"A wave of relief passed over me. So this is why Lola Faye Gilroy had dragged herself from God knows where over to the Museum of the West on a wet December night. She'd come to make the case before me, clarify the issue Woody Gilroy had raised in his suicide note, rid herself of the guilt he'd laid at her feet, revisit all that in a talk with me, then enter her plea at the end of it: not guilty".
Lucas Paige the narrator of The Last Talk With Lola Faye (2010) has been successful in life one would think. He's a Harvard educated college professor who has published a number of history books. All the more impressive since Lucas grew up in a small Southern town where very few of his peers went to college, let alone Harvard.
But Lucas is bitter and angry because his dream was to write great books, not the mediocrities he's been writing as he sees it. Lucas' personal life is not going well either. His wife Julia left him a few years back and her departing words were "Call me, Luke, when your past is in the past".
And so at the start of The Last Talk With Lola Faye, Lucas is in St Louis at a book signing when Lola Faye walks in. Lucas hasn't seen Lola Faye or been back to Glenville, Alabama in twenty years. And yet here is Lola, his father's mistress. Their affair led to Lucas' father's murder when Lola's husband found out. Lucas is furious and in shock. How does this woman dare to show up at his book signing after the pain she caused? And why has she sought him out?
Lola Faye asks if they can go somewhere to talk. Lucas is not thrilled with this idea but he cautiously agrees. And as the two sit down for drinks they discuss the tragic events of the night of Lucas' father's murder and what really happened. Lucas it turns out consumed with his own ambition and desire to get out of Glenville made alot of assumptions about his parents and their marriage that turned out not to be true and led to tragic results.
All through the novel as Lucas and Lola have their talk I thought I knew what the big reveal would be, the deep secret, but then Thomas Cook would expertly draw back from where I thought the story was heading. Publisher's Weekly gave The Last Talk With Lola Faye a starred review and I agree. I was gripped all the way through and the ending was powerful, redemptive and a suprise I did not see coming. If you have never read Thomas H Cook you absolutely should. I highly recommend The Last Talk With Lola Faye.
What a great review, Kathy. I am going online to my library as soon as I hit "publish" on this comment to see if I can grab a copy of this one. I'm not familiar with Cook at all, so this is an eye-opener, for sure.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Sam. And I really feel you will like The Last Talk With Lola Faye and I will be very interested in what you think. And might I also suggest Thomas Cook's novel Red Leaves (2005) which I read many years ago and which has stayed with me. And the only reason it took me so long to get around to a second novel by Thomas Cook is that I had forgotten his name and the title of his novel Red Leaves but this year after much googling I located him again and it was worth the effort!
DeleteI was happy to see that you reviewed this book. I have several books (including this one) by Thomas H Cook but have never read any of them. It sounds like I need to get to it soon. I grew up in Alabama, but in Birmingham, not in a small town, and I don't read many books with settings in the Southern US. Another one I want to read is Breakheart Hill, also set in Alabama. How did you decide to read this book? Have you read other books by Cook?
ReplyDeleteHi Tracy, So glad you have books by Thomas Cook and I have read two books by him, Red Leaves which I read many years ago and which made such an impression on me. But then over the years I forgot the name of the author and the title of the book which can often happen. This year I located the author, Thomas H Cook, and both Red Leaves and The Last Talk With Lola Faye are a memorable and powerful reading experience
ReplyDeleteHmm. You have me wondering what the big reveal is. I do not know author Thomas Cook. Is he still writing today? I think the premise sounds really good -- and from what you say the ending seems pretty gripping too. What a satisfying read for you.
ReplyDeleteHi Lark, I have read two books by Thomas Cook: Red Leaves and The Last Talk With Lola a d I would recommend both and in both books the ending stays with you.
ReplyDeleteHi Susan, It's a shame Thomas Cook is not better known because he is an Edgar Award winner and been nominated a number of times as well. He is still living but not sure if he is still writing. But I am definitely going on to another of his novels.
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