Terrorist by John Updike (2006) purchased in 2013

I don't know what inspired me to purchase this novel. I had read a few Updike titles over the years and enjoyed them. He died in 2009 and I think I am guilty of neglecting him in recent years. Perhaps that should be recent decades. There was a recent review in The Globe and Mail of a new Updike biography that caught my eye. Sometimes I put obstacles between the impulse to buy a new book and reality. The reality in this case was that I had a few unread John Updike books gathering dust around the house, so read them first became my task. I am very glad that I did.

I was amazed that Updike was, if not "hip", very aware of modern life in post 9/11 America. He writes of Islam in the US, of the tension that the holy (of many faiths) feel when faced with the freedoms of the modern world. Updike explores tensions throughout the story. Urban renewal and decline is a current than runs through "Terrorist" as is the impact that patterns of immigration have had on modern USA.
So it is a believable plot thanks to Updike's willingness to make The Koran an important part of the tale. The characters were smartly written (with one exception, Beth Levy the librarian wife of the school teacher Jack). I would be interested to hear what the younger generations say about the teen aged characters. They appealed to me, but was that an old writer to an old reader bias?
I would not recommend the book to a fan of action titles, but it had a fair amount of tension and curiosity as the events built.


Updike loved America.  You detect it in his careful observations and detailed descriptions of old schools, decaying cityscapes and even steeples in this novel. I am inspired to read more. I figure two more titles and then I get to buy the biography.

I have yet to fully work out my rating system, but I am giving Terrorist a double rejoice.