reviews

review from SFBAYVIEW.COM

New Author, Terry E. Hill, takes on City Hall

"Inside the Fall" by novelist Terry E. Hill, has all the complexity of a great story, yet none of the guile.The story is set in San Francisco, coincidentally, the same place the author worked for two years in an advisory role to the mayor on homelessness.

The protagonist, Mayor Elijah D. Farrow, is in an election season, second term, when we meet him. Struggling to hold onto his seat, Farrow's advisors and staff are busy trying to help him address the homeless situation -- a visible stain on the city's opulence, a stain that the wealthy are up in arms over.

I had the feeling that these colorful characters -- stars and supporting cast, were toned down quite a bit to protect the innocent given Hill's insider experience. Nonetheless, the characters are quite interesting especially the homeless ones who are painted with fine tip brush.

What precipitates Farrow's fall are a lot of things, besides a nasty attitude and his insatiable taste for power, rather it's a leak that grows into a flood named Ken Livingston, star reporter for the San Francisco Times, a man who is not only not afraid of the mayor, he'd like to rid the city of Farrow, a man who courts the interests of the rich and powerful to the detriment of the poor and disenfranchised.

Daytime drama serials have nothing on Mayor Farrow's "fall." In this nation's most flamboyant city, San Francisco - a savvy politician cannot afford to sleep with both eyes shut. Farrow doesn't realize this until it's too late -- his jump one of the more spontaneous aspects of the book.

Farrow regularly yells at his staff, then blames them for his inequities -- he is not a kind person, yet by the time his body splatters onto the marble floor below the rotunda, one feels a tad bit sorry for the chap whose life was ruined by the one person he trusted.

Without giving away the key element that made me almost skip going to see Arthur Blythe blow his alto saxophone Monday night - how do I tell you, without telling you, why this book, minus the typos, is a great romp?

"Inside the Fall" is a story of ambition and what people are willing to give away, trade, sell or barter to get what they want. Power might be the initial song on the juke box, however, Farrow learns that he should have played another tune - maybe compassion.

Pride goeth and so does a lot more "…before the fall." Perhaps "Inside the Fall" is a lesson in physics, or cheap helium balloons --what goes up must come down. Then again, as this is a romance novel, maybe Farrow's demise just a great twist on the adage about women and scorn and hell's fury.

The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

Date Reviewed: November 27, 2003

INSIDE THE FALL by Terry E. Hill
ReGeJe Press, April 2003
182 pages, Paperback
ISBN: 0963914723
RAW Rating: (4.5 out of 5) / BUY IT

A Look Inside the Fall

Elijah D. Farrow reigns as the all-powerful, much-feared mayor of San Francisco. However, deadly close to re-election, his reign is threatened by the expulsion of his biggest secret ever. Fighting to
maintain voter approval amidst the emotional disarray of his personal life is not easy for Elijah. Finally pushed over the edge, the story really takes flight as Elijah's fall commences.

Engrossing and energetic, Author Terry E. Hill delivers an excellent premier novel as he skillfully carries the reader into the life of Elijah Farrow. Hill tastefully portrays a scandalous affair while
showcasing its effects on the political careers of those closest to the Mayor and his lover. The language and the characters are real, and there are sufficient twists to keep any reader engaged from start to finish. INSIDE THE FALL is complete without tying up all loose ends, and the characters are well-developed for such a short novel. A few grammatical errors only briefly distract from an otherwise compelling story.

I thoroughly enjoyed INSIDE THE FALL and the characters - whose lives I had the brief privilege of observing. I anxiously anticipate reading future works by Mr. Hill.

Reviewed by Natasha T. of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers