Genre: Novel
Grade: A-
Notable People: Pete Hamill
Title: The Guns of Heaven
Review: The late Pete Hamill was simply one of the great American writes of the 20th century. I have been reading his catalog over the last five years and yet to not be bowled over. You have to like stories that invoke the grittier side of life in the very big city (NYC), which is his passion, the way it once was in Woody Allen’s films…..kind of like a love song written to the Apple. Like many of his books, the protagonist on this one, sounds and acts a lot like the real life Hamill, who was ,by all accounts, a hard drinking, adventurous tough guy. He danced with the stars for years as a beloved columnist (with Jimmy Breslin and Norman Mailer) for the NY Post and later the Daily News. Hamill is also a devoted Irishman, which plays a key role in his work- especially this one; set in early 80’s Belfast and New York- it’s about being Irish in the latter half of 20th century, both in Ireland and in New York. The IRA of the time is very prominent, and acts of crazy violence are right around the corner. This is a book with a an awful lot to like: the protagonist is a macho but humble hero, the characters are flawed but vivid, the setting is lovingly depicted and the story is deceptively alluring. The book was short for my taste, but could be read in one rainy day or a day at the beach. Good, good stuff.