Broken Ground

January 1, 1987
Keeble (Yellowfish) is a strong writer, with a fine ear for speech and character, though he tends to belabor his narrative with excessive detail. His fourth novel is a brooding tale. Construction boss and Vietnam vet Hank Lafleur is digging his way out of the guilt of his recent past as he gouges pits in the desert for a "detention center'' of dubious moral and political worth. Lafleur has separated from his wife following the death of their baby. His father is dying, but Lafleur's guilt here is somewhat assuaged since he has taken the older man's place in his company. Then he runs afoul of Vic Sabat, boss of the prison project run for the government by a multinational corporation, and of Sabat's sadistic henchman, Snedeker. Lafleur's torment is brought into sharp focus by his increasing spiritual awareness and the emergencing outlines of ``the pit''a place he is certain will train torturers (but for whom, and why?). In order to go on, Lafleur must come to terms with both grief and guilt, and readers will be gripped by the wider resonance of his story.