FATHER FOUND : A Novel
Zale Rowen's nonprofit organization Father Found finds deadbeat dads and helps them to at least contact their children and be a part of their lives. But his good intentions have turned into a single-minded, torturous nightmare for the men he says he only wants to help. Zale is obsessed with his work, driven by memories of childhood abuse by his drugged-out mom and a foster caregiver. Ex-cop Frank Rames, who once saved Zale's life, does legwork for the organization and is haunted by the death of his son in a drunk driving accident he caused. But unknown to Zale, Frank doles out beatings to the men he finds in order to get them to comply. Zale's business partner, Martin Carter, has problems with his unfaithful wife, and the business itself is nearly bankrupt. Like Johnson's first novel, The Harris Men (LJ 4/15/99), the book is well intentioned yet rather depressing. The women are one-dimensional, while the men are bullies with selfish, forgettable personalities and hidden agendas. Such a serious plot could have used a little comic relief and characters whom readers could care about. Mildly recommended for large libraries seeking African American fiction.-Shirley Gibson Coleman, Ann Arbor Dist. Lib., MICopyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.