Lazarus Man by Richard Price Book Review

Released: 12th November 2024

Genre: Drama

Number of Pages: 337

Richard Price is a well-known and renowned American writer who has been active in the literary world for decades. Following major efforts like The Colour of Money and The Wanderers, his latest release is Lazarus Man, a competent but unremarkable title.

Set in 2008 Harlem in New York, a community is rocked by the collapse of a large apartment block. We follow four characters who all have personal ties to the disaster. Mary Roe is a local police officer investigating missing people and other threads while Felix Pearl is an aspiring photographer with a number of chance encounters. Royal Davis is the local funeral manager who tends to the lost and last but not least, Anthony Carter is a survivor who tries to rebuild after being pulled from rubble while going through a religious awakening. The book is broken into four sections with the third being the longest as we swap between the different perspectives quickly.

The book’s greatest strength is its everyday tone; Price pulls you into the regular lives of people who all have their own thoughts, attachments and problems. Felix has snide looks over his photography and a turbulent meeting with a woman named Crystal and Royal tries his best to hold the local community together after the tragic event. Mary has the most wide-reaching interactions, but Anthony is the book’s most emotional element; his complicated bonds with Anna, Willa and other side characters underpin his survivor’s guilt. Everyone is just trying to get by and this creates a highly relatable tone. At every stage, the author’s detailed writing immerses you in their feelings.

With that said, the pacing and overarching narrative of Lazarus Man left a lot to be desired. It’s less of a gradual reveal of information and more picking up the pieces. The interactions between the characters feel very realistic and engaging, but you shouldn’t expect any major set-piece moments or build-up to a grand resolution. The moments of self-reflection, especially for Anthony, are just enough to keep the reader going.

Recommended?

MAYBE: Lazarus Man does a good job of portraying its characters and their everyday exploits, but the overall plot and deeper moments felt uneventful to me. I wasn’t very invested in how the plot threads and characters cross with each other. This book will be worthwhile to those looking for a more grounded drama, but to everyone else it may feel rather sub-standard.