My rating: 3 of 5 stars
If you’ve read the other Keller books, this one stands out. At first. There’s a plot this time, not just a theme, and it covers, more or less, the entire length of the work. Instead of a collection of hits, Keller’s dealing with one hit in particular (sort of—I don’ t want to give it away). But I mentioned theme, and the quiet, almost subdued, tone of the stories is very predominant here in this “novel” version, and so, this is just a longer story, with a few extra complications thrown in to make it worth the increased length. The bottom line is: if you liked the first three Keller collections, you’ll like this one, and if you got tired of the sameness of them, Hit and Run will be especially tedious.
I’m couching all of this in the assumption that you won’t be reading Hit and Run on its own. I’m not sure if I can say it would stand up on its own—just like the second, and third collection, Block makes several references to occurrences in previous stories. Then again, as subdued and understated as the tone is, a matter-of-fact flash back is, indeed, just as good as having read the original. So maybe one could read Hit and Run without having read Hit Man, Hit List, and Hit Parade.
Then again, in this novel treatment of Keller’s version of angst, he’s got more space to be contemplative, and that’s not the same thing as subdued and understated, is it. I think Block invites his readers to be contemplative right along with Keller, and so, in as much as there are flashbacks, they can work as flashbacks to the reader’s own experience as well. In this way, of course, this novel cannot stand alone. Unfortunately, if what one contemplated was tedium and frustration, then Hit and Run doesn’t stand a chance.
But if you’re like me, and liked the meditative quality of the first three books, this novel will be easy to get through, and will be as enjoyable. But, I have to admit, not any more enjoyable. Just the same.