Cleaver

December 10, 2007
Through terse, confrontational prose, Parks puts on display the self-absorbed and egotistical mind of notable British journalist and womanizer Harold Cleaver. After sticking it to the unnamed (though unmistakable) current president of the United States in a television interview, Cleaver should be on top of the world. But his son’s just-released damning roman-à-clef, In His Shadow
, disrupts Cleaver’s life and moment of glory. Cleaver sequesters himself in the German mountains inside a remote, ratty cottage—the former home of a now-deceased Nazi soldier—and finds that while he can flee his fast-paced existence, his psyche is not so easily quieted. With a doll named Olga and a dog named Uli as his only companions, Cleaver finds himself in constant debate about his deceased daughter, Angela, his attempt to replace her through extra-marital affairs, and his son’s betrayal. As Cleaver battles his demons and tries to come to terms with his past, his food supply diminishes and a bruising blizzard rages outside. Parks (Europa
) gives readers a robust protagonist riddled with doubt, and the path he sends him down is both treacherous and cathartic.

February 1, 2008
In this latest from Booker Prize finalist Parks ("Europa"), British media personality Harold Cleaver has just skewered the President of the United States in a television interview and, turning his back on society, retreats into the mountains. The narrative is conveyed with ironic humor and precision through Cleaver's inner voice as he thinks about his life and reveals his mental perambulations. His reflections are poignant and believable, and the descriptions of his adventures and the people he meets combine with his ruminations to reveal his life story organically. Moreover, his grief for a daughter he lost in a car accident 15 years earlier provides a ringing counterpoint to his struggle with the anger he feels toward his eldest son, who has just written a critical exposé of his famous father. The slowly revealed details create an honest emotional tableau that is both intriguing and funny. Unique, immediately impactful, and carried through to a reasonable resolution; recommended for all libraries.Henry Bankhead, Los Gatos P.L., CA

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2008
Parks, the author of Europa (1998), shortlisted for the Booker, here offers a multifaceted portrait of a crotchety journalist. Harold Cleaver, fresh offa hard-hitting interview with a cowboy-like American president, should be basking in the glowing reviews of his rapier-like wit. Instead, he heads for the remotemountains of Germany, cutting himself off from family, colleagues, and, especially, all forms of communication. Hes reeling from the recent publication of a roman clefpenned by his son, whichpaints a less than favorable view ofHarolds philandering, egotism, and massive neglect of his children. Determined to face down his demons in stark isolation while battling the arctic cold andprimitive conditions, Cleaver findshimself obsessively thinking about his late daughter and his inept attempts to deal with his grief by engaging in serial affairs with much younger women.Ina character portraitfairly shimmering with intelligence, Parks moveswith facilityfrom slapstick scenesdepicting Cleavers towering egoto surprisingly tender moments as thegreat man acknowledges that he is deeply flawed and forgives himself for it.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)