[.ca] Mr. White's Confession (ISBN 0312204264)

From Amazon.com:
In Robert Clark's second novel, Mr. White's Confession, two men grope through real and metaphysical mysteries in post-depression Minnesota. A pair of girls, taxi dancers at a local dance hall, have been murdered. It seems obvious to everyone involved that the killer is Herbert White, a quiet eccentric with a taste for glamour photography--particularly after portraits of the dead women are found in his apartment. Yet police Lieutenant Wesley Horner finds himself obsessed with the oddities of the case, starting with the fact that the suspect is afflicted with a faulty memory. Literally unable to recall anything but the distant past (and intermittent patches of the present), White cannot confess to the murders. Did he in fact commit the crime, or is he merely a convenient scapegoat? Agonizing over these questions, Horner also begins to ponder the role that memory plays in understanding the past--and the present. Part of the narrative consists of Herbert White's journal, and this is the best part of Mr. White's Confession. Here Clark creates a voice that is both innocent and formal and, most of all, blind to its own desires. Recalling a visit by Ruby Fahey, one of the eventual victims, the photographer writes: "She went back to my bedroom to change, and I must say I felt a huge sort of breathlessness at the idea that she was in my room shedding and then donning her garments, rather as if some mystery of great enormity were taking place right here in my humble quarters!" Horner's half of the narrative, alas, is weighted down by tired lyricism, and populated by a hard-boiled cast straight out of Raymond Chandler. The result is a gripping mystery with an anticlimactic ending--less a philosophical resolution than the tail of a shaggy-dog story. --Emily Hall

Life is what you make of it...:
Although ostensibly a "mystery", the crime/detective backdrop in this story is clearly secondary to the ongoing musings in Herbert White's journal - which revolve around how we perceive ourselves in the world and the nature of the past, the future, reality, memories, and happiness. The crime caper part of this story is pretty thin and has to do with a homocide detective (Wesley Horner) in 1930s Minnesota trying to solve the murders of two dance-hall girls. At the same time we watch as this character wrestles with lonliness and a search for meaning in his life. Horner, although possessing a place in the world, seems a lost soul - a castaway in his own life, looking for salvation outside of himself. His character is contrasted with Herbert White, a naive oddball who although rejected by the world finds a salvation of sorts because of the lens through which he views life. The characters are well-written, and the story while somewhat bleak contains an uplifting message for those who want to find it.

Excellent:
A truly different type of mystery in which the characters are richly drawn and unforgettable. Mr. White "seems" to be a rather pitiful fellow, but all is not what it seems to be. In this novel, the good guys can turn out bad and vice versa. Told from each character's perspective, the story weaves not so much a mystery thriller, but rather an insight on personal pains, demons, and redemption.

An unnerving novel:
Herbert White lives a strange life in Saint Paul in 1939. He's a very lonely man, has no friends, is profoundly attached to his daily routines and is an amateur photographer. He particularly likes taking pictures of taxi dancers working at the Aragon Ballroom where Herbert occasionally goes. And so he met Charlie Mortensen - also called Carla Marie LaBreque - and Ruby Fahey. Due to Herbert's eccentric way of life as a recluse, he doesn't feel very comfortable in the presence of women. All the photography sessions taking place at his apartment, Herbert's behaviour is always uneasy whenever a woman comes for posing. When Charlie Mortensen is found dead by strangulation on 30 Sptember 1939 and Ruby Fahey (killed in the same manner) on 22 October, the police suspect Herbert White and arrest him. Slowly White will be drawn into signing a confession stating that he killed the two women. But Lieutenant Wesley Horner becomes suspicious: why did Hebert White state in his confession that he killed the women "by battery to the head" when both of them died from strangulation? Truth vs. fiction, past vs. present, love vs. hatred, faith and memory are the themes illuminated masterfully by Robert Clark. This is not a mystery story in the classic sense but rather a complex, intriguing and fascinating journey into the human psyche. A beautiful book. Philippe Horak / phorak@gibz.ch

A murder mystery without much mystery:
After spending the morning reading this novel I feel rather ambigious as to my reaction. On one hand, the prose of Robert Clark flows off the page like music from a nicely tuned piano and is a joy to read. The elegent word choices run the plot along nicely so that you feel each point being hit upon is germane and building up to the final zenith (which I will abstain from reveiling as a spoiler). Those who have read the book will understanding that by the end of page 200, you have a pretty good understanding of who did what and who DIDN'T do what. Unlike most other novels of a similar nature, the main character in this novel are tragically flawed in terms of their own wanton ways. Not exactly forgiving in the wake of 7/11 so be forewarned that the police reveil themselves as human and perhaps even less than that in certain instances. On the other hand, the novel really leaves you feeling as though the judicial system is innately flawed beyond hope. Overall this novel serves as a quick read by an author who has continued on a path of literary excellence to this point. You won't be disappointed.

A Mystery about the Mystery and Beauty of Life:
What a marvelous novel: a searching exploration of memory, love, beauty, good/evil, and the hideously mistreated victim, who endures life and takes himself to a higher spiritual plateau. This novel is soaked in mystery, albeit most of it not of the superficial kind that litters most mysteries by, for example, Sandford, Grafton, Patterson, E. George. Readers enjoy a speed read through the kinds of novels written by most mystery authors. I have no quarrel with them. But I would argue vehemently that one Mr. White's Confession is worth more than all the "speed read" novels put together. I am of course making a value judgment, a rather absolute one, but the depth and beauty of this novel demands praise and the most heartfelt entreaty that if you are reading this commentary that you read this novel--your life will be enriched. This novel almost broke my heart at several points. But what it really did is stir into my consciousness the memories of love and beauty in my own life; it made me take stock of where I have been and how important it is that my future create memories that are full of love and beauty. Read this book and be the wiser for having read it.