Calligans Wake, which is set in Manhattan in the Seventies, begins by introducing the reader to Byron Culligan and two of his friends, Kevin Cassidy and Bull Finch. We see Culligans creativity at work, unfortunately commingled with his lack of responsibility and excess of carnal appetite. After some misadventures which shed some light on the Culligan character, we meet Janet Culligan, his wife, and learn more about her fathers interest in Byron and Janet. We start to see how Culligans zest for independence (which may have suggested he not marry in the first place) will misinterpret his father-in-laws gestures, lead to rebellion expressed in a number of ways (almost always involving drinking and sex), and finally to really irresponsible behavior that destroys his marriage. Culligan, as we see him, is not a likable man, but one who manages to create and carry off humorous situations and provide laughs. There is, however, a nuance of true humanity and decency in this self-centered rogue.
As the book evolves, we meet Riley, a huge bear of a man who owns a lavish place called The Beatiary in Greenwich Village, a refuge for Culligan from the Upper East Side where he and Janet live. Riley seems to have some source of wealth and is generous in spending it and in providing support in other ways. In short, Riley is the quintessential friend we would all love to have, We also meet Tiffany...a lovely and understanding woman. Culligan starts to find himself attracted to herm and she to him. This is a different relationship and may offer some hope. The tempo picks up as the clock marches towards St. Patricks Day and the inevitable celebrations in New York.
The latter part of the book sees Finch driven from New York and let into a tragic circumstance in Washington, DC--which alerts and alarms Culligan who fears his father-in-law wants him committed so that the Culligan-Janet marriage can be annulled. Other characters, such as Rightous Richard, a semi-sane man with a messiah complex and a seeming mission, and Teddy The Torch Tomlinson, leader of the rock group The Pyromaniacs whose stage antics inevitably involve conflagrations, play larger roles in defining the world that Culligan must deal with if he is to remain free.
Calligans Wake builds to a crescendo with the St. Patricks Day celebration, and then tries to seek solutions as Easter appears on the calendar. Culligan, after a series of misadventures that are laugh producing, begins to realize that freedom may mean more than being licentious and irresponsible: perhaps the price of freedom is making choices and accepting the responsibility for them? The off and laughable happenings at The Plaza, where a clerical luncheon is taken over by Righteous Richard and LSD, leads to intimations of mortality, and Culligans eyes are opened. The book ends with Culligan, one Easter morn, walking along a New York street, into.......?
Calligans Wake is a serious story told with a comedic approach. There is a stream of consciousness that runs through it which seems to be the best way to let the reader get to know Culligan. Readers have said that Culligan comes to life, but whether or not he is someone you might want t know and to socialize with is another matter!
