Matala: A Novel | 
| Author: Craig Holden
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Category: Book
List Price: $22.00
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Avg. Customer Rating:  7 reviews
Sales Rank: 186749
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 192
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 5.6 x 1
ISBN: 0743274997
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780743274999
ASIN: 0743274997
Publication Date: December 26, 2007
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Product Description
Darcy Arlen, a beautiful young American, is dangerously bored. Though she's on a very pricey tour of Europe, she's already sick of museums and ruins, and eager for distraction. After slipping away from the group one afternoon, she meets Will, an attractive young drifter who carries about him the scent of true adventure.Will invites Darcy back to the hostel where he's been staying and introduces her to Justine, his darkly seductive lover and mentor. Justine, a master of the con, senses a grand opportunity in this amenable blonde. She and Will manage to turn things so that Darcy not only accompanies them to Venice, but finances the trip as well. There they meet Maurice, a shady figure who offers them a job smuggling an important package to Greece. As the threesome travels across Europe toward the island of Crete, what unfolds is an astonishing tale of shifting alliances and shocking betrayals, of sexual obsession and mercenary enterprise, of conflicting passions and fateful choices. When the adventurers finally reach the village of Matala with the package in hand, they learn that what they have delivered is more valuable, and the repercussions of their involvement more terrifying, than they ever could have imagined. Endlessly surprising and altogether riveting, Matala is an unforgettable novel about the intersection of love and ruthlessness.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...
a great read August 25, 2008
Strong characters, a tight plot, and very nice twist. What more can you ask for?
 It Hurts So Good June 27, 2008
Thirty years as a psychotherapist taught me a lot, but only a few constants. One was that wherever you find sadism you will find masochism. Not something particularly original, both Freud and Hegal emphasized the ubiquity of sadomasochism in the human emotional repertoire: the master needs the slave and vice versa. Sadomasochism drives many relationships and is an ingredient of our love of horror stories and thrillers.
An illustration is Craig Holden's sixth novel, "Matala." Holden has been labeled a writer of "literary thrillers," a tag perhaps deserved for his first three novels (beautifully written police procedurals, one of which, "The River Sorrow," received glowing praise from Michael Ondaatji, one of our finest literary novelists). But with his fourth endeavor, "The Jazz Bird" (an historical novel about a murder in Ohio in the twenties), Holden moved in a more purely literary direction. Curiously enough, that move coincided with his interest in the protean shades of sadomasochism, where impulse and perversity dictate whether cat becomes mouse, or mouse becomes lion-tamer.
His next novel, "The Narcissist's Daughter," about a young man who, when his affair with his employer's wife ends badly, seduces her 17 year old daughter (an act of revenge that is avenged from the grave), established Holden as a master of the twist as well as an adept investigator of the human psyche. With "Matala," however, Holden catapults his exploration of sadomasochism into diabolical heights.
For a high school graduation present Darcey Arlen's parents have sent her to Italy. Bored and adventurous, she ventures alone into Rome only to encounter what she thinks is a familiar face from high school. "Call me Will," the young man says when she approaches him. We soon discover that 22 year old Will is one half of an international grifter team. The other half, Justine, an older woman with whom Will is having a torrid, maybe even incestuous, affair is an expert in the pleasure of pain. The tension is immense: The little lamb has wandered into the Wolves' den but, in Holden's hands, Darcey Arlen becomes the victim from hell. This little lamb likes her wolf with fava beans and a good Chianti.
This predator/prey relationship seesaws across Europe, from Rome to Venice, finally culminating in Matala, a village on Crete: a thrilling ride, but not only thrilling. The parallels with Durrell and De Sade, both of whom wrote novels entitled "Justine" that explored sadomasochism, are both obvious and pleasurable. So is Holden's literary technique: he allows the reader to live inside the psyche of his characters by presenting each chapter from a different point of view. When he wants to deliver an intimate portrait, he employs the first person, but in doing so, he exposes that character's vulnerabilities. When he wants to present a more reliable account, he writes in the third person. Holden's switching narrators and points of view is seamless: the novel folds in around itself like an expertly crafted literary quilt.
We keep reading "Matala" not only because we want to see the next twist in a plot full of twists, but because in Darcey, Will, and Justine, Holden has written three complex characters about whom we care deeply, even if ambivalently.
The ending is tricky. Some may find it abrupt, others, however, may decide that in ending the book as he does, Holden provides the reader with an experience close to that endured, engendered, feared, and perversely enjoyed by his characters.
Is "Matala" a thriller? It certainly is a page turner, but one whose tightly written 180 pages offers the reader an unforgettable literary experience. Please, Mr. Holden, give us more. It hurts so good!
