Book Report: Lost Echoes

I just finished reading ‘Lost Echoes’ by Joe Lansdale and I couldn’t wait to tell someone how pleased I was with it. The story is about Harry Wilkes, a man who, possibly due to a childhood illness, can now experience visions of brutal deaths upon hearing an auditory trigger. This story explores two fascinating conditions: Synesthesia, the ability to perceive one sense as another (i.e., hear the color blue), and audiochronology, the (now debunked) theory that sound can be trapped in objects such as pottery, or in Harry's case, 'The ability to hear terror and horror in sounds'. For Harry, the entire world becomes a minefield. Slamming doors or the jiggle of a toilet seat lid or even driving over potholes all have the potential to trigger incapacitating, gruesome, and haunting visions. As an adult, he turns to alcohol as a means of coping. He becomes a recluse, keeping only one childhood friend, Joey, who is the type of friend anyone would be better off without. Harry even covers his apartment in egg carton and cardboard, a make-shift insulation against the horrors of his own home.

But Harry’s world begins to change the night he meets Tad, a fellow alcoholic with some impossibly smooth self-defense moves. The two find a likeness in each other; a pained past and a lonely, downward-spiraling path of self-depreciation. They forge a friendship based on honesty that blooms into so much more: Tad becomes Harry’s mentor and in turn, Harry becomes the son Tad lost years ago.

Meanwhile, Harry’s life gets complicated when the town beauty shows an interest in him. They date, and despite Talia’s tendency to treat Harry as a lap dog, he enjoys the sex and the feeling of a pretty girl on his arm. Between lust and Tad’s teachings, Harry begins to lose his state of constant fear. He no longer worries about unfamiliar places and the horrible things that could have happened there. He begins to relax, and even de-insulates his apartment.

But true peace never stays long, and at the midpoint of this book, Harry’s visions return at a most inopportune time. When he thinks he sees (via vision) Talia’s father kill another man, a trip to jail is just the start.

Enter: Kayla, Harry’s childhood sweetheart-cum-policewoman. She believes in his visions (partially due to motives of her own) and when no charges are pressed, she continues to support Harry by investigating the town’s past. Then, when Joey turns up dead in Harry’s apartment, he, Kayla and Tad ban together in an interesting, original pursuit of justice that kept me captivated till the end.

This book was never boring, but the climax had me engrossed and loving every minute. Tad turned out to be a very memorable character who had my sympathy and support the entire time. In true sidekick, underdog fashion, he stole the show and I adored it. The ending of this book truly does pay off for everything preceding it and while I fear giving away too much (because everyone should read this book), I just have to comment that I’ll never forget the image of Winston, a cat shit-eating Great Dane, standing on the roof of Harry’s car, thereby locking poor Tad in the trunk and ruining Operation: Rescue Harry.

This book is amazing, with an eye-catching appearance and plot. It is half literary journey as Harry discovers himself, then it morphs into one of the best action/suspense stories I’ve ever read. Intense, poetic prose (page 244: 'Darkness flapped through his skull, dragging damp wings.') in two to three page chapters makes this a page turner anyone would be challenged to put down. I give Lost Echoes five stars and a standing ovation for its collection of unforgettable, real characters and the hardships they overcome.