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The psychological thriller In This Way I Was Saved takes more twists and turns than an amusement park ride as it pushes readers towards the book’s conclusion, all while taking the space to allow them to muse on the nature of identity. In many ways Saved is the ultimate postmodern polemic, incorporating themes of the nature of storytelling, meta-narratives and literary deconstruction, disguised as an exhilarating suspense novel. It’s the sort of book that readers will force their friends to read, and it will no doubt start many discussions about what constitutes the self.
First-time novelist Brian DeLeeuw structures the book as a first person narrative from the point of view of Daniel, Luke’s best friend. Luke is a six-year-old child of privilege and neglect. Luke and Daniel are the new odd couple—Daniel’s smart sarcasm and independence counterbalance Luke’s timidity. Because Luke’s parents are divorced and his mother’s mental health is fragile, Daniel becomes Luke’s de facto guardian, which is a rather big job for a pal. Needless to say, Daniel is not a good parent, and as the two grow up, Daniel’s actions lead to destruction, drug use, and criminal behavior. Luke and Daniel’s close relationship, along with Luke’s shyness and Daniel’s disgust of most people, cause the pair to become alienated from their peers.
But Daniel isn’t real. What is Daniel, exactly? Imaginary friend? Ghost? An alternate personality of Luke’s? Despite years of therapy and medication, Daniel remains entrenched in Luke’s life, always narrating events for the reader, his dialogue dripping with revulsion by Luke’s inability to be as cruel and detached as he is. When Daniel is occasionally permitted to lead Luke astray, the resulting disasters shatter the family.
DeLeeuw’s writing is masterful, and the book’s outrageous structure allows for two protagonists, one who is repulsed despite his reliance on the other. Daniel’s narrative has the juicy insouciance of a TMZ.com post, but readers know that Daniel’s angry indifference is born of his jealousy of Luke’s physicality. Daniel seems to mature a little faster than Luke, which works to show readers that Luke is psychologically stunted and also allows the narrative to stay on an appropriately complex level. Readers will be intrigued by how little access Daniel has to Luke’s mind, implying that Luke has locked away his thoughts to protect himself.
Writing from the point of view of a potentially imaginary narrator addresses the theory of deconstruction in literary criticism, which posits that there must be more than one interpretation of any text, and the interpretations may be in such opposition that eventually the interpreter reaches an impasse. In This Way I Was Saved goes to the heart of this conundrum since the non-corporeal Daniel narrates the story. In a way, Daniel is the author of Luke’s story, influencing its events as an outsider, but he is also part of the story, and never does he feel the need to explain what he is to the reader. Additionally, Daniel and Luke oppose each other and the two reach a deadlock.
In another postmodern trick, Daniel also seems to be directly addressing the reader regarding the nature of the story and his frustration with Luke, as seen when he tries to convince Luke to stand up to a mugger in a record store:
Luke looked at me pleadingly. "Don’t give him anything,’"I said. "What’s he going to do to you here in the store?" This was easy to say when I wasn’t the target. The kid moved his hand around inside his jacket pocket. He said, "You don’t want me to bring out this knife." "He’s bluffing," I said. Luke took all his money, thirteen dollars, out of his pocket and handed it over to the kid, the outside world exacting its toll. "Coward," I said.
Because Daniel’s nature is elusive, his story almost behaves as a meta-narrative at times, a little story within the larger story of Luke’s life. DeLeeuw’s tightrope walking is impressive, and this ridiculously tricky structure never gets in the way of the story. In fact, it actually adds to it by emphasizing the conflict between the two protagonists. The tension is palpable.
The only place where DeLeeuw falters a little is towards the end of the novel, which rushes towards its conclusion too quickly—the scenes are shorter and Daniel’s narration seems less erudite and more perfunctory. The rest of the book is so masterfully done, readers may find that they want the pages leading up to the end to go a little slower.
Don’t be surprised to see In This Way I Was Saved show up on a lot of "Best Of" lists this year. DeLeeuw has written a stunning, fast-paced, well-plotted, and well-written novel that satisfies on just about every level. Daniel, Luke, and their story will stick with readers for years to come.
(October, 2009)
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