Bullet Park by John Cheever
Bullet Park by John Cheever
On the surface, Bullet Park is a novel about one man moving to a suburb in order to crucify another man’s son. Paul Hammer, intent upon objectifying the very icon of suburban peace and joy to demonstrate how vile and depraved all humans really are, chooses his victim, Eliot Nailles, from a dental journal. Interesting enough, right? As I began to read, however, I discovered that the real story is in how delicate the balance is between normal and obsessive, sane and insane. The novel switches between first person narrative by the characters with relative ease, explaining their actions all the while through reflection and conversation. They seem to merely want peace, but are unsure how to go about acheiving it.
This book feels intensely voyeuristic and personal, like reading a hidden diary. John Cheever writes emotion with great clarity and a striving for truth, even if the truth is unlovely and tainted. Bullet Park is beautifully written in an almost emotionless voice, as though it could matter less whether a man’s wife cheats or his son is murdered.
On a scale from “Eh” to “FANFUCKINGTASTIC!” Bullet Park gets a “Very nice.” Read it if you want a relatively tame rendering of a brutal subject.
