THE TOP OF THE HILL

by Irwin Shaw ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 12, 1979

The Top of the Hill should be a terrible book. The plot is loose and flimsy: the meanderings of Mike Stone, a handsome and sexy 35-ish N.Y. businessman obsessed with doing dangerous things -- sky-diving, skiing with somersaults, hang-gliding. The characterization is thin: Mike's compulsion is vaguely half-explained by his need to get back at his ""almost demented,"" prim, possessive mother. And the action is a major disappointment: Shaw himself has apparently not done most of this daredevil stuff, so the descriptions thereof are sketchy and unconvincing. But The Top of the Hill is nevertheless far from terrible -- neither serious work nor topnotch entertainment like Nightwork, perhaps, but engagingly readable, ultimately corny and sentimentally likable macho-fluff from a highly professional storyteller. So a lot of readers will follow along happily as now-impotent Mike, cast off by wife Tracy after he's had too many brushes with death, quits his job and heads for the hills of Vermont -- back to the town where he was a ski instructor 14 years ago. And there (while meeting old pals and rivals, befriending a young black girl skier-singer, and reaching the end of the line with his selfish French piano-player chum), Mike has a life-changing experience: he meets and soon becomes devoted to terminally ill, Austrian-born hotel-owner Heggener, a man who is determined to live (just as Mike seems determined to die), a man who miraculously gathers renewed strength while skiing with Mike. Corny? Yes, indeed; and Mike's final change-of-heart -- he no longer wants to risk his neck -- is far from convincing. But Shaw has dreamed up enough shiny dialogue, glittery backgrounds, and humorous/melodramatic sideshows to smooth over the defective craftsmanship; you won't believe a word, you won't really care about Mike or anyone else here, but you'll probably read right along with consistent low-level pleasure.

Pub Date: Nov. 12, 1979

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Delacorte

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1979

Categories: FICTION