Judge Savage

August 11, 2003
Using the same captivating narrative technique as in 1999's highly acclaimed Europa, Parks relates the dizzying tale of a man in crisis. The veteran British author employs a modified version of interior monologue to capture the crash and roar of the life of Daniel Savage, a judge in England's Crown Court circuit. Savage is a man in free fall. His turbulent 20-year marriage is again on the rocks, this time because of his brief affair with a 20-year-old Korean woman who served on one of his juries. Sarah, Savage's 18-year-old daughter, has decided to skip college and join a Christian sect. His best friend, Martin, has again fallen into the throes of a crippling depression, and Savage tries, but predictably fails, to beat back the amorous advances of Martin's wife. Parks, author of 16 works of fiction and nonfiction, sets all this up through Savage's frantic, at times hilarious narration. Adding to the dynamic is Savage's own perception of himself; he's a colored man of "obscurely mixed origin" who is wracked by an odd form of guilt because he never seems to pay the price for his personal and professional indiscretions. The somewhat scattered plot picks up pace when Savage is beaten into a coma by the husband and brothers of his Korean mistress. But that incident even works in his favor when the press, ignorant of the actual facts, makes him a hero. As will happen, however, Savage's luck runs out, and when it does, it goes all at once. Parks allows his plot to become a little long-winded at times, particularly during the novel's many court scenes. Yet his inventive prose, incisive social commentary and bizarre sense of scene and character reaffirm his standing as one of England's better stylists. (Sept.)Forecast:Parks has produced a few humorous thrillers (Mimi's Ghost, etc.), and this novel has elements of suspense, but it should be classed with his straight-ahead literary novels (Destiny;
Europa; etc.) and will be reviewed accordingly.

October 1, 2003
Woe is Daniel Savage. In addition to his myriad duties as newly appointed Crown Court judge in England, he has a new house to worry about, a proselytizing daughter he fears has joined a cult, a lawyer friend apparently going off the deep end, a ne'er-do-well brother, and a tendency to philander that has finally pushed his marriage to its breaking point. His plan to make a fresh start is thwarted when a previous lover reappears, intimating trouble in her life. Either well meaning or still drawn to the dark side, the judge chooses to involve himself in the woman's plight. As a consequence, his double life is exposed, and his carefully constructed world begins to unravel. With its large cast of dysfunctional characters, Parks's novel functions as a quirky mystery of sorts, though who's responsible for bringing about Savage's downfall (besides himself) is less original than the way it's delivered through the judge's clinical eye. The book, like Savage himself, is jittery, calculating, and darkly funny through to its sobering end, which is, for better or worse, a place of rest. Recommended.-Marc Kloszewski, Indiana Free Lib., PA

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