Critical smackdown - Brief Article

Wrestling Digest, Oct, 2003

The review for Foley's fiction debut have been mixed. Here's sampling of some of the critical reaction to Foley's novel, "Tietam Brown."

"Tietam Brown' is a novel of immense power and subtlety. At its simplest, it is about a boy and his dad getting together after a lifetime apart. But it is much more. Take JD Salinger, throw in a bit Of Dostoevsky, sprinkle with Bret Easton Ellis and you're getting there. Tietam Brown is a story of unbearable tenderness and brutality, the tenderness serving to make the brutality more shocking."

--The (London) Guardian

"[Publisher Alfred] Knopf, of course, does not publish junk, no matter how famous the name behind it. This ol' rassler's prose in this coming-of-age story s taut and his dialogue is ... well, pardon the pun ... gripping.

--The Kansas City Star

"Marked with brilliant imagery and a dark, yet melodic story, Foley molds 'Tietam Brown' into a story that doesn't necessarily downplay the title characters' insecurities or hide certain character attributes that perhaps should be shoved into a dark, dingy closet."

--Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

"The boisterous narrative fluctuates between bawdy picaresque and episodes of berserk violence ... Foley is not much of a stylist. He mingles villainous trash-talk dialogue and stilted sexual banter in a Rabelaisian tone as self-conscious and overbearing as a large man in tiny trunks. But readers in the mood for vigorous pulp may enjoy this steroid-fueled brawl."

--Publisher's Weekly

"Foley, who wrestled as 'Mankind,' has written a frustrating novel. The oddball protagonist and his outlandish father are undeniably Interesting, out supporting characters are two-dimensional or lack understandable motivation ... There's talent here, but it's hard to tell how much."

--Booklist