Five Decembers

by James Kestrel

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Five Decembers is an expansive, imaginative crime fiction-turned-epic of an unlikely hero.

First the structure and prose.

The book is very well paced. The 400+ page count did not hinder the fluidity of the story. The prose is paired-back, much like the minimalistic Japanese interior design. The conversations are clipped but stylized. The descriptions embody a simple elegance without compromising their vividness. Kestrel puts us effortlessly in the scenes, from a remote barn in Honolulu to a busy hotel in Hong Kong, to a hot spring in Japan. The writing reminds me of that of Hemingway.

Now the plot. At first I thought it was going to be a murder mystery occurred in December told from five points of view. But with an abrupt shift in focus, ‘five Decembers’ took on an entire different meaning. During the five years from Pearl Harbor to early post war period, Joe’s life and the world around him were turned upside down. The focus of the story shifted from the murder mystery to a man’s quest for truth and justice even as they cease to matter to others. The book indulges in a certain romanticization of war but it was sharply contrasted with its cruel and devastating consequences.

Joe is an unlikely hero. He was an ordinary man thrusted into extraordinary circumstances. Kestrel sketched out Joe’s character not through descriptions but through his actions. While he is not the typical hero, what he committed to doing was nothing short of heroic.

Overall it was a very satisfying read. There is a cinematic quality to the expansiveness and complexity of the story. I would love to see it adapted as a screenplay.