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A Person of Interest: A Novel |
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Amazon Sales Rank: 317309
Publication Date: 2008-01-31
Publisher: Viking Adult
Type: Hardcover
Number Of Pages: 368
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From an acclaimed novelist, an emotionally complex and riveting story of suspicion, innocence, and regret
When a mail bomb explodes in the campus office next door, Lee, an Asian American math professor at a second-tier university in the Midwest, comes under suspicion. The authorities believe he may be the infamous “brain bomber,” an elusive terrorist whose primary targets are prominent scientists and mathematicians.
In the midst of campus tumult and grief over the star computer scientist who was killed by the bomb, Lee receives a disturbing letter from a figure in his past. Certain he is being targeted for revenge, he begins confronting key events in his life. Misunderstood by the people around him, Lee is not conscious that his behavior has begun to heighten suspicion in the minds of his colleagues, students, and neighbors, leading the FBI to designate him “a person of interest” and pushing his life and reputation to the verge of ruin.
Intricately plotted and engrossing, A Person of Interest asks how far one man can run from his past, and explores the impact of scrutiny and suspicion in an age of terror. With its propulsive drive and vividly realized characters, Susan Choi’s latest novel is as thrilling as it is lyrical, and confirms her place as one of the most important young novelists chronicling the American experience.
Average Rating: 
Review: 2008-11-16
Very good premise, disappointing ending
This novel has an exciting premise, based on the stories of the Unabomber and Dr. Wen Ho Lee, accused but later exonerated of espionage. A popular young colleague of an aging Korean-American mathematician at a midwestern college falls victim to a letter bomb from a psychopath styling himself the Brain Bomber and the Korean falls under suspicion from the FBI, the news media, and his own neighbors. He himself receives a cryptic letter from a figure from his past; through a series of flashbacks we learn of his troubled past, involving two ex-wives and an estranged daughter. At first he runs away from the law, but later he confronts the letter writer and helps the authorities to arrest him. While the introduction and initial development of the story are quite effective and gripping, I was disappointed by its resolution, which struck me as pat and implausible.
Review: 2008-06-25
Show, don't tell
Based on all the positive published reviews, I was excited to read this novel. When I did start to read it, however, I was shocked by the flatness of the characters and their relationships to each other. Choi can certainly write a good sentence, but a competent ability to set up authentic relationships is sadly lacking. I never understood why the main character, Dr. Lee, was attracted to his future wife, Aileen. And I never understood why Aileen was married to her evangelical husband, Gaither, or what she saw in Lee that triggered her willful rebellion against her marriage. None of this behavior made any sense to me. I did understand why Lee was initially attracted to Gathier's friendship, but even that was underdeveloped in terms of actual experience, I think. Ultimately, Choi spends way too much time telling and not nearly enough showing. In my opinion that really kills the potential drama that might have been wrung from the intriguing plot summary.
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Amazon List Price: $24.95
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