Tiara

Rating:
Summary: Dizon puts the IRA front and center
Review: Dizon has written an interesting work about an important subject, a fictional account of the breakout of peace in northern Ireland. The dialogue is convincing, the action pell-mell, and the plot suspenseful. Dizon is at his best conveying the ethnic patois of the combatants, and, from various clues, it is clear that he has "been there, done that." His choice of title is also intriguing, the tiara of the chief protagonist -- an English princess (and most decidedly not the one who arrogantly dismissed the Irish as p*gs) who does a Patty Hearst when abducted by the IRA - becomes instead a crown of thorns as her fame and status as royalty become a burden. While varied in style, Tiara is conceptually solid, and a timely and valuable book.