Bruce Dobler

I picked this one up at the used bookstore on a whim as it stood out against all the other action books with which it lay. This book was very long and did have some boring sections especially where it essentially repeated beats, typically those outside of the prison. I’m not sure that repetition was necessary, other than to show the difference between the employees and the prisoners, but it did have an effect though I’m not sure exactly what that effect was. However, it is a book about a prison, so the length and boredom are probably intentional.
The first third of the book revels in the gruesome aspects of prison life giving the nasty details of the most recent riot which occurred a few months ago and the prisoners and staff are dealing with the consequences although some are planning another riot as a cover for their escape. This part of the book was dark and very tense, I really liked that. However, as the book drew out the intensity that I was feeling began to slip away rapidly as the story moved into the middle part of the book where only the Black Panthers’ plans of escape kept the story moving. Political angles were introduced here as well with a group of liberal college kids led by their prison oversight/psychology professor sent into the prison to propose suggestions for the creation of a civilian oversight committee. This was interesting but hardly riveting. This is where the book follows the repetition and boredom of life within the prison and the attempts to live life outside of it with the employees which was only half interesting (prison-life) and where the book fails in solid characterization beyond a note or two for each character. The primary movers do hold ideas that they express, repeatedly though they seem to exist to be shattered by the end.
The last third tried to rebuild the tension lost in the middle section, but it didn’t catch me until the Panthers’ plans just kicked off as suddenly as it caught the staff and other prisoners unawares. This bit in the last third is brief and action-oriented. The Panthers are portrayed as the villains of this book using their plot as that thread. I don’t entirely agree with this but as several of the characters try to explain to the college students: these guys are in supermax for a reason granted a few are political prisoners, but the vast majority are not. This revelation comes to one of the leaders of the Panthers hard and leaves him bloodied and in shock after their plans blow up in their faces. Another contributor to the metaphor of the system is that the Panthers try to blow the prison up in this section and then find it impossible and react by killing the messenger. The system cannot just be blown up.
There is plenty of racism and dehumanizing beliefs in here but from the mouths of the characters: prisoner, guard, and employee. The book does seem to come from a somewhat conservative point of view, but the author seems to take pains to not argue against positive change or humanity. I think he was trying to show the inertness of the system, the glacial pace of change within it, and the care that must be taken when trying to make any. At least I hope that was the intended message.
I did enjoy the subtext that everyone within the story is trapped within a failing and stagnant system and the prison is a metaphor for the overall system. The only two real weaknesses of this one are that it was too long and repetitive, though, again, it did have an effect so maybe that balances out, and the characters were not effectively characterized other than in broad strokes which is understandable when dealing with such a large cast.
I would recommend this one if you’re up for a long, involved read and are looking for a prison epic that tries to encompass as many aspects of such a story as possible.
“I guess this place survived okay.” The boy pointed to the shattered windows and looked at the broken furniture which still hadn’t been cleared away. “I mean, considering.”
“It always does, sonny. The Major stood up and moved slowly towards the castle. “One way or another.”… (mais)