Remington James has returned to the small North Florida where he grew up, to mourn the death of his father and take over the care of his mother, now seriously ill. Guilty of “mistakenly putting his camera down as if it were a childhood toy he had outgrown,” he finally decides to do what his mother had always done and what he now realizes he was meant to do. As he explains: “He’d wanted to be an adventure photographer for over a decade.” Mr. Lister’s eloquent evocation of the beauty of the area and its non-human inhabitants makes clear to the reader what has drawn his protagonist back and easily explains James’ return to the profession on which he had turned his back. The threats to the region’s ecosystem are made equally vivid.
Nearly the entire tale takes place within a twenty-four hour period of time. Out in the black forest searching for the elusive Florida black bear and even more rare panther, his father a vivid companion and presence in his mind, James retrieves a camera trap he had set up previously. Reviewing the photos thereby captured, along with the wildlife caught on film he sees unexpected and shocking images of a woman being murdered. Apparently, however, the murderer has not left the area, and James’ life is immediately threatened. He is forced to flee, and to take refuge in the inhospitable forest and surrounding swamps. During this time, he reflects on his endangered marriage, interspersed with philosophizing and bits of poetry: “He finds it funny that in his brief contemplation of death, it’s not religion or philosophy or even photography, but poetry that consoles and prepares.” The novel is thought-provoking, while at the same time the author deftly maintains and steadily builds suspense.
Mr. Lister’s writing is stylistically fresh, frequently alliterative, and distinctive. “Double Exposure” is a wholly original and ultimately haunting work, and it is highly recommended.
[The book has had a simultaneous release in hardcover and trade paperback.]
