Craig's Blog of Destiny

I just reread Trevanian’s The Main, one of my favorite books.  There was I time that someone asked me to address books that have had a big impact on me, and this was one I wrote about.  I said:

“At the risk of showing my age I’ll bring up Trevanian, whose most popular work is probably The Eiger Sanction.  The Main is about a policeman in Montreal whose life revolves around his beat.  I was so able to identify with the character that it was some time before I came to realize that his life was tragic and that the loneliness that surrounded him was what made him tragic.  I realized that the love of those around us is what matters in the enrichment of our lives, not just our own life.”

To that, I would like to add:  The reason this is such a great book is because it’s such a strong character study.  Trevanian really brings the characters to life, not just the people (the policeman, his friends and enemies, the rookie cop, even the victim) but also the area, The Main, that part of Montreal that is the setting for the book.  He really makes the place a character of the novel in a very compelling way.  I’m not sure how he does it, but I found myself really caring about the people, the place, the events that he writes about.  And that’s why I enjoy reading him.