Craig Holden knows how to keep you glued to the page! May 2, 2008
I strongly recommend this for any reader who loves mystery, modern noir and appreciates the kind of masterful writing where the words somehow transform into images with such fluidity that you aren't even aware of yourself reading. I picked up the book for a recent red-eye flight from LA to NY, couldn't put it down and found myself finishing it up in the cab on the way to the hotel. The story is a taught, sexy little thriller that sucks you in with it's intrigue from page one and doesn't let go. The characters are immediately involving and the pace is just perfect. The ending of each chapter is such that it's very difficult not to move on to the next right away. I love that kind of a read! Craig Holden is a hugely gifted author, a true master of his craft. If you're looking for a speedy, entertaining and a rewarding read -- GET THIS BOOK!
 Strong Story - Why Rush? April 3, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
According to mythology, Zeus raped the princess Europa on the small island of Matala, so it is the ideal setting for Holden's dark, erotic, noir-thriller. Filled with tough, cynical characters, Matala is a short, crisp read that demonstrates the sharp contrast between the haves and have nots. The line between sensuality and violence often blurs, melding the two into a shapeless, symbolic raping of innocence that changes both the con and the mark at the very core of their being.
A combination graduation-birthday gift from her parents, this six week, guided tour of all the famous European sites was a painfully boring journey for Darcy Arlene. A napping chaperon provided the perfect opportunity to sneak away from the Hotel Abitazione and experience the "real city." Walking through Rome she makes her way onto a bridge, spanning the Tiber, where she encounters an attractive young man who seems oddly familiar. An innocent introduction, leads to dinner, where the two continue to talk like old friends. Will invites Darcy to meet him for drinks at a wine bar in Olympic Village, but is convinced she's blowing him off when she insists on returning to the hotel to face her chaperon and freshen up.
Appearing innocent and completely out of her element Darcy makes her way to the wine bar where she meets Will and is unceremoniously introduced to his older traveling companion of two years, Justine. After several rounds, Darcy explains she has to be up early to catch a train to Florence - the next stop on the tour schedule, but is easily convinced to stay for one more drink. The next morning, still a bit dazed and confused, she realizes she has missed the train and has been separated from both the tour group and all her cash. Her new friends comfort her, offering to travel with her to Florence, provided she pay their way, of course.
Justine was, by all accounts the web-weaver, setting up the marks, utilizing her vast network of underground contacts, she was a master manipulator and a sadist by nature. But she knew her ex-husband, Maurice held the key to the big-scam. And although she hated the very thought of working for Maurice, the chance to settle debts and make some real cash was too tempting and she reluctantly agreed. The job was pretty straight-forward, but not without risk...deliver a package to Matala by Christmas. When pushed for more information, Maurice simply stated, "a special gift for one who has everything."
Finally free of chaperons, routines and the stifling constraints thereof, the excitement of the unknown, the dangers that could await her, delighted her beyond anything she had ever known. Darcy fancied herself streetwise, the mere thought of stealing awakened carnal urges deep within her that seemed to electrify her entire body. She knows there's something fishy going on between Justine and Will - things don't quite add up - she's more than willing to play along because she finds the thrill of the con so appealing. Justine and Will had survived in a state of codependency, now with the addition of a third angle, what had once seemed a benevolent need to dominate and control, felt very wrong. Will realized he was changing, but so too were Justine and Darcy. What follows is a series of double deals and cutthroat betrayals that keep the reader on the edge, searching for answers.
How this three-way plays itself out is Holden's trump card, which he skillfully holds close to the vest. The tension builds as the story hurdles toward the moment all the players and pawns in this high stakes game face off in a final showdown. Struggling with the contours and mysteries of ideals and self discovery each character is laid bare for all to see at the conclusion.
What begins with a spoiled little rich girl touring Europe, down shifts into a fast paced romp through the half-dens and hostels, courtesy of a couple of well seasoned grifters. As the three match wits and one up each other in an increasingly dangerous game of cat and mouse, the roles of con and mark blur.
Chock-full of deceit, debauchery and dark desires, Matala is best suited for a mature reader. The characters are well developed and delivered with razor sharp precision. The plot is well crafted and presented in stages which adds depth and dimension to the story. Although all the threads are neatly tied together at the conclusion, it feels forced and contrived, as if the story simply ran out of steam and was hurriedly wrapped up. However, with Holden's exceptionally ability to craft compelling and complex characters I look forward to his next novel with great anticipation.
Wickedly Good February 1, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Approach this thin volume with caution: its spare prose and storybook opening (sweet college girl on a dream vacation to the art and architecture capitols of Europe) belie a den of figurative snakes. We learn very quickly that the trio portrayed here are duplicitous, cunning, and hungry takers. What makes them so interesting is that they are also naive, vulnerable, and a lot closer to our own humanity than their secrets and lies would have us believe (or comfortably contemplate). Holden is a new author to me and this twisting narrative, with its stunning trek across Europe and its surprising climax in Crete, its amoral characters, and its twisting, turning, and always surprising plotline, will ensure I read more of this author's work. Matala is the darkest of flowers, with a cloying scent that paradoxically attracts and repels. Highly recommended.
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