Eventually, over the course of this slim novel, Locke allows us to see past the gruff exterior to realize that, Dr. Box, while monstrous, is not the worst creature walking the planet; unfortunately, there are far worse monsters out there and at times, he is the cure to their existence.
Creating empathy is in short supply here, which offers Locke perhaps his biggest challenge to date. In order to compel his readers to go for this ride, he must find a way other than ""Dr. Box isn't such a bad guy after all"" or ""Dr. Box is a victim himself"" reasons to follow his adventures. …show more content…
With the Fox TV drama, they were able to rely on Hugh Laurie's significant charm and humor as an actor to make Dr. House ""like-ably despicable.""
In a prose novel, such charm is difficult to pull off; yet Locke's primary approach may be just as workable. His Dr. Gideon Box may be even less appealing than Dr. House, but Dr. Box, so far, is one thing every interesting main character must be: compelling.
If Locke can maintain that quality without softening Dr. Box into someone more likable, he may not need the charm of Hugh Laurie to pull readers along for the