Review: The Helper by Jeff Lee

Author Jeff Lee plumbs the depths of human darkness and resilience in his gritty, visionary novel, The Helper, an intersecting tale of disparate lives in the deadly orbit of fate. Scrawled across the endless canvas of New York City and far beyond to realms past reality in the Connecticut countryside, this is a spiraling story of redemption, destiny, and survival.

After the high society son of a priest is attacked by a gang of homophobic skinheads, his axe-wielding rescuers bring him home like a wounded animal, across state lines, where he embarks on a journey of healing and self-discovery he never expected. Bound inexplicably to Martha and Uci, through visions and a soul-linked instinct, David is a compelling and complicated figure, battling demons of shame and guilt, with a lovestruck iron-worker for a guide.

Martha is an imposing and enigmatic character, with a streak of compassion and curiosity that makes her immediately engaging. Uci is a similarly unique slice of magic, seeming to flit between dreams and reality, and the dynamic of matriarchal solidarity between the two is empowering and refreshing. Together, they seek out the maniacal subject of their dark dream world, where they must stop a crusade of evil haunting the most innocent souls of Manhattan. This genre-defying novel will leave readers with scarcely a chance to breathe, as the broad kaleidoscope of narrative threads clarifies into a thrilling conclusion.

The subtle attention to detail speaks volumes about the research and preparation that went into this book; the nuance of Native American philosophy, ritual, and tradition is compelling, adding another powerful layer of meaning to an already theme-packed read. Lee’s voice effortlessly slips into other cultural backgrounds and contexts, from high rises in Central Park West to the haunted bedrooms of childhood memory, seamlessly bouncing from one plot piece to the next with a true sense of believability. This is a rare quality in a writer and is clear evidence of his keen eye for intimate character development.

With vivid metaphors and a lyrical, reality-catching edge to the prose, Lee’s narrative voice has the practiced grace of a veteran author, tapping into the desperate sickness of a murderous zealot and the ancient wisdom of a mystical healer with equal ease, while the world-building is immediate and immersive. The author also dissects the quiet insecurities of writers desperate for validation, along with the overlapping visceral danger and soul-freeing liberation of the LGBT experience. There are a number of other important psychological conditions, emotional dynamics, and traumatic blocks explored through these characters, from repression and PTSD to parental failings and grief processing, making the book both insightful and exhilarating for a wide range of readers.

From a technical perspective, there are some editorial slips, such as redundant prepositions and awkward phrasing that a superficial proofread should catch, but the big-picture editing is remarkably well done, allowing the story to unfold slowly, without dragging in exposition. From start to finish, this is a carefully crafted thriller, tapping into psychology, history, metaphysics, and the unexplored shadows of the human experience, helped along by dark but gut-wrenchingly good storytelling.