The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey

Starred review from September 13, 2010
Mosley (Known to Evil) plays out an intriguing premise in his powerful latest: a man is given a second shot at life, but at the price of a hastened death. Ptolemy Grey is a 91-year-old man, suffering from dementia and living as a recluse in his Los Angeles apartment. With one foot in the past and the other in the grave, Ptolemy begins to open up when Robyn Small, a 17-year-old family friend, appears and helps clean up his apartment and straighten out his life. A reinvigorated Ptolemy volunteers for an experimental medical program that will restore his mind, but at hazardous cost: he won't live to see 92. With the clock ticking, Ptolemy uses his rejuvenated mental abilities to delve into the mystery of the recent drive-by shooting death of his great-nephew, Reggie, and to render justice the only way he knows how, goaded and guided by the memory of his murdered childhood mentor, Coydog McCann. Though the details of the experimental procedure are less than convincing, Mosley's depiction of the indignities of old age is heartbreaking, and Ptolemy's grace and decency make for a wonderful character and a moving novel.

Walter Mosley takes a daring leap by telling the story of a 91-year-old man who makes a figurative deal with the devil, trading the last few years of his life for just a few weeks of mental clarity. Unlike most of Mosley's young, tough African-American heroes, Ptolemy is old and infirm through most of the book. Dominic Hoffman is nothing short of brilliant in bringing Ptolemy's story to life. With a combination of standard English and ghetto slang, he creates memorable characters--good, evil, and just plain selfish--and allows the listener to glimpse into their souls. As Neil Young said, "It's better to burn out than to fade away," and Ptolemy is not going to go befuddled into that dark night--not when he has unfinished business. M.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine