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It's been four years, but Terry Orr has barely recovered from an event that changed his life forever. His beloved wife, Marina, and their infant son, Davy, were waiting on a subway platform when a deranged man pushed the baby's stroller onto the tracks. Marina attempted to save him, but they were both swept under an oncoming subway and killed. It's been Terry's life mission ever since to find this man. He's gone into private investigation as a means to track him and takes on cases from other people that involve saving children. Thanks to his late wife's artistic talent, he has no financial worries and can devote himself to setting the world right. Terry lives and works in New York City with his 14-year-old daughter, Bella. They have a closed community of friends, such as Dennis Diddio, a wannabe musician and various shopkeepers around the neighborhood. Terry's housekeeper asks him to speak to one of her acquaintances, a woman whose daughter has just been released after serving 30 years for the robbery and murder of a diamond dealer. She wants Terry to find Sonia Salgado so that she can see her grandson, or at least that's what she tells Terry. As Terry begins to search for the woman, he finds that what he unearths is threatening to several people around him, that the crime of 30 years earlier has very real meaning in the present day and that people will kill to keep it in the past. A Well-Known Secret is set in post 9/11 New York, and Fusilli excels at showing the subtle aftereffects of that event on the people living in the city. Any native New Yorker would delight in reading this book, as he traverses its boroughs with wonderful descriptions of the various neighborhoods, sights and sounds. The setting is exquisitely drawn, sometimes at the expense of the pacing of the book. There are times when events should be moving forward, and Ellis is rhapsodizing about the city. The book is a poignant tribute not only to New York City but also to Orr's dead wife and child. He knows it's time to move on, but he finds it very difficult to do so. He meets a fine woman who wants to be with him, but he has a hard time feeling anything more than grief and remorse. He's not even at the point where he can take a subway; he experiences an overwhelming paralysis whenever he even tries to enter the underground system. In addition to the wonderful depiction of the setting, Fusilli has written a book whose melancholic mood as Terry reminisces about his late family and what could have been and should have been touches the heart of the reader. Equally touching is the characterization, particularly the feisty, no-nonsense Bella who threatens to steal the book away; Diddio, the loopy musician who searches for a dream that seems unobtainable to him; and Jule, the assistant district attorney who hopes to warm Terry's heart and reach beyond his grief. And then there are the various flawed characters whose corruption and greed hurt so many others. The book had a nonfiction feel to it, as the author referred to political figures of the past and present, to the way that New York is changing as a result of the Apocalyptic World Trade Center destruction. The book felt real and honest in every way. The book ends with a feeling of hope, even though many of the issues remain unresolved. This is the first book I've read that incorporates the events of 9/11 in a meaningful way, and the narrative around its repercussions is exceptionally well done.
Reviewed by Maddy Van Hertbruggen, April 2003
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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