A Decent Ransom by Ivana Hrubá Reviewed by Scott Bowen ISBN: 978-1-60164-162-5 Often forgotten are the many sides of the usual two-way interaction between kidnapper and kidnapped. Not so in Ivana Hrubá’s debut novel, A Decent Ransom. In 258 pages, Hrubá explores in poignant first person the worlds of 15-year-old Phoebus; anxiety-distorted housewife Kathy; Janelle, a young Chinese immigrant turned prostitute; and Rupert, Kathy’s womanizing husband. All roads lead to Rome as Kenny devises a plan to kidnap Kathy. Assisted by his young and impressionable brother Phoebus, Kenny promises to deliver a better life to all in his clique with a starting bid on Kathy’s life at one million dollars. Hope dwindles on all fronts when Rupert’s anticipated reply never surfaces. Now kidnapped, kidnappers and all depending on money and freedom realize that Rupert has taken Kenny and Phoebus at their word to turn Kathy into “lifeless meat,” and Rupert moves to secure a new life incognito. Each chapter is told from the point of view of one of the primary characters. This practice carries the double-edged sword of preventing character fatigue which often plagues narratives using first person point of view, but runs the risk of confusion among the novel’s players as the author introduces them. Hrubá’s skill with characterization, however, assists the recognition of voice as fashioned here with Phoebus’ stutter: “I asked him his name. R-Rick-ky, he whispered, pronouncing the word reverently as if it were a new and precious thing.” Hrubá takes on a fresh look at the prey-turned-predator concept and the dynamics between individuals struggling for a better life as plans unravel and worst fears come to bear: “No. No. You listen. Everything has gone wrong. Rupert doesn’t want me. I can’t find my cat. My house is up for sale.” The prose often slips over the fine line between characterization and hubris as narration (especially with Kathy) results in leaden backstory, heavy use of adjectives and exposition. Readers will also note Hrubá’s refusal to deploy quotation marks for dialog. This stylistic choice will require a worthwhile investment of time to acclimate to each character’s idioms and vernacular such as Kenny’s reference to Phoebus as a “turd” and Janelle’s Far Eastern English dialect. A Decent Ransom’s minimal sins are dwarfed by this fast-paced tale of “a kidnapping gone right.” Hrubá weaves the lives of all her characters, from Rupert’s reckoning, to Phoebus’ denouement as the unlikely hero, into a lithe web that illustrates how just one event can alter the destiny of others. A Decent Ransom’s sojourn into the world of an unscripted kidnapping sets a standard for thinking outside the often myopic view of commercial publishing.
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Mr. Bowen currently resides in eastern North Carolina. He occupies his time writing both novel length and short fiction concerning a prophet of his own design, playing house husband, and taking a stab at Native American crafts. He is currently working on his B.A. degree in English at East Carolina University.
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