by Ken Finkleman ~ Harper Collins ~ Review: Halifax Herald, November 2010
Noah is a screenwriter, or was one, until he was laid off. He wasn’t surprised. He was less than passionate about the show and felt being a screenwriter was beneath his talents. But when his money pressures escalate, he takes to visiting his wealthy (and dying) aunt in the hopes of weaseling his way into her will. But “he knew the rich didn’t get rich by giving it away ... and deep in his heart, he anticipated the worst.” It came!
Enter Patrick McEwen, arrogant, condescending and successful, a published writer who teaches at U of T. For Noah, their friendship is a love/hate relationship. His envy of McEwen is of the green monster variety. When McEwen is gloating about the launch of his latest novel, something inside Noah snaps. He grabs a machete from the wall of McEwen’s office and kills him (a fact which is on the back cover of the book). The inexplicable murder makes huge headlines, and contrary to Noah’s run of luck, he doesn’t get caught.
The second half of Noah’s Turn tracks Noah as he takes all precautions to avoid detection. He realizes there is a good chance he’ll get away with it if he keeps on going ‘as normal’ but finds he cannot. He spirals downward into booze and drugs and debt.
There are problems with Noah’s ‘post-murder’ persona. Until his nasty crime, Noah’s demeanor has been cynical and witty, creating a grudging sympathy for the state of his life. But understanding a jealous and cynical mind is perhaps easier than understanding a murderer’s
rationalizing, and as Noah descends into addiction, his character lacks the edginess that entertained in the first half of the novel. In spite of this, Noah manages to continue to extract a certain sympathy from the reader, right to the ending you probably won’t see coming. Finkleman has written a compelling debut novel.
Ken Finkleman is a writer, producer and actor for both television and movies. He is created, produced and wrote the popular CBC Television series, The Newsroom. Noah’s Turn is his first novel.
