A Review by Elizabeth Woodworth, Victoria, BC
Hal Sisson's new novel, Modus Operandi 9/11, though delightly funny and awash with hilarity and wit, nonetheless takes its purpose from a deep sense of social justice and ethical reponsibility.
With a background in both law (including Q.C.) and burlesque theatre, the author engages a unique talent to parody characters whose regular lives have been caught up in a tale of discovery and concern about the truth of September 11th, 2001.
As the novel unfolds, basically decent human beings such as Slippery Jack Danielson and Zack Zapata become involved with the cynical neocons and two-faced fundamentalists who Sisson lampoons as 9/11 conspirators seeking world domination based on personal ideoligies.
Highly entertaining on one hand, with its broad and earthy humour, and loaded with incriminating evidence that 9/11 was a false flag operation on the other, the book boasts a bibliograpghy of over 60 supporting references, plus hundreds or writers, films, newspapers, and websites that offer corroborating evidence.
This work, though not a historical novel, does offer a new and skilled prose format that chronicles mainstream media descriptions of 9/11, while juxtaposing fictional scenes and characters at the action level. The culminating events are truly dramatic and far more gripping than might be expected from a comedic approach.
The dramatic success of the novel is due to the strategic importance of the subject matter combined with the tragicomic experience delivered through this new fictional structure. Together thay do a superb job of unveiling 9/11 history in a memorable way.
Finally, given the author's credentials and the reference list he consulted, his conclusions are not easily dismissed. The credibility of the novel is further enhanced by the author's insights into the phenomenon of denial at work in the general population regarding this world-changing event.