Robert Stone's Damascus Gate (Touchstone, ISBN 0684859114) features the city of Jerusalem as more of a character than a setting, providing readers with a detailed investigative journey through the complex political systems that exist in a city where all three of the world's major religions attempt to claim some sort of dominance over the others.
Bold, Entertaining Characters
The main character, Chris Lucas, takes the role of investigator, relying on his writer's connections to get him from point A to point B while he tries to make sense of a city that oftentimes makes no sense. In addition, it's clear early on that Lucas is struggling to maintain any sort of faith in anything, especially God, leading him to wonder if he perhaps is sticking around solely because he expects something to happen. When things pick up, he relies on the help of a Sufi named Sonia Barnes, whose connections are exploited by a variety of shadowy figures. In Jerusalem and its neighboring territories, it can be difficult to figure out who the good guy is, making all of Stone's characters in Damascus Gate complex and at least mildly interesting.
Terrorists, Bombs, Soldiers, Riots
While the plot can at times feel like it's moving in a dozen different directions, as the novel progresses it becomes clear that the reader and the main characters are meant to be in the dark from time to time simply because that's how things can work in Jerusalem. The gun runner could easily be a good guy. The soldiers could be bad guys. Through it all, Stone does a fairly effective job of keeping things moving well enough that the story maintains its entertaining qualities.
Passionate Details and Useful Dialogue
Where some have complained that Stone's novel can drag on with the use of his details, it's difficult to imagine how a novel like this would have worked on a more minimal level. The details of israel and Jerusalem, as well as the occupied territories, all lend not only a credibility to the novel itself but also adds a richness to a setting that can be difficult to understand. It's one of the qualities of this novel that can draw the reader in unexpectedly; Jerusalem is the perfect setting for a thriller centered around a journalist's search for greater meaning.
Overall, Robert Stone's writing skills help make for a plausible thriller that's a lot of fun to read, not just because the story works well but because Stone takes the time to portray the setting as something more than just another city.
Ken Brosky - Ken Brosky's first novel was published in fall 2007. He has more than a dozen short stories published in magazines including Skyline and ...
