Headlock
This first novel by short story writer ("Cojones") Berlin finds short-tempered former wrestling star Odessa "Dess" Rose parking cars for a living in downtown New York. When his cousin Gary, a professional gambler who is ten years older, shows up in a Jaguar on his way to Las Vegas, Dess agrees to go along for the ride. On the trip West, Dess's family history and his own personal failures are gradually unfurled before reaching the final climax and the true purpose of the journey. Although the reader comes to understand the source of Dess's rage, and there are some compelling allusions to classical literature, the characters are not complex enough and the plot not rich enough to sustain a full-length novel. An optional purchase.-Joshua Cohen, Mid-Hudson Lib. Syst., Poughkeepsie, NYCopyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.