Angels of Destruction

by: Keith Donohue

Published by: Shaye Areheart Books

Reviewed by Jamie Driggers

Nothing can explain either the child shivering on her porch in the middle of the night, or the reason why Margaret brings her inside to stay. The child, Norah, delivers an almost surreal quality to the lives of those around her, however, and soon the lines blur between the real and the fabricated, the magical and the imagined. Who is Norah, and what is she to Margaret’s runaway daughter, Erica? Is there more to the Angels of Destruction than just the revolutionary group Erica ran away to join ten years earlier?

To be honest, I still can’t decide if I liked this book. It is magnificent. Captivating. A riveting read. But it is also highly disturbing. There came a point at which I just knew if he “did it” I would have to throw the book out the window. And yet I read on. (It is unclear until pages later whether he did, or not–long after I might have pitched it.) There is an extensive use of vocabulary, which I love, but also abhor because, though I consider myself to be well educated, I didn’t read with a dictionary at hand and probably missed many finer points of his expression when I decided I got the gist of what was said. I mention that because even after finishing the book and mulling on it for a couple days, I’m still not entirely sure who was what or why. Could it be the vocabulary or was it just the bizarre spiritual quality of the book?

However, I am also sure that this book is one that will occupy space in my consciousness for years to come. It is one I will request others to read so I can see what they think. And it is one I will give a high rating. With that much imagination, twisting and turning, and ability to make hours disappear off my clock, how could I do less?

Armchair Interviews says: Powerful read that will linger in your mind for a long while.