Review of Harold and Lewey

[Rashad Deniro Price]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Harold and Lewey" by Bela Feketekuty.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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Harold and Lewey are college students with big dreams. Harold majors in history and nurses the ambition of being a high-school teacher. Lewey majors in art and is passionate about painting and drawing. As Harold and Lewey are on their way to Harold's uncle's house, things get complicated when Lewey sights a stranger behind them. The man appears to be stalking them, and Lewey fears that their lives might be in danger, citing that the man might be a psychopath or a hitman hired by Tom, whom Harold stole from in the Westgate University Software Engineering competition. But Harold keeps explaining away Lewey's concerns. He thinks the stranger is a farmer. Then he thinks he is a hermit. But who is this strange man?

Harold and Lewey by Bela Feketekuty is a short read, divided into two chapters. Chapter one contains many twists and turns and really intrigued me. It contains deep suspense that kept me guessing from one possibility to another. This is mainly derived from the presence of the strange man, who appears to be stalking Harold and Lewey. Like Lewey, I kept wondering what could be the stranger's intention or if the stranger was just minding his business. Another scene that got me sitting on the edge of my seat was when Harold ventured into the sharp curve. I couldn't control it as he moved from twenty feet away to fifteen to ten to three. The climax of this was when Harold and Lewey frantically tried to hide from the stranger, losing contact. Chapter two gives more depth to the narrative and presents the current situation of things in the lives of these old-time friends.

Some scenes are open-ended. For example, readers will have to figure out which parts really happened on the trip to Harold's uncle's house and which parts were dreams. Readers might also have to decide on the identity of the stranger trying to choke Harold, especially considering that the stranger said that Harold would "die like a thief." Could Tom be seeking revenge through psychic attack, or was Harold simply suffering from the guilt of a wrongdoing he could not dare confess to his wife or Tom?

I am impressed by the level of development given to the characters Harold and Lewey; it was really interesting to witness their college and middle age lives. Lewey's personality made more impact on me. I admired his passion for painting and his intentionality at protecting his mental health. I didn't dislike anything in this book. The narrative is compelling, and the text was thoroughly proofread. For these reasons, I rate Harold and Lewey 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it to anyone looking for a suspenseful, short read with incredible commentary on career choices, deception and guilt.

It appears Feketekuty loves to bring his ideas as a professional software developer into his stories. This is evident in this one and in another book of his I read: Phone Calls: Love and Money. These two are incredibly fascinating. I look forward to reading more stories from him.

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Harold and Lewey
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[George Bastem]

Sounds like a suspenseful and thought-provoking read! The mix of mystery, career struggles, and psychological tension makes it really intriguing. I love how it keeps readers questioning what’s real and what’s in Harold’s head.

[NetMassimo]

This seems like a short story that is intense in developing the tension of the situation with its psychological ramifications that concern choices and their consequences. Thank you for your great review!

[Christopher Mundi]

"I couldn't control it as he moved from twenty feet away to fifteen to ten to three. The climax of this was when Harold and Lewey frantically tried to hide from the stranger, losing contact. Chapter two gives more depth to the narrative and presents the current situation of things in the lives of these old-time friends." I loved it!