I know I said some harsh things about this book, and it's a harsh book. I tried to read it when it came out and couldn't. I couldn't get past the beginning of Big Driver. But I kept hearing so much about it, I decided eventually I would try to read it again.
Well, it was good. Very dark, though, not that I mind the dark. Just how brutal a few parts were, and I don't know if I would ever reread it.
1922 was great, it almost feels out of place with the modern collection. It did set a tone of making you empathize with a villain, while having revulsion at what he does and the aftermath of the crime.
Big Driver was harsh and frustrating. One it gets going, once you get past the crime itself, it becomes a good revenge story.
Fair Extension surprised me by what didn't happen. It's a pretty straight narrative, not a lot of twists or turns.
A Good Marriage is dark, in a somewhat different way than Big Driver, because you never see the horrible things. Instead, it becomes a bit of a mystery as a wife tries to decide if her husband is a serial killer, and what she should do.
The book has two recurring, conflicting themes, one is getting away with murder, with the other being retribution for things done to others. All of the protagonists do terrible things, all of them did so out of feeling victimized. It's kind of an interesting contrast.
Well, it was good. Very dark, though, not that I mind the dark. Just how brutal a few parts were, and I don't know if I would ever reread it.
1922 was great, it almost feels out of place with the modern collection. It did set a tone of making you empathize with a villain, while having revulsion at what he does and the aftermath of the crime.
Big Driver was harsh and frustrating. One it gets going, once you get past the crime itself, it becomes a good revenge story.
Fair Extension surprised me by what didn't happen. It's a pretty straight narrative, not a lot of twists or turns.
A Good Marriage is dark, in a somewhat different way than Big Driver, because you never see the horrible things. Instead, it becomes a bit of a mystery as a wife tries to decide if her husband is a serial killer, and what she should do.
The book has two recurring, conflicting themes, one is getting away with murder, with the other being retribution for things done to others. All of the protagonists do terrible things, all of them did so out of feeling victimized. It's kind of an interesting contrast.