Introduction
The genre and general style of Andrew Geyer’s “Meeting the Dead”
The book under the title “Meeting the Dead” was the first novel written by Andrew Geyer and attracted a lot of readers’ attention with its captivating plot. The events covered in the book take place in northern Peru full of magic and unexplored. The genre of the book is a thriller as far as the plot is penetrated with murders. The author demonstrated his skills of using stylistic devices to make his work interesting and captivating. The author makes the reader not only an unbiased observer; the reader is also involved in the events.
The narrator as the participant of the story
The story is presented from the first person that is why it reminds a biography. Nevertheless, it is not the author who tells the story; it is the main character, John Hauser who presents us the mysterious events from his life. The reader knows all these events from the main character’s own lips. Such presentation makes the story more alive. It makes the reader closer to the main character as if John Hauser is our friend and tells about his adventures. On the other hand, it is not an objective presentation as far as the main character and the presenter of the story is one and the same person. The reader does not observe the author’s existence in the story and his judgments. The author vanishes in his character. The protagonist of the story is John Hauser and the antagonist is his best friend David Leroy. But the reader understands the role of antagonist only in the end of the story. On the first pages, the reader admires the friendship between these two men. The role of antagonist is very important for protagonist as far as it helps him to discover hidden abilities and it impels him to take action.
The role of protagonist and antagonist in Geyer’s work
“Meeting the Dead” is the story about two Americans, John Hauser and his friend David Leroy who have to go to Peru due to the coincidence of circumstances. John has to decide what to do with his father’s ranch which was left to him after his death. There are two possible variants of solving this problem. He may sell the ranch or to return home to work land according to his promise made to his father before the death. This captivating journey overturns all John’s life and makes him involved in the mysterious events. John and his friend are involved in the struggle between two Peruvian, a local landowner, Heim Ulmson and a rich banker, Don Enrique de la Cruz. The meeting with Heim’s beautiful member, Linda de la Piedre is a crucial point in John’s life. This beautiful woman was the main cause of a rift between two friends. The struggle between two Peruvian becomes worse and severe and the blood is shed. These events allow the main character to discover supernatural elements of this hostility and make him commit a murder himself. He never imagines that he is able to do this.
Conclusion
This book appeals the reader to think over different problems of our society. The author presents the fusion of Christianity and magic. He portrays social structure where everyone does everything possible to survive. The struggle between two Peruvian is the struggle for survive where a human being is capable to commit a murder. Andrew Geyer has a success in portraying the powerlessness of a human being before vital conditions and uncertainties.