Ed King

Greek. I can imagine David Guterson having fun writing his latest novel, Ed King. He decides to retell the Greek tragedy, Oedipus Rex (hence Ed King, protagonist and title) and proceeds to unveil to readers how he things such a story would play out in today’s world. The characters he creates are venal and self-centered, so the sense of tragedy for some readers will fall short, since each seems to get what he or she deserves. Long on exposition and short on dialogue, the novel has a remoteness that became disengaging for me at times. While I was somewhat interested in what would happen to the characters, I realized that their shallowness left me cold rather than caring. Guterson is creative and daring in this novel, and I found his writing craftsmanship superb. Readers who like literary fiction are those most likely to enjoy this novel.

Rating: Three-star (Recommended)
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