Absent Friends

by S.J. Rozan

Book Overview

The secrets of a group of childhood friends unravel in the aftermath of September 11. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385338031
• Release Date: September 2004
• Publisher: Delacorte Press
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.5" x 1.5" x 6.3"

Customer Reviews

Nothing is absent in this author's writing

I haven't read the Lehane book that ABSENT FRIENDS is often weighed against or the author's preceding PI series, so I had no pre-defined notion about what this book may, or should, be. While reading, my sense was that the author considered it fundamentally necessary to write about September 11, 2001 and its aftermath -- and drew a perceptive and thought provoking story from within that framework. Ms. Rozan's quiet, eloquent prose must be evocative of what she was feeling -- of what each New Yorker was feeling -- but placed in each character's observations following the attack that, in a poignant sense, encompassed the entire city. This book has an empathetic sensitivity about it, and I can imagine that if you are not predisposed toward that portion of the emotional continuum you may not see the book this way. ABSENT FRIENDS has been described as a mystery and a thriller, but after reading it, it seems more like a crime novel to me. Ms. Rozan's story is about the life of a heroic FDNY firefighter who died on September 11 and whether activities he may have been involved in earlier in his life should diminish that aura. The book's voice is of profound sorrow and reemerging hope. The narrative has three compelling protagonists: truth, friendship and heroism. How they are served is the backbone of the story; how well they endured is for each of us to resolve for ourselves. Should an individual incident matter more than the whole of a life? Each of us could have a different take on that. This book was not an easy read -- it took me three or four times longer than it normally would. Each time I put it down I had trouble picking it up again. The story has a tangible dread about it, both for how can the city's population cope, and the wish for the story not to end the way that you are sure that it will. I was confused for about the first quarter of ABSENT FRIENDS because the point of view keeps changing between three people in the present and a narration, set in the past, about the group of seven friends. The early part of the book is also the location of much of the most intense emotional content related to the attacks on the twin towers. But gradually the story comes into focus, the pervasive numbness levels out and the shifting viewpoint becomes normal. I cared about these people, even the 'bad' ones. I wanted to call them on the phone and tell them the things they didn't know, particularly with one very special discovery at the end. This book took me into the heart and mind of unbearable emotions and incredible determination. I was skillfully drawn in, carried along, and very deeply moved. It was all worth my early struggle to understand the flow of the book. I'd give ABSENT FRIENDS a ten if I could. What a tour-de-force! I now need to start on Ms. Rozan's backlist.

The Truth

This book what a wonderul look at friendship, mistakes and truth. In the beginning of the book, I wanted to find out the truth just as much as reporter Laura. In the end, I felt the same as she did : empty & sad. The truth does not always set you free.I loved the setting of this book, a few weeks after September 11, in New York City. Although the events of that day have nothing to do per se with the events, it does set them in motion. It's my first book by this author and I was left marvelling at the beautiful prose, the wordly expressions and the images it all brought up for me.This book deserves a lot more press then it has had so far. Pick it up, you won't regret it.

A novel that transcends the limitations of a genre

S.J. Rozan is best known as a mystery writer, having garnered just about every award possible for her traditional mystery series featuring the unlikely P.I. team of Bill Smith and Lydia Chin. ABSENT FRIENDS is not part of this series but is instead a stand-alone book, in every sense of the word. It is funny, tender, romantic, sad, hopeful and tragic, often within the same paragraph. It goes beyond the premise of great literature, that good people can do bad things and bad people can do good; rather, it explores that area where good works, no matter how nobly or well-intended, result in tragedy. It is also one of the best books from any genre that I have read this year. James McCaffery, the protagonist of ABSENT FRIENDS, is dead as the novel commences. Jim is one of New York City's bravest, a fire captain who loses his life during a rescue mission in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks upon the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001. He is initially spotlighted in a newspaper article as a hero, one whose motto was "first in, last out" and who lived that motto right up until the moment when he drew his last breath. Harry Randall, a reporter whose best stories are years behind him, stumbles across a lead that causes him to believe that McCaffery may have been involved in a criminal enterprise with a known mobster, a man he had known since childhood. The story, implausible as it seems to the shell-shocked citizenry, is given a bizarre credence when Randall is found dead, the victim of an apparent but suspicious suicide. The story is picked up by Laura Stone, Randall's protégé and lover, who is determined to not only unravel the mystery of Randall's sudden death, but also to finish the story he was working on. Rozan tells the story from several viewpoints, moving back and forth in time as she describes McCaffery and the circle of friends he had kept since childhood, friends whom he had loved and protected in life and who attempt in turn to protect him in death. Rozan is perfect here, creating an atmosphere of foreboding, of doom, almost from the first sentence, even though it begins with an account of childhood joy and discovery. The atmospheric tension is sustained throughout and is so strong that one is almost afraid to turn the page, to discover what is to be revealed. That it will end badly is a foregone conclusion, if subtlety so; the only question is one of degree. ABSENT FRIENDS is one of those rare novels that transcends the limitations of a genre and stands on its own as a novel for the ages. This is a story that, once read, will not be forgotten. Highly recommended. --- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

strong look at the immediate post 9/11 Manhattan

NYC firefighter Captain James McCaffrey is one of the fallen heroes who died trying to save lives during the tragic collapse of the Twin Towers. James had a heroic history with the department before his death; however reporter Harry Randall paints a darker side of the fallen hero. He insists that two decades ago 9/11, James and his six Staten Island compatriots were involved and probably killed a stepson of a mob kingpin; one of them Mark went to prison. The four survivors of the magnificent seven, two including Mark having died years ago, rally to protect their deceased childhood leader's reputation. The final foursome look back at what happened, but soon begin to wonder why James consistently and anonymously gave money to the family of Mark. Could James be paying off blackmail, guilt or could he be simply taking care of a friend? The multiple perspectives, which include flashbacks and the thoughts when alive of individuals now dead, adds complexity, but makes it difficult to keep track of who thinks what of James. Still the backdrop of the aftermath of 9/11 on the City provides a fantastic thriller as the James-Mark relationship is shown up as a minor nothingness in comparison to the humongous tragedy. S.J. Rozan keeps the two outlooks apart so that the audience admires a heroic fallen first responder in a city reeling but already beginning to recover by 9/12. His allegedly dark past seems minuscule with his actions when people needed him. This is a strong look at the immediate post 9/11 Manhattan. Harriet Klausner