Rather slow with book reviews, its 1998 I am at

Yes, I was at the library one day looking for something specific, when by chance I laid my eyes on Robert Stone's "Damascus Gate".

The back cover pitch by the publisher was as follows:

"From one of the most distinctive voices of his generation comes a novel of soaring vision and profound intelligence.."

I was not familiar with Robert Stone nor his generation. However, what caught me was the sales pitch. So much of modern literature (at least if we are talking thrillers and such) are highly structured. You know, twist in the plot every seven pages, chapters very short and almost precisely of the same length, the classic structure of "protagonist meets some problems, is sucked in to the vortex of issues from which he/she slowly recovers and attains a happy ending", which can - despite of its base psychological appeal - be tiresome. Not so very real for most people. Just the same'ol ancient formula.

As I needed some pastime, I grabbed it. So, was the book up to the high-flying sales pitch? The answer is yes. I am a little ahead of things here as I have not actually finished the book. Without knowing how it ends, I dare to call it good. The read has been very entertaining, and the intelligence Mr. Stone pours into his text is fantastic. Humour included. In fact, I was reminded of another American - the well-known prankster Robert Anton Wilson.

So what is the book about? A washed-up American journalist freelances, drinks and hangs out in Jerusalem, where he encounters a very imaginative cast of characters and the story is complete with the strange religious phenomena (Jerusalem Syndrome stuff) and a plot. That should be enough about the story - its not really that relevant at all. Why not? Read it, and eventually you will understand.

Good stuff Robert, I think you've done mankind a favour here, in a small way. Once I finish this one, I'm going to take a look at other stuff you have produced. Skol på dig!


PS. The cast of characters is really something. Consider Pinchas. Pinchas Obermann, the Israeli Psychiatrist. Jösses.