A BARTENDER'S HOLIDAY

In Forbes’ brief novel, a veteran of the Vietnam War, whose life hasn’t gone the way he hoped, becomes involved with seedy characters.

After another night of listening to the troubles of people drowning their sorrows, Mac Neely locks up his Manhattan bar and begins his mundane trek home to the Upper East Side. The monotony of his life began after the war, when he was reunited with his college girlfriend, and they found that they’d grown apart. Devastated by the breakup, Mac settled into a routine, unfulfilled existence. His ruminations on loneliness during his walk home come abruptly to an end when a woman, seemingly fleeing for her life, rushes by him. He then sees a large man pursuing her, and Mac follows them both into a nearby alley, which starts him on a journey that will alter his life drastically. The pursuer ends up dead, and the fallout of that fateful night bonds Mac and the young woman, Kim Henri; for Mac, this connection quickly escalates into passionate infatuation and carnal lust. Kim falls for him just as quickly, but her past includes a dark secret that could complicate their chances of everlasting love. Forbes delivers a love story that’s often compelling; the juxtaposition of Mac’s steely determination in tough moments and his emotional weakness in the arms of Kim is likely to make readers root for them both as they take on powerful criminals. The author cloaks Kim in a shroud of mystery, which has the effect of driving the narrative forward while also keeping readers guessing. The narrative is told mainly from Mac’s third-person perspective, so when the point of view occasionally shifts to other characters, scenes can become a bit hard to follow. The work’s greatest flaw, however, is its repeated use of the term Oriental in narration, which readers will find offensive and off-putting: “His face was extremely handsome, and quite Oriental….”

An initially intriguing tale with elements of noir that’s undone by problematic elements.