This is a spoiler-free book review. Check back for my full (spoilers included) book report on The Ax.
“There’s nothing out there but me and the competition and I have to beat the competition. I have to. Whatever it takes.”
I’ve recently discovered a gift that I was unaware I possessed. Apparently I have the “touch” when it comes to discovering good books. And I mean that literally. Our local library’s catalog system is a little clunky so I usually don’t go searching for specific books. I have developed a habit of running my fingers along the spines in the fiction section until one just feels right. I check out the cover and the synopsis and somehow, so far, they have all been winners.
Enter: The Ax by Donald E. Westlake. This mystery/crime thriller shares the story of Burke Devore, an out of work paper industry middle manager with a deeply twisted secret. The story, which takes place during the 90s technology boom has many implications for our current outlook with regard to AI. Put simply – Burke is tired of job hunting and is prepared to take his search to the next step.
One of the highlights of this book that really worked for me was Devore’s casual relationship with the reader. Westlake makes you feel like you’re sitting at one of the diners Burke likes to frequent simply listening to him tell you his story over a cup of coffee. This technique really works to make you trust him early on in the narrative and see him how he sees himself: as a simple, out of work line manager. Slowly we learn how unreliable Burke is as narrator of his own story and that’s just good ‘ole fashioned fun right there!
What didn’t work for me? For starters, I’d hesitate to call this a mystery even though that’s how it’s classified in some cases. There’s not much mystery to this mystery, but there is a lot of deeper meaning. I love a nice short chapter (something about the feeling of progressing through the book, I dunno), but there were chapters throughout the middle that felt a little slow. A lot of information is provided on minute details of the ins and outs of the paper industry and while that works for Burke’s character (he IS his job) it’s not always the most exciting.
Overall I’d give this book 3/5 stars. It was a good, mostly entertaining read and really makes you stop and ponder some tough questions about how we see our jobs and how our jobs see us.
briennedaugherty.com 