I’m still reading Gary Larson’s The Devil in the White City.  The further I get into this book, the more interested I am to hear what happens next, especially when it comes to Holmes.  The text still follows a similar format, jumping between focuses. One chapter will be focused on the World’s Fair head architect, Daniel Burnham, and the next will be focused on H.H. Holmes, the notorious serial killer, and so on.  At this point in the book a new protagonist has emerged as well, one George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. the inventor of the ferris wheel.  The attraction was first created for the Columbian Exposition, and Larson expands on the trials and tribulations involved, intertwining ferris’s story with that of Burnham.  While closer to the beginning of the book, the chapter focuses seemed rather disjointed, as it’s progressed, Larson shows us how Holmes’s actions intertwine with those of Burnham and Ferris.  More than that, the contrast between the visionary idealistic architects and the undeniably sociopathic serial killer makes for a very interesting dynamic.  With such vastly different characters, Larson not only relates a historical tale, but also explores the human psyche and in fact, what it means to be human.

On the one hand, you have Daniel Burnham, a man with so much vision he was able to pull off something that no one had ever seen before, a leader of both technological and cultural advancement.  On the other is a man some would not even consider human at all, as he possesses none of the emotion or empathy to be considered such.  Two very different sides of humanity juxtaposed against each other.  That kept in mind, I’ve begun to realize that the real protagonist in Larson’s text is humanity as a whole.  I can’t wait to finish the book and find out what happens next; again, if you’re reading this and haven’t checked out this book, I suggest you do so.

Upon finishing my previous book, I've started something new, The Devil in the White City.  The book is a biographical account in a novel style of the first Chicago's World Fair and the serial killer who operated during this period, H.H. Holmes.  The first notable thing about the book is its structure.  The author, Gary Larson, alternates the chapters consistently between two seeming "protagonists".  The first is Daniel Burnham, a visionary in city architecture and the head architect of the World's Fair.  The next is, big surprise, Holmes.  

While the way Larson follows Burnham is more typical coming from a biographical standpoint, what really stands out is how he builds the character of Holmes in our mind.  He approaches this in much the same way Capote did in his biographical novel, In Cold Blood.  Based on his reporting and everything he gathered, he was able to construct a portrait of what Holmes was like as a man.  He never reveals too much about Holmes at a time, though, allowing the mystique surrounding the character remain just as much intact as if we were there along with those unfortunate few caught in his web.

Holmes is a fascinating man.  He’s suave, charming, and cool.  A complete lady’s man, he has no problem luring innocent young women in a transitional period in their lives with kind words and his almost hypnotic aura of charm and mystery.  Yet Larson is particular about stressing that many found something amiss with him.  Something cold, or heartless even.  Already he’s built up as almost a Hannibal Lecter-esque sociopath, someone who is so skilled at putting up a front of humanitarian perfection, behind which lies nothing recognizably human.  Holmes begins his  life in Chicago with the construction of The Castle, a massive building that would not only be hotel and living quarters, but pharmacy, and, ultimately, crematory.

What stands out most in the book so far is how raptured Larson keeps the reader, how he’s able to draw them in and keep them there with the promise of what’s to come.  In addition, the way he slowly reveals more and more about Holmes’s dark side, just as those Holmes himself interacts with do, is absolutely brilliant.  It’s a gripping read so far, and I would definitely recommend anyone to check it out.

I've just finished Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross.  The second act does not disappoint, with all the tension of the first coming to a head.  This act takes place in the offices of Premier Properties, the real estate company.  The office has just been robbed, as was plotted in the first act, but the perpetrator remains unclear.  Levene enters, bragging about a massive deal he just closed.  While he and Roma discuss this, a detective interviews everyone in the office.  Enter James Lingk, the man who had previously just bought land from Roma.  His wife makes him back out of the deal, but Roma and Levene use underhanded tactics to prevent that.  Eventually, Williamson enters and tells Lingk his check has gone to the bank, and the only choice left to him is to call the state’s attorney’s office. Exit Lingk.  Roma is infuriated.  In the following crucial scene, the office burglar is revealed, and then comes the conclusion of the play.  Mamet is a master of putting interest into the most mundane of scenarios.  His descriptive dialogue keeps the reader glued to the page, while the actual scenario unfolding is not so different than what would occur in everyday life.  Mamet’s greatest strength is his dialogue.  It’s quick and efficient where it needs to be, so as not to lose the reader, yet completely reasonable and believable so as not to distract the reader.  Dialogue, especially in a play, is one of the hardest things to pull off effectively in terms of showing rather than telling, yet Mamet accomplishes it superbly.