"Humanity is a vestigial tail on the ass-end of the universe, wasteful and shitty."

Let's be honest, with astute observations like that, this book was kind of written for me. I took a shot because it's the story of a sociopathic killer and his young (kidnapped) protégé. (Leon, The Professional, anyone?) I assumed that it might be super derivative but went for it anyway. What can I say? Sociopaths speak to me.

The good news is that it was better than expected. The story unfolds from both his (alias: Edison, the cold-blooded, chaos making, domestic terrorist/government distraction for hire) and her (Christian /alias: Xtian, the young, kidnapped up and coming psycho) perspectives. It switches between the two so we kind of get both sides of the story. But there isn't toooo much of a story beyond the heartless psycho and the troubled young killer in training. Despite this, I enjoyed it quite a bit. I got a kick out of Edison's ruminations on the world and politics. I liked Xtian and rooted for her.

Where it let me down most, I think, was the lack of explanation for just about every choice they made. Even heartless cunts have some sort of motivation for their actions and it felt like the author didn't know his characters well enough to speak to those. In fact, he made a point of trying to address this void by saying things akin to 'even they didn't know why they...' but that felt like a big cop out to me.

In the end, though, that didn't kill it for me and I really did enjoy it. Especially as I agree with most of Edison's observations. Mostly, though, I could see this being easily adapted into a movie ala Leon or Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

This should actually be 3.5 as I was absolutely torn between 3 and 4 stars. ( )

Not sure I can finish this book, so boring ( )

Told in the alternating voices of Edison and Christian, this novel is part first person recollection and part epistolary. Edison kidnapped Christian when she was eight years old. In the following ten years, he raises her in his likeness, as a cold-blooded killer working for a cagey, destructive organization. He gets his orders sporadically and lies dormant until needed, moving around the country after each job.

As Christian gets older, she takes on a job on her own without Edison. Something about the job seems off to Edison, and he realizes that she has been double-crossed almost too late for Christian. He knows that by rescuing her, he is losing his ability to work for the organization and relegates himself to a lifetime of hiding and dodging.

Eventually, Christian realizes that she is the one who must figure out who she is and who she wants to be, no longer shaped by those around her. Throughout, the reader witnesses these two characters grapple with who they are, who they want to be, how the relate to each other, and what love is.

This was one of the best novels I have read in a while. The pace moved the story forward nicely without being too rushed. Even when not much was happening, I never felt bogged down in minutae. Each element of the story felt like it belonged there and helped develop the characters. I enjoyed the juxtaposition of the alternating voices, each telling their side of the story and filling in each other’s gaps. The backstory of the organization that Edison worked for provided some mystery and interest. Lastly, Fiegel is very talented in writing metaphors that bring the thoughts and feelings of the characters into focus.

It is odd reading a novel in which all characters are essentially bad. You don't want to root for them, really, but they're all you have. The character Xtian comes to several points at which she could exit and redeem herself but chooses not to. A little confusing. Also, as in most books these days it is left open for a sequel. ( )