Await Your Reply
by
Dan Chaon
adult fiction
thriller/crime/mystery
Chaon's novel is a quick and lively read set in today's America. He launches three parallel stories about persons who don't wish to be found. How does someone evade being detected in today's world? Some persons steal other persons' identification - becoming (on paper) someone new. Others try to live undetected. What does it take in today's world to reinvent one's self? What if you pretend you are from another state and adopt a new accent? What if you lie to loved ones?
One story line follows a brother trying to find his schizophrenic twin. Another line shows an 18 year old young lady who takes off for a more glamorous life in Nebraska. Nebraska? The third plot traces a male college student who left school and never went back after he was mistakenly declared dead.
Ohio readers will find a number of places in Ohio mentioned - Pompey, Cleveland, Euclid Heights, and more. The author lives in Cleveland and teaches at Oberlin College.
Generally I am not into thriller/crime/mystery novels, but this one was pretty good. There is one grisly scene, but that is the only one.
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In an unrelated note, I wonder how CHAON is pronounced?
