A Hole in Texas his first book in a long time, and it is apparent that Mr. Wouk was motivated by/consulting with his scientist son. As expected from an author of his stature, there is a hefty helping of unusual words and references to literature. But this book also blends in mystery, national security, Hollywood extravagance, politics, and cross-society naiveté.
His theme is that the Chinese have succeeded in finding the theoretical Higgs Particle while the US was "sleeping." The unifying plot element involved placing blame for "killing" the Superconducting Supercollider and the resultant ceding of US dominance in Particle Physics (although there is no guarantee that the Superconducting Supercollider in Texas would have actually "discovered" the Higgs Particle).
What is really done well is the attention to detail that Mr. Wouk gives his characters. For instance, a corporate jet is made available to the lead character and he has to look around the rest room to find the "hidden" toilet. Heck, most literature does not even mention characters visiting the rest room.
Most readers will not have a good set of pre-arranged expectations for a particle physicist, and the book is not terribly long, so the author wisely falls back on middleclass family life as the basic relationship between his main character and the reader. His characters are truly 3-Dimensional -- and several are "retro" (like an aging CongressWoman who converses with her dead husband... and a wife who slouches into a "SuperMom," juggling career and family because she does not believe that her husband can cope with these details). The characters have plenty of realistic flaws but, as in real life, they mostly stumble ahead in spite of themselves.
Mr. Wouk takes it upon himself to educate readers on cutting edge science, mostly using traditional two person dialog (S. Holmes and Dr. Watson style) but mixing in letters and e-mails for added precision. He also finds time to chastise the US Congress for shortsightedness and lack of collective memory. A Hole in Texas is not written to be an action movie and -- I am glad to report -- in the end, most characters emerge happier.
Liberal Americans will read this book if they like to be entertained while improving their vocabulary and getting a better understanding of their world. Conservative Americans will read this book if they like to be entertained while gaining a better idea of the power structure in the Congress as it relates to Science funding. Non-Americans will read this book if they like to be entertained while identifying some peculiar American quirks and seeing how Big American Science relates to science in the rest of the world. Literature buffs should probably re-read The Caine Mutiny.
For the record, the existance of the Higgs Particle is still merely theoretical. Physicists are still pondering whether such a contrived mathematical device might actually exist, and the energy required to "create" it in a laboratory is probably out of our reach for the near future. The approach used by the Chinese in this book (Atmospheric monitoring for Cosmic Ray interactions) is probably our best bet near-term for science to detect any ultra-massive particles like the Higgs and/or microscopic Black Holes, either of which would inform science tremendously as to the role of gravitation among the other 3 known forces of nature.
Herman Wouks "A Hole In Texas" is an engaging quick read that will keep most readers flipping the pages. The characters are interesting. Protagonist Dr. Guy Carpenter is a particle physicist who worked on the super collider project in Texas. The expensive project was funded and then closed before achieving success. Carpenters science is almost as interesting as his love life. He comes across as a rather inexperienced lover, despite 20+ years of marriage to Penny. His old flame Wen Mei Li has kept a secret correspondence with him over the years. When forced to reveal this to his wife, it almost ends their marriage as Pennys jealousy momentarily outweighs her devotion. What seemed a little strange to me was how Wouk then throws in a third attraction to Congresswoman Myra Kadane. So we have Carpenter going around kissing two women who are not his wife and winds up the novel reconciling with his wife. This is obviously a guys idea of a happy ending, perhaps why "Guy" was chosen as the characters first name.The supporting characters are interesting. Congresswoman Myra Kadane seems a bit overly angelic, but certainly one of the most capable and nicest people who could befriend you. Wife Penny seems plenty human. Even the cat Sweeny is well written with his penchant for hide and seek as is the toddler Dinah. Jules Berkowitz, the lawyer, is perhaps a bit too good to be true, but still distinctive. Earle Carkins the slimy assistant to Congresswoman Kadayne gets whats coming to him; and we like that!
The settings in the book enhance the story from the Carpenters home to the Waxahachie, Texas to the Millard Filmore Hotel to the Chinese Embassy. The pacing is fairly good in this continuing drama. The science issues of subatomic particles called the Higgs Boson are interesting and give a great sense of reality to the story. We enjoy Carpenter telling the reporter to go F himself and then suffer with him as he works his way through the consequences of being labeled in the press as the "Deep Throat Physicist." Its got the right mix of entertainment and substance. Enjoy!
Excellent characters make good literature!
Deep Throat