The Kiss of the Prison Dancer

After finishing the first chapter of Jerome Richard's Kiss of the Prison Dancer, I was convinced that the protagonist, Max Friedman, was real and that I HAD TO speak to him before it was too late. This reaction was doubly remarkable because, first of all, I am not the kind of reader who loses herself in a fictional universe. Secondly, Max, a loner who dwells almost entirely in the world of his thoughts and memories, is unlike anyone I have ever met. Fortunately for other readers, characters in books do not hear the shouted urgings of their readers and the novel continues to end as Richard intended it to conclude. Kiss of the Prison Dancer is about a murder, a man, Max, who witnesses the murderer runing from the crime scene and what Max does next. I won't spoil the rest by telling you what Max does, but rest assured that it's not what you might think. When I emerged from this gripping novel, I needed to discuss it with another reader. Fortunately, other readers are more responsive than fictional characters. I think everyone who reads it will want to talk about this well-written, memorable novel that pulls you in and leaves you changed. A must read!

Set in San Francisco in 1977, it is the story of Max Friedman. I won't recap the plot as the Publisher's Weekly review (above) does that, although I disagree with that reviewer's take. Richard's handling of the complex moral issues is far from heavy-handed. It is at once intricate and straight-forward. In fact, I cannot recall a truly literary psycological novel with prose more open, accessible and free of pomposity or affectations of style. Like AS I LAY DYING (but free of Faulkner's dense-as-concrete prose) it is a short novel about a small life that ends up a deep and gigantic story; like the best of Hemmingway (but with more intelligence and self-awareness) it is a dramatically human story told in simple words and phrases. But Richard's opening opus is in a class by itself in terms of literary comparisons except in the catagory of excellence. Tone, mood, characterization, description, setting and all the other writerly tasks are wonderfully handled. Richard is a master of the telling detail and the right word, exemplifying Mark Twain's comment that the right word is to another word as the lightning is to the lightning bug. It is a joy to read well-written serious prose handled with such expert delicacy. The ending is an eye-opening surprise, but given the characterization, it is the only one that is possible or believable. I agree with another reviewer that it would be an excellent book club choice (Oprah, are you listening?). Although it reads as a page-turner, this is one for the ages and will keep you thinking and talking about it long after you've turned its last amazing page.

Jerome Richards has created a nuanced, thought-provoking and well-crafted novel in his debut, "The Kiss of the Prison Dancer." Set in San Francisco in the 1970s, it is a gripping meditation on responsibility, guilt and ethics. The protagonist, Max Friedman, is a solitary Holocaust survivor who is confronted with a haunting moral dilemma. "Kiss of the Prison Dancer" would make a perfect book club discussion choice: it is relatively short, but packed full of interesting ideas and situations to discuss.