A Density of Souls

Up to the time they entered their teens, Brandon, Greg, Stephen and Meredith were close friends, doing everything together, but that all changed as they moved on to high school when Greg and Brandon, now popular sports jocks turned on Stephen and Meredith became for a time little more than a bystander.

In their childhood Brandon and Greg did things with Stephen they would now rather forget, Stephen however has grown to accept the very things that frightened him when he thought about other boys. To make matters worse, while Brandon and Greg, now well built muscular youths have the physical power over the slender Stephen, and as Greg tries to ignore what he had with Stephen and now dates Meredith, it seems Stephen has an even stronger show more power over his two one-time friends. A power Greg would prefer to ignore but ultimately, and disastrously, cannot, whereas Brandon actively pursues his hatred and directs it at the entire gay community with tragic results.

Meredith, for her part, while secretly knowing all along what took place between the young Greg and Stephen, and after she overcomes her own problems, sees the truth of the situation and becomes a crucial support to Stephen and also to Greg's mother, who is inflicted with more than her fair share of trouble. That is not to say the the other excessively wealthy parents of our four youngsters escape, money certainly does not buy peace of mind.

Fortunately for Stephen his power to bring out the true nature of other men works both ways, just as Greg is unable to accept what Stephen stirs in him, there are those who, seemingly straight, respond positively and act upon their feelings; Stephen can find devoted lovers.

The Density of Souls is a powerful, complex and thought provoking novel, yes it may be a little over-wrought and extreme at times, but this is not to detract from it. This is my second Christopher Rice novel and I am now a dedicated fan greatly impressed by his ability to create and control complex plots and loving his more appealing characters. (I hope he does not desert this form altogether.) show less

I was blown away by the power of his narration. As a fan of Anne Rice’s very early work, I know how things can start off with a bang and end with a whimper. I hope Chris manages to hold on to whatever he has better than his mom did. My curiosity to see how like or unlike his mom’s writing was well rewarded. He has all her descriptive power without bogging us down in her minutiae. He does dialogue a bit better than mom, I think. Pacing is better, too. Well, I take that back, her pacing is OK – at least in the early novels. The details aren’t too thick on the ground until the later Vampire Novels and the witch novels, which I hated.

This book came to my attention because it was written by the son of one of my favourite authors, Anne Rice. Based in New Orleans, this books is about four young friends whose relationships change dramatically when they enter High School. I found the depth of the relationships absolutely fascinating and the insights by each of the characters to be beyond their years, but altogether convincing.

I enjoyed re-reading certain sections throughout the book in order to savour the language and the writing. There were also particular sections I needed to pause and reflect on, as they were deeply moving and poignant.

I couldn't help but compare Christopher's writing to that of Anne Rice, and I was surprised to draw the conclusion that this book is show more better than some of her novels. I wonder if they share a happy rivalry.

This book isn't for everyone. Some of the themes are quite heavy going and include violence and sexual themes. The review on the book cover claims this book is a "shocking, sexy tale. An intricate novel about four childhood pals whose friendships deteriorate into a nightmare of violence and chaos" and I can't help but agree.

I thoroughly enjoyed this debut novel by Christopher Rice, although I don't think I would have the courage to recommend it to anyone. show less

I absolutely adore this book and find myself rereading it frequently. I love the mystery surrounding the history of the protagonist and his friends and all the little views from characters that add just a bit more depth as the story progresses. It's a fun read and I honestly didn't put it down until I was done reading it the first time through. If you are into mystery novels, this one is a good one.

3 3/4 stars

For a first book this is a really, good, fast read. Almost too fast as there were certain things I wish Rice had explained more clearly - like Brandon's fury (we're never really given a glimpse into his thinking, so he comes off as a stereotyped bullying high school jock with religious delusions), Meredeth's actions in high school and why Abigail's husband was so desperate to get away from her that he stuck her in a mental hospital after their younger son dies. There were little things which could have been better dealt with.

On the other hand, I really enjoyed this book, so no big complaints. It's a keeper and I will definitely be reading it again.

I am of two minds on this one. Christopher's writing is beautiful -- it's lush and descriptive and he manages to mostly avoid his mother's purple prose. And on the one hand he really nails the cliques and insecurities and pain of high school, but on the other some of his characters are just cliched to the extreme. But the thing is, you care about them, and you want to understand them, even when they're being pretentious, self-involved jerks. He tries to fit too much into the plot, and I really think a few of the 'twists' could have been left out -- but overall I did enjoy the book and think I'll pick up another of his books.

Meredith, Brandon, Stephen and Greg were practically inseparable as children; playing hide and seek and constantly riding their bikes together through the New Orleans woods. The four friends shared an unbreakable bond and an undeniable connection with each other that they all believed would last forever. Such strong friendship should last forever; but teenagers can be fickle.

By the time Meredith, Brandon, Stephen and Greg enter high school, something has changed within the dynamic of their friendship. Suddenly, the four young friends are living drastically different lives; and deep feelings of envy, rage, and secret passions have succeeded in tearing their friendship apart. Soon, two violent deaths irrevocably disrupt the core of what show more these friends once shared, and they all go their separate ways - certain that they will never see each other ever again.

Five years later, the friends are reunited with each other. And, when one of the mysterious deaths that initially drove them apart is discovered to have actually been murder, secrets once thought to be deeply buried begin to unravel. And the casual cruelties inflicted by thoughtless high school students from the past, suddenly have the potential to develop into acts of brutal violence that threaten to engulf an entire city in the present.

First of all, let me say that I initially thought that this mystery was really quite good. I wanted so much to like this book. I thought the premise was intriguing and I found myself really feeling for the characters and what they were going through. However, by about halfway through the book, I noticed that the story was starting to slide slightly off track for me.

I wasn't quite sure why I felt this way at first, but was finally able to put my finger on the specific reason for these feelings. In my opinion, as a debut novel, this began off as an intriguing mystery and initially had such promise. However, I must say that I found Mr. Rice's writing style to be incredibly detailed and somewhat overwritten at times - some of the overly descriptive passages were hard for me to follow. Overall, I was disappointed to discover that this book was ultimately just not my cup of tea - I had to give it a C! show less