Haarlem: A Novel.

Haarlem: A Novel by Heather Neff Harlem Moon/Broadway Books, July 2005 $12.95, ISBN 0-767-91750-2

Abel Crofton rests during the daylight hours. At night, he's on his grind. Five days a week, Abel ventures underground, beneath the New York City streets, to lay cable. The son of an alcoholic, Abel has managed 12 years of sobriety mindful that every day is a battle against "The Thirst"; and that every day he lives a life unfulfilled.

At 45, Abel is a wreck of a man, who has turned out more like his father than he'd care to admit. Bitter and resentful of a childhood without his mother, after his father's death, Abel travels to the Netherlands, the country of his birth, to learn the identity of his mother.

The character of Abel Croften takes some easing in to. This reviewer initially found his crude anger heavy-handed, but in her third novel, Neff's talent as a storyteller soon dispels any issue with introductions to Abel, and the character ultimately rings true. All told, Haarlem is an engaging and gratifying effort.

--Reviewed by Zakia Munirah Carter Zakia Munirah Carter is a writer in New York.