SOCIAL DRAMA

Having long since established his credentials as a chronicler of life on the mean streets of Washington DC, George Pelecanos more recently broadened his fanbase as screenwriter and story editor on The Wire, the Baltimore-based TV show that also used the crime genre to address urban issues. With his 16th novel, Pelecanos has moved away from the broad canvas of that HBO drama and his earlier books – most particularly the era-spanning DC quartet – to zone in on the troubled relationship between an upstanding member of the community, carpet business boss Thomas Flynn, and his delinquent son, Chris.

Focusing on Chris’ continued efforts to stay straight after serving time in a youth correction facility and Thomas’ difficulty in accepting his son as anything other than a failure, The Way Home is a compelling social and domestic drama that’s enhanced by Pelecanos’ dynamic crime genre narrative style.