Michiko Kakutani, literary critic for The New York Times, reviews T. C. Boyle’s new novel, ‘The Harder They Come’. The novel tells about the dark side of the American dream – freedom as both a founding principle of America, and an invitation to rebellion and self-indulgence; and the dark fallout of ideological certainty and obsession -, and the efforts of a father to come to terms with a violent child wanted by the law.
According to Kakutani, the novel is “very much a showcase for all of Mr. Boyle’s storytelling talents”. “It’s gripping, funny and melancholy”. “From the novel’s thrilling set piece of a start its pensive conclusion, “The Harder They Come is a masterly — and arresting — piece of storytelling, arguably Mr. Boyle’s most powerful, kinetic novel yet”.
