Re: RARA-AVIS: Ellroy's "Contino"

Anthony Smith (ansmith@netdoor.com)
Tue, 5 May 1998 09:01:11 -0500 > I haven't read any of Ellroy's novels yet, so maybe some of you who have
> can answer this question. Is his style in "Dick Contino's Blues" the
same
> as he uses in _White Jazz_? I've heard a lot of comments about the
> stripped-down style in that book.

A first person fever dream. That's White Jazz, my (so far) all time
favorite novel (with American Tabloid running a close second.)

When I first picked it up, I was struck by two things. 1) This looks like
it will be confusing and weird. 2) I didn't know someone could do this
with crime novels.

I wasn't ready for it, had never seen the likes of it before, and it
changed the way I looked at writing, and actually led me to read more
contemporary literary writers. And it led me to push language in my own
burgeoning fiction.

a.smith
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