What do readers think of The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb? Write your own review.

There is only one word that can adequately describe this phenomenal book: Genius.

That said, this work of literary fiction by Wally Lamb may not appeal to everyone. (English majors will love it!) Narrated in the first person by Caelum Quirk, this multilayered book is loosely based on the classical myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. And while the characters are imaginary, the events are straight out of the headlines, beginning with the 1999 Columbine High School massacre.

Thrice-married Caelum and his wife, Maureen, are trying to hold their marriage together after she cheats on him and he nearly kills her lover in a jealous rage. They flee from their home in rural Connecticut to quiet and peaceful Littleton, Colorado. He gets a job as an English teacher and she as a nurse at Columbine High School. While Caelum is away on that fateful day, Maureen is there on the front line of fire, hiding in the school library. Although she physically survives, the emotional trauma she suffers at the hands of the killers changes who she is, and she and Caelum must struggle individually and as a couple to put their lives back together.

Plot is secondary to this structurally complex book that is stitched together with bold themes of chaos vs. control and despair vs hope, as well as the myriad destructive forces of violence, the fury of vengeance and the blessing of redemption. And this is made all the more powerful by the potent symbols of the butterfly (our souls) and the praying mantis (good triumphing over evil) that are laced throughout the book.

This is a beautifully written, intelligent book that should be read with care and awe.

Mr. Lamb won my heart when he wrote I Know This Much is True. He did it again with The Hour I First Believed. This book was an odyssey - for me as the reader, for Caelum, and I daresay, for the author as well.... Having woven this tale over 9 years, and throughout the unfolding of some of the most horrific events in American history, he was able to portray some of the most tragic ironies in life - as well as the power of redemption in spite of; and possibly as a result of everything that went before.

I have read Wally Lamb's books and, yes, they tend to be lengthy. Although, overall, I enjoyed this book - it needed additional editing understatement. In frustration, I skipped about eighty pages in the middle and, like a stale soap opera, easily picked up the threads of the story. I am a compulsive reader....but, sincerely wish the author would find a more responsible editor. So, yes, good book - but, it could have been much better. I loved This Much is True.