspective honesty I rarely see in contemporary literature. There are probably many who will fault his novel "Honest Faces" because of the lack of a hero and the kind of gratuitous heroism which sells a lot of books and tickets, and keeps viewers glued like zombies to the boob tube every night. Yet, this is its greatest source of appeal. There is an integrity operating here which transcends the formulas of commercialism and spares us the ubiquitous insults to our intelligence.
This is not to suggest that without reality-TV histrionics, spine-tingling pyrotechnics and the hyper-ventilating melodrama we've come to expect these days as numbed spectators, the novel is without suspense and excitement. It's an interesting and arresting story on a number of levels. Its characters are tangible and real, especially Malcolm the ex-Black Panther, and Gretchen the idealistic aspiring poet who wrote the poem that gave this novel its title.
But "Honest Faces" demands of the reader a suspension of the frivolous expectations built up over the thousands of hours of TV, high concept movies, and consumerist advertising we've all been subjected to, willing or not __ the constant black-and-white messaging that voids any possible honest relationship to reality.
The simple truth is that things don't always turn out as expected, the guys in the white hats don't always win, there is no way to turn back the clock, we cannot be nor most of us have never been young and beautiful, much less rich and famous. In fact, most of us must resign ourselves to failure of differing scales and a diverse palette of humiliation throughout most of our lives.
Having said that, there is a hopefulness of sorts deeply imbedded in "Honest Faces". It is the hopefulness that despite the untidiness and ingloriousness of life, there is a durable and time-honored resolution after all: You just do the best you can do and try to remain true to yourself, and that's fine because without the embellishments of fantasy and mythology and the electronic fairy tales of modern entertainment, that's all there is. And it's enough __ because it has to be.
"Honest Faces" is a pleasant and thought-provoking read. It's not disturbing so much as it is transporting. Donkin's writing is superb and there are many times when his phrasing and imagery will catch in your throat and you have to remind yourself to breathe. His bio says he's done many things, including a shot at political life in an electoral race for mayor of Washington DC. Putting aside the question of why anyone would want to be mayor of that town, whatever combination of ingredients it was that he brought to the creation of this book, it was an inspired recipe. Let's hope he wrote it down somewhere. It would make a pleasant and thought-provoking read.
Author Steven Donkin is able to capture the nuances and inexactness of both every day life and the moral conundrums we often must confront, with an engaging and introspective honesty I rarely see in contemporary literature. There are probably many who will fault his novel "Honest Faces" because of the lack of a hero and the kind of gratuitous heroism which sells a lot of books and tickets, and keeps viewers glued like zombies to the boob tube every night. Yet, this is its greatest source of appeal. There is an integrity operating here which transcends the formulas of commercialism and spares us the ubiquitous insults to our intelligence.
This is not to suggest that without reality-TV histrionics, spine-tingling pyrotechnics and the hyper-ventilating melodrama we've come to expect these days as numbed spectators, the novel is without suspense and excitement. It's an interesting and arresting story on a number of levels. Its characters are tangible and real, especially Malcolm the ex-Black Panther, and Gretchen the idealistic aspiring poet who wrote the poem that gave this novel its title.
But "Honest Faces" demands of the reader a suspension of the frivolous expectations built up over the thousands of hours of TV, high concept movies, and consumerist advertising we've all been subjected to, willing or not __ the constant black-and-white messaging that voids any possible honest relationship to reality.
The simple truth is that things don't always turn out as expected, the guys in the white hats don't always win, there is no way to turn back the clock, we cannot be nor most of us have never been young and beautiful, much less rich and famous. In fact, most of us must resign ourselves to failure of differing scales and a diverse palette of humiliation throughout most of our lives.
Having said that, there is a hopefulness of sorts deeply imbedded in "Honest Faces". It is the hopefulness that despite the untidiness and ingloriousness of life, there is a durable and time-honored resolution after all: You just do the best you can do and try to remain true to yourself, and that's fine because without the embellishments of fantasy and mythology and the electronic fairy tales of modern entertainment, that's all there is. And it's enough __ because it has to be.
