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An ex-con tries to get a life
By MICHAEL GIL TZ
(~rdo~ L omis, a big, Jumber
. mg fellow. enlered prison at
J age 18 and hets just been re
eased, 25 years later. woman is perhaps the most hon
orable person around.
~ut this doesn't maller to Lou
l!lJ.S. He seems determined to
make himself a' 5tnall as . bJ h'd POSSl-. e, I e away in th home of his
ViKing, $24.95, out now
Is there iife after ~rison? The sad irony at tbe heart of
~a~y "McGarr~ Morris' fifth
oy<:l, A Hole In lh . Univ "se"
,(V1krnS, $24 f)5) is thilt tlle man
KDC"vvn to eve:'V{)' 1'") 'n LO'"¥
_t'h ,~ rr" ~'~ .. 1 .... "" ~V n 3S late p~renl5 :ll1d get throagh III
re~1 oj his mise:-abJe. ruined liff'
WIthout eVEr C:IU ;ng 3nYl)f!
else
ut
bling as the onee··vibrant neigh
borhood he's trapped ill.
Across the street is a crack ad
dict who can't be bothered to
pay attention to her little daugh
ter, Jadet.
lad a tries to latch onto Loomis,
hut he does everything he can to
dissuade this desperate little girl
from worming her way into his
life.
Just as persjsu~nt is the needy,
tall«ltive Delores, a [,itCnu of
l.oomis ,',Ion vi~;i!"c! him ccgu-""'. .",,-, uere~ ot :, rregr:aI:;t Loomis' life is j:st ~s c:"-:..:;:-:-
of harm's ay
lady. in prison -more than his
own family -and who holds
out hope of becoming. more than
friends.
Morris has been nominated for
a National Book Award for one
novel, hnd another ingled uut
by Time :IS une of the hest of the
year ami e"en won the literary
~quivalcllt 1'1' t],C 1 tery wbei,
Oprah chost' "Songs in Ordinary
rime" for \leI' book club
Btl t it a 11 seems " li ttle too fa
mili.ar. The characters are losers to a fault, with blunt details
about their inner lives spelled
out for anyone who can't figure
out that little Jada is hungry for
attention (and just plain hun
gry), that Delores has a poor
self-image and that Loomis isn't
really cold or distant, just afraid
of causing any more damage
than he already has to the peo
ple he cares for.
The drug deaLers, the crack ad··
diet, the cranky neighbor who
doesn't trust him .-it all feels
rather obvious. One emotional breakthrough
for Loomis feels earned; when
he fmally says somethin g sin
cere and simple in its honesty to
Delores, you're relieved.
Then Morris has to spoil it by
letting him have a second emu
tional breakthrough when speak
ing to his brother Dennis.
She should have learned the
lessons Loomis did in prison:
Take it slow, take it easy or
you're liable to ruin whatever
progress youtve achieved.
By MICHAEL GIL TZ
(~rdo~ L omis, a big, Jumber
. mg fellow. enlered prison at
J age 18 and hets just been re
eased, 25 years later. woman is perhaps the most hon
orable person around.
~ut this doesn't maller to Lou
l!lJ.S. He seems determined to
make himself a' 5tnall as . bJ h'd POSSl-. e, I e away in th home of his
ViKing, $24.95, out now
Is there iife after ~rison? The sad irony at tbe heart of
~a~y "McGarr~ Morris' fifth
oy<:l, A Hole In lh . Univ "se"
,(V1krnS, $24 f)5) is thilt tlle man
KDC"vvn to eve:'V{)' 1'") 'n LO'"¥
_t'h ,~ rr" ~'~ .. 1 .... "" ~V n 3S late p~renl5 :ll1d get throagh III
re~1 oj his mise:-abJe. ruined liff'
WIthout eVEr C:IU ;ng 3nYl)f!
else
bling as the onee··vibrant neigh
borhood he's trapped ill.
Across the street is a crack ad
dict who can't be bothered to
pay attention to her little daugh
ter, Jadet.
lad a tries to latch onto Loomis,
hut he does everything he can to
dissuade this desperate little girl
from worming her way into his
life.
Just as persjsu~nt is the needy,
tall«ltive Delores, a [,itCnu of
l.oomis ,',Ion vi~;i!"c! him ccgu-""'. .",,-, uere~ ot :, rregr:aI:;t Loomis' life is j:st ~s c:"-:..:;:-:-
of harm's ay
lady. in prison -more than his
own family -and who holds
out hope of becoming. more than
friends.
Morris has been nominated for
a National Book Award for one
novel, hnd another ingled uut
by Time :IS une of the hest of the
year ami e"en won the literary
~quivalcllt 1'1' t],C 1 tery wbei,
Oprah chost' "Songs in Ordinary
rime" for \leI' book club
Btl t it a 11 seems " li ttle too fa
mili.ar. The characters are losers to a fault, with blunt details
about their inner lives spelled
out for anyone who can't figure
out that little Jada is hungry for
attention (and just plain hun
gry), that Delores has a poor
self-image and that Loomis isn't
really cold or distant, just afraid
of causing any more damage
than he already has to the peo
ple he cares for.
The drug deaLers, the crack ad··
diet, the cranky neighbor who
doesn't trust him .-it all feels
rather obvious. One emotional breakthrough
for Loomis feels earned; when
he fmally says somethin g sin
cere and simple in its honesty to
Delores, you're relieved.
Then Morris has to spoil it by
letting him have a second emu
tional breakthrough when speak
ing to his brother Dennis.
She should have learned the
lessons Loomis did in prison:
Take it slow, take it easy or
you're liable to ruin whatever
progress youtve achieved.