Will you come into my parlour?

"Will you come into my parlour?" said the spider to the fly. And the poor hopelessly naive fly, got lured into the web spun by the spider. Hopelessly entangled in the complex threads weaved by the spider, never to come out again, to meet an untimely death.

"Will you come into my parlour?" said Mario Puzo to his readers. And the poor hopelessly naive reader, got lured into the web spun by the author. Helplessly entangled in the wonderful storyline weaved by him, caught up in the complex intriguing characters, never to come out again. Even after he finished reading the book.

Fools Die. A thought provoking book. Strong characters with just a touch of vulnerability and weakness in each, making them more human. Backed up by an incredibly great writing style. What more can you ask for? Oh yes, a story.

This is where this book really shines through. It contains a main story line --- the life of Merlyn, a writer. The people he meets, the women he loves, the men he hates, the events that happen to him. But interspersed amongst this main tale, are the lives of the other characters, skillfully woven in and around Merlyn's life.

The very first chapter starts out in the life of Jordan Hawley. The author has a way of making you view life through his protagonist's eyes. So you become Jordan Hawley. You see what he sees, smell what he smell, touch what he touches, feel what he feels, and even more importantly, think what he thinks. And this is not first person narrative. It's third person narrative, just very skillfully done.

And then you meet Merlyn. Merlyn "the magician" himself. Who believes he can put on his star covered conical magicians hat and make himself disappear, magically, into a different world. When the real world gets a bit too tough. A writer. Talented, but still struggling. You enter his life, slowly but surely, until you turn into Merlyn himself. You share his growth, from his college days till the time he becomes a crook, a swindler. Till the time when suddenly fame and fortune hits him. And till the time when he loses it all again. You feel happy when he falls in love with Janelle, and cry for him when she dies. You feel his loneliness, you feel his pathos.

Janelle. Tough, independent, intelligent. Small time actress struggling for roles. And a part of Merlyn's life. But she has a life of her own. Her own stories to tell. Each as interesting as the one before it. You devour it all, hungrily.

Osano. Famous writer. He has it all. Money, fame, sex. But he still can't get enough. Full of interesting opinions and thoughts, and not afraid of expressing them. Merlyn's boss, mentor and friend, all rolled into one.

Cully Cross. Small time hustler, who works his way to big time hustling. Until he tries to over-reach himself. And pays the penalty. One of the few people who form Merlyn's friends.

Gronevelt. Owner of the Xanadu Hotel, and its great casino. Cully's boss. He nurtures Cully, promotes him. Until the day Cully decides to double cross him. Strong and powerful (shades of the Godfather in him).

And these are just the main characters. There are a lot of others as well, each with an interesting anecdote attached to him. That's the great thing about this book --- small incidents associated with each character, each incident and story teaching you about life, about human nature. Like Puzo himself says "I can bring all these people truly alive. I can show you what they truly think and feel. You'll weep for them, all of them, I promise you that. Or maybe just laugh. Anyway, we're going to have a lot of fun. And learn something about life. Which is really no help."

Well, he certainly succeeds. This is a book that has a high re-read value. The scenes he describes are sharp and precise. He uses language vividly, to build up the scene he describes in front of your eyes. You'll keep on going back to it, to re-read an interesting event, to understand a character better. Or just to appreciate the writing style. Whatever the reason, go back to the book you certainly will. Again and again. And again.

On the negative side, it does not have a properly defined structure. Also, it can get a bit melancholy at times. And if you are looking for another Godfather, well, forget it. This book is in a completely different genre. And as much as I loved The Godfather, I think Fools Die is much, much better. It's a work of art.

NOW YOU CAN'T SAY THAT ABOUT THE GODFATHER, CAN YOU?