Back to Blood

Shaggy. Tom Wolfe often takes a magnifying glass focus on some aspect of American life and culture and uses his novels as a form of social commentary. It took me a long time to plow through the shaggy dog story he presents in his latest novel, Back to Blood. Wolfe sets the novel in Miami, and uses the diversity of that place to swipe at Cuban-American assimilation, art world snobbery, pornography, body building, media sensationalism, prejudice and the decadence of modern life in general. I think Wolfe enjoyed writing the 700+ pages of this novel more than I enjoyed reading them. Buried inside, there might be a very fine 300 page novel. While I read through to the end, Wolfe tested my patience at many turns as he wove his story to be sure to include every element he wanted to display. Readers who like a lot of pages for the buck, and who are fans of Wolfe are those most likely to enjoy this sprawling novel. Rating: Three-star (It’s ok) Click here to purchase Back to Blood from amazon.com.