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papidoc's review against another edition
2.0
More complicated than Vachss' other novels, which themselves are fairly complicated, and with less purpose other than perhaps to demonstrate the author's understandings of the dark side. I did like the haiku verse at the end, though.
abroadwell's review against another edition
4.0
I wasn't familiar with Vachss before, but I was very pleasantly surprised by this. (And I recommend the audio version from Brilliance Audio for nice voice work.)
This initially seems to be a heist book involving a gang of homeless men in NYC. The narrator is the group's leader -- a Japanese martial arts teacher (Ho) who gave up his dojo after inadvertently causing the death of a favorite student. What is touching is the way in which Ho makes these men into a kind of family, and the patient ways in which he deals with the problems (gambling, alcohol, schizophrenia, PTSD) that have made the men homeless in the first place. The problems that come up as they try to work together to track down a possible treasure turn out to be an effective way to introduce the characters and their backstories.
The initial motivation (heist/treasure) is eventually set aside when the men have to unite to solve a different problem -- one which threatens the sanity of their schizophrenic friend. I thought this was a particularly deft change of course that took the book in a way that I would not have predicted. And more power to it for that!
This initially seems to be a heist book involving a gang of homeless men in NYC. The narrator is the group's leader -- a Japanese martial arts teacher (Ho) who gave up his dojo after inadvertently causing the death of a favorite student. What is touching is the way in which Ho makes these men into a kind of family, and the patient ways in which he deals with the problems (gambling, alcohol, schizophrenia, PTSD) that have made the men homeless in the first place. The problems that come up as they try to work together to track down a possible treasure turn out to be an effective way to introduce the characters and their backstories.
The initial motivation (heist/treasure) is eventually set aside when the men have to unite to solve a different problem -- one which threatens the sanity of their schizophrenic friend. I thought this was a particularly deft change of course that took the book in a way that I would not have predicted. And more power to it for that!
ameliaholcomb's review against another edition
3.0
This book was interesting enough as a sort of character study, but there wasn't much of a plot line. The voice actor for the audio book does different voices for all of the characters, which was a little annoying at first.
brettp's review against another edition
4.0
Finished "Haiku: A Novel" by Andrew Vachss. I really liked this story of a group of homeless who are drawn together from vastly different places. On the other hand, the main character, Ho, reminded me of Sphinx from Mystery Men, so I found comedy in places where it wasn't intended.
papi's review
2.0
More complicated than Vachss' other novels, which themselves are fairly complicated, and with less purpose other than perhaps to demonstrate the author's understandings of the dark side. I did like the haiku verse at the end, though.
megaden's review against another edition
4.0
Until about 40 pages 'til the end, I hated this book. I wasn't interested in any of the characters. I didn't like Andrew Vachss' writing style. I almost stopped reading. Somehow everything wrapped up really nicely and by the time I had finished the book, I had completely changed my opinion.
allriane's review against another edition
2.0
There were some things I liked but overall this book was not really my cup of tea. I liked that our main characters drew strength from their friendship.
vkemp's review against another edition
4.0
An unnamed sensei leaves his dojo behind to live on the streets after a young student is murdered. He had told her she was ready to take on her enemies, but little did he know Chica's reality. He meets a band of street living veterans and becomes their mentor. They call him Ho, for Ho Chi Minh, even though he is Japanese. Everyone in this group is deeply damaged: Mchael, a stock broker, who lost it all by gambling; Lamont, a former gang member turned celebrity poet; Brewster, an explosive psychotic who sells his meds; Target, who can only talk in four word bursts, and Ranger, a Vietnam Veteran. They begin to pursue a mystery involving a Rolls Royce, but that storyline is lost in trying to save Brewster's book collection. I still want to know what happened with the Rolls. This band of brothers is compelling and touching, however, and the reader cares deeply what happens to them all.
mikekaz's review against another edition
4.0
I believe that this is the first Andrew Vachss book that I read since he finished his Burke series. Not that there was any expectation he would, but Vachss has not lost any skills. His words are terse but loaded with meaning. He sets the scene with minimal descriptions but quickly illustrates what we should see. He gives us characters who are complex and reveal themselves slowly. Together they illustrate a side of New York City that I reckon most never see. And for those of us nowhere near New York, we can wonder what the underbelly of our city is like.
While HAIKU is mainly centered on Ho, a Japanese man who in order to find his honor walked away from teaching martial arts, the story also revolves around the men that Ho calls his family. They are all living on the street and dealing with their problems: alcoholism, schizophrenia, PTSD, gambling addiction, and an unknown mental disorder of some sort. As a group, they help each other to survive; each has their own tasks but no one rules the group. While the story focuses at first on a "mortal lock" or guaranteed big score, it morphs into a mission to save one of their own. It comes down to a family fighting to protect one of its members.
There's no denying that Vachss is a master at his writing. However, I didn't find this book to be as strong as other ones by him. There wasn't anything big that I can point to and say "yucko" but I just didn't connect as much as I hoped. Some of the characters sounded very much like characters from the Burke series. The imagery was still gritty and real. The truths dispensed were enlightening and deep. The standards that his characters live up to are high; I look at myself and hope that I am half as honorable and true as his characters are. And while I know those are fictional characters, I also know some of what Vachss has actually done. Hell, to be completely honest, I would love to meet almost every one of my favorite authors and fanboy gush over them. Vachss though kind of scares me. If I ever met him, I feel like I would never measure up to his expectations. That rather than simply reading his books and donating to some of the same causes, that I should be doing more. I know it's all my own projections but that is how reading Vachss makes me feel. It reminds me that I should not settle and that I should be better. It humbles me and makes me work harder. Anyway, enough self-psychoanalysis. If you aren't already, read Vachss's books. He will leave an impact on you.
While HAIKU is mainly centered on Ho, a Japanese man who in order to find his honor walked away from teaching martial arts, the story also revolves around the men that Ho calls his family. They are all living on the street and dealing with their problems: alcoholism, schizophrenia, PTSD, gambling addiction, and an unknown mental disorder of some sort. As a group, they help each other to survive; each has their own tasks but no one rules the group. While the story focuses at first on a "mortal lock" or guaranteed big score, it morphs into a mission to save one of their own. It comes down to a family fighting to protect one of its members.
There's no denying that Vachss is a master at his writing. However, I didn't find this book to be as strong as other ones by him. There wasn't anything big that I can point to and say "yucko" but I just didn't connect as much as I hoped. Some of the characters sounded very much like characters from the Burke series. The imagery was still gritty and real. The truths dispensed were enlightening and deep. The standards that his characters live up to are high; I look at myself and hope that I am half as honorable and true as his characters are. And while I know those are fictional characters, I also know some of what Vachss has actually done. Hell, to be completely honest, I would love to meet almost every one of my favorite authors and fanboy gush over them. Vachss though kind of scares me. If I ever met him, I feel like I would never measure up to his expectations. That rather than simply reading his books and donating to some of the same causes, that I should be doing more. I know it's all my own projections but that is how reading Vachss makes me feel. It reminds me that I should not settle and that I should be better. It humbles me and makes me work harder. Anyway, enough self-psychoanalysis. If you aren't already, read Vachss's books. He will leave an impact on you.
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