"Honest Faces" is a pleasant and thought-provoking read. It's not disturbing so much as it is transporting. Donkin's writing is superb and there are many times when his phrasing and imagery will catch in your throat and you have to remind yourself to breathe. His bio says he's done many things, including a shot at political life in an electoral race for mayor of Washington DC. Putting aside the question of why anyone would want to be mayor of that town, whatever combination of ingredients it was that he brought to the creation of this book, it was an inspired recipe. Let's hope he wrote it down somewhere. It would make a pleasant and thought-provoking read.
September 1, 2010
Book Title: Honest Faces
Author: Steven Donkin
ISBN: 9781608300358
Publisher: Aberdeen Bay
Reviewed by Michele Tater For Review The Book
“I have known a vast quantity of nonsense talked about bad men not looking you in the face. Don’t trust that conventional idea. Dishonesty will stare honesty out of countenance any day in the week, if there is anything to be got by it.”---Charles Dickens
“Honest Faces” is written through several different person’s point of view so the reader needs to pay attention to character changes. It is not a quick reading book, it takes time to read between the lines, which gives the story its suspense and mystery.
The book is about, in part, of the reunion of two brother after 47 years of being estranged. The younger brother, Jonathan Allerton, is a 65 year old retired college professor and is married to a woman named Ruth in New Jersey. The older brother, Frank Allerton, is a 75 year old bachelor who once ran the family hardware store. They were both raised by their widowed father until he died from a heart attack that Frank was too drunk to call for help for. Jonathon decides to hold his fathers death against his brother and move out of state and not stay in touch with Frank. The visit of Jonathan to his home town awakes old ghosts and haunts. He sees that his family home has been burned and the family business abandoned.
Other important characters are introduced during an alcohol inducted discussion of current events at the home of Conrad Hagwood (the Colonel) which is Frank’s neighbor. The Colonel is an US Army veteran and since being shot in a hunting accident has been wheel chair bound. He is a saucy, opinionated old man who is raising his middle-aged daughter Ruth, who is considered mentally impaired. Also in attendance is Malcolm Louis Peters a widowed African American retired school teacher who moved to Ohio from Washington D.C. and years earlier was a member of the Black Panthers. He tried all his teaching career to make a difference to his students however he does not feel he has. He then takes it upon himself to solve the mystery of his friend Frank’s death to once again try to make a difference.
The topics of the discussion included the war in Iraq, Obama’s election and terrorist which showed to me that it is set in modern day times. My favorite part of the friendly debate was the Colonel’s retell of what he learn from someone during the Vietnam war. It is an interesting reasoning behind the phrase of how violence only begets violence. He explains the if you kill someone, you are not just taking that person’s life. That person had family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, anyone that person had a relationship with, you would have effected them all. Revenge doesn’t work unless you kill everyone involved.
The characters of Cora the waitress and Gretchen her nice she adopted, I felt were not very necessary to story other than how they are really related and the poem that Gretchen wrote.
As I read Honest Faces, I was surprised of the plot twist after the suspicious death of Frank, and the disappearance of Jonathon. Frank’s will is in question especially when it was changed just before his death.
Along with the obvious mystery of the plot line, the book also contains explanations and opinions about certain forms of government and the state of our education system. Could not stop thinking that these maybe the author’s way to express his thoughts in an indirect way.
I recommend “Honest Faces” to all adult readers with a word of caution that some of the writing maybe complex in nature but it doesn’t take away from the story the author is trying to tell.
Author: Steven Donkin
ISBN: 9781608300358
Publisher: Aberdeen Bay
Reviewed by Michele Tater For Review The Book
“I have known a vast quantity of nonsense talked about bad men not looking you in the face. Don’t trust that conventional idea. Dishonesty will stare honesty out of countenance any day in the week, if there is anything to be got by it.”---Charles Dickens
“Honest Faces” is written through several different person’s point of view so the reader needs to pay attention to character changes. It is not a quick reading book, it takes time to read between the lines, which gives the story its suspense and mystery.
