It is interesting how one book can stick with a person for such a long time! After about 45 years of reading for enjoyment, I still have to say that my favorite novel is The Charm School, by Nelson DeMille. It was published on April 18, 1988, and even now you can buy it now, in paperback, hardcover, eBook, large print, you name it! It has been translated into most European languages plus Japanese. It also sells well in Australia and New Zealand.
I would be curious to know how it is viewed by people under about 60. The story is set in the Soviet Union, which collapsed in 1991. It also has a Viet Nam war connection. I grew up in the 1960s and 1970s and I was blown away when I read it. I love that book because of the creativity that went into it. I can envision things happening just the way the story was told. In addition to it having a creative premise, it was now downright sinister! In the book, three unlikely cohorts learn of something mysterious in the Soviet Union and seek to find out what is happening, trying to stay under the radar in Moscow.
The suspense is delicious right down to the end. Many people hated the ending and loved the book!
Barbara, my wife, and I used to wander through used bookstores and buy old copies. We would keep a couple on hand so we could give a book to friends who enjoyed thrillers but hadn’t read it. I need to pick that up and read it again one of these days!
Perhaps this classic by DeMille is what got me focused on creating stories that are relevant to what is happening in our world. I loved it when one of my early reviewers said of my book, “I wonder if that could happen!” My goal is for people to be able to relate to my stories and my characters.
If you haven’t read it, pick it up. You will be glad you did!
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