The Red Album of Asbury Park is a very entertaining book. It is a story of romance, crime and personal success. Involved in this story is a wide expanse of characters each with their own unique personalities. These varying personalities come to life and through the writer grips us in this wonderful narrative.
The thing I found most interesting about this book was that it is really not known at all till the end how this story was going to play out, there seemed to be little if any foreshadowing. The plot always kept you guessing. Another very interesting aspect of the book was how different characters each of such a completely different mix could be thrown together to form this complex plot. Oftentimes authors find themselves limited by their characters but in this book all contribute in unique ways whether it be gangsters, musicians or or the protagonists’ lovers.
One thing seems evident is that clearly these characters are drawn from the authors experience in life. It would seem very unusual to compile such a varied assortment of characters based on creative energy alone. The conversation seems natural in the book and all the characters individual quirks come out clearly and succinctly as they would in real life. When reading this book I get the feeling that a story such as this could certainly happen in real life so true are the characters to life.
If you are looking for an exciting story of coming of age for a rock musician among lovers and ne’er do wells this is the book for you.