The book is about, in part, of the reunion of two brother after 47 years of being estranged. The younger brother, Jonathan Allerton, is a 65 year old retired college professor and is married to a woman named Ruth in New Jersey. The older brother, Frank Allerton, is a 75 year old bachelor who once ran the family hardware store. They were both raised by their widowed father until he died from a heart attack that Frank was too drunk to call for help for. Jonathon decides to hold his fathers death against his brother and move out of state and not stay in touch with Frank. The visit of Jonathan to his home town awakes old ghosts and haunts. He sees that his family home has been burned and the family business abandoned.
Other important characters are introduced during an alcohol inducted discussion of current events at the home of Conrad Hagwood (the Colonel) which is Frank’s neighbor. The Colonel is an US Army veteran and since being shot in a hunting accident has been wheel chair bound. He is a saucy, opinionated old man who is raising his middle-aged daughter Ruth, who is considered mentally impaired. Also in attendance is Malcolm Louis Peters a widowed African American retired school teacher who moved to Ohio from Washington D.C. and years earlier was a member of the Black Panthers. He tried all his teaching career to make a difference to his students however he does not feel he has. He then takes it upon himself to solve the mystery of his friend Frank’s death to once again try to make a difference.
The topics of the discussion included the war in Iraq, Obama’s election and terrorist which showed to me that it is set in modern day times. My favorite part of the friendly debate was the Colonel’s retell of what he learn from someone during the Vietnam war. It is an interesting reasoning behind the phrase of how violence only begets violence. He explains the if you kill someone, you are not just taking that person’s life. That person had family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, anyone that person had a relationship with, you would have effected them all. Revenge doesn’t work unless you kill everyone involved.
The characters of Cora the waitress and Gretchen her nice she adopted, I felt were not very necessary to story other than how they are really related and the poem that Gretchen wrote.
As I read Honest Faces, I was surprised of the plot twist after the suspicious death of Frank, and the disappearance of Jonathon. Frank’s will is in question especially when it was changed just before his death.
Along with the obvious mystery of the plot line, the book also contains explanations and opinions about certain forms of government and the state of our education system. Could not stop thinking that these maybe the author’s way to express his thoughts in an indirect way.
I recommend “Honest Faces” to all adult readers with a word of caution that some of the writing maybe complex in nature but it doesn’t take away from the story the author is trying to tell.
December 3, 2012
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for reviewing purposes.
This book is very detailed and descriptive. The narrative changes from character to character and each is told in a distinctive and realistic way. As a reader, you definitely have to pay attention to this book, as there is an array of characters. This story is both simple and complex - the initial grain that starts the ball rolling is quite simple. A man visiting his home town and estranged brother after a very long period of time. From there it gets complex; the different relationships, the 'why's of it all, etc.
I don't usually read this genre, but am glad I did. Mr. Donkin has painted a rich picture full of human emotion that really comes through to the reader and has, overall, made some poignant observations on people. This book definitely takes an unexpected turn, which just adds to the great complexity the author has going on. I would definitely recommend!
This book is very detailed and descriptive. The narrative changes from character to character and each is told in a distinctive and realistic way. As a reader, you definitely have to pay attention to this book, as there is an array of characters. This story is both simple and complex - the initial grain that starts the ball rolling is quite simple. A man visiting his home town and estranged brother after a very long period of time. From there it gets complex; the different relationships, the 'why's of it all, etc.
I don't usually read this genre, but am glad I did. Mr. Donkin has painted a rich picture full of human emotion that really comes through to the reader and has, overall, made some poignant observations on people. This book definitely takes an unexpected turn, which just adds to the great complexity the author has going on. I would definitely recommend!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews