Dean Koontz: From The Corner of His Eye

This is the fourth Koontz novel I've read since False Memory early last year. He has me hooked.

The novel presents three storylines, and slowly shows how they are interrelated. I love the first part where Koontz writes about all three, one after another. Naomi Cain is murdered by her husband, Junior. Phimie White dies of childbirth and Joey Lampion dies in a car crash. In particular, there's a set of chapters with Junior Cain, Celestina White (Phimie's sister) and Agnes Lampion (Joey's wife) all in separate hospitals, playing out parallel stories.

Uncunningly, the story is about parallel universes. I think Koontz likes to write about seemingly weird topics - but with scientific bases. In this instance, he explains parallel universes by way of quantum physics. The last novel I read, he had talking monkeys, the result of scientific military experiments gone bad. I was initially turned off by such bizarre topics, but his writing is really good and I've learned to just look the other way, so to speak.

Having said that, I really didn't get the part about quantum physics. Hahaha. In addition, a powerful motivation in the story is Harrison White's sermon about Bartholomew, one of Jesus' disciples, who apparently showed, through his example, that little acts of kindness goes a long way, echoing through the universe, and so do acts of cruelty and evil. How Bartholomew did this, I do not know and the novel does not say much about what Bartholomew-from-the-Bible particularly did.

This novel is not as well-paced as Koontz other novels, a fact I wasn't so happy about. Nevertheless, it still provided some measure of suspense and intrigue, that allowed me to finish the story. I guess it's because it's one of his older novels. Idk.

The reason why it's called 'From The Corner of His Eye' isn't revealed until almost the end. Also, the little boy who sees from the corner of his eye really wasn't the main character. Junior Cain brought all three storylines together, and the novel follows him, his actions and his thoughts. So, I don't understand why it was titled so. But since I don't have a better alternative, I'll just let it be.

Quotes:

"As always in uncertainty, she asked herself what her mother would do in this situation. Grace, of infinite grace, unfailingly did precisely the needed thing, knew exactly the right words to console, to enlighten, to charm a smile out of even the miserable. Often, however, the needed thing involved no words, because in our journey we do so often feel abandoned, and we need only to be reassured that we are not alone."

"Sometimes Celestina marveled at how intimately and inextricably the tendrils of tragedy and joy were intertwined in the vine of life. Sorrow was often the root of future joy, and joy could be the seed of sorrow yet to come..."

"Of all the kindness we can do for one another, the most precious of all gifts - time - is not ours to give."