Robert Crews

Robert Crews

In a modern Robinson Crusoe tale, Robert Crews, a middle-aged alcoholic, embarks on a mythic survival adventure when his plane crashes, and encounters Friday, running from her husband When a plane crash strands Robert Crews, a ne'er-do-well alcoholic, beside a north woods lake, he must use his ingenuity and what supplies he can salvage to find food and build shelter. After struggling for weeks believing he is completely alone, he discovers a mysterious footprint. If the plot has a familiar ring, it's because Berger is consciously updating Robinson Crusoe . There are variations, however. Most notably, "Friday" turns out to be a young woman escaping an abusive marriage. The pair team up and set about finding their way to civilization while avoiding the husband they believe is chasing them. Both a survival tale and a story of the redemptive power of love and nature, the novel exudes an optimism rare in contemporary fiction. For public library collections. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 10/15/93. - Lawrence Rungren, Bedford Free P.L., Mass. Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. Robert Crews is a drunk who has squandered his father's fortune, betrayed his mother's hopes, and ruined three marriages. He holds himself in contempt, and it's the correct attitude. An old college buddy, who regards Crews as nothing more than a stooge, invites him to join a party of fishermen bound for the North Woods. The plane crashes in a lake, and only Crews escapes to tell. He is forced to be sober and to live on his wits--teaching himself how to construct a shelter, build a fire, and catch fish. These are the most original and entertaining scenes of Berger's novel, despite how heavily they lean on the original Robinson Crusoe . In an obvious twist, Friday ends up being a woman, brought to the wilderness by her cowardly husband with the thought that, as the two confront the purity of nature, they can repair their marriage. Predictably, the wilderness brings out the beast in the husband, the courage and honor of our hero. Berger sustains interest with some insights about civilization and the wilderness, women and men, but the humor of his early work is missing, and his style seems too formal for his simple story. Berger's name will sell books, but, unfortunately, the most original thinking here belongs to Daniel Defoe. John Mort