I've just finished John D. MacDonald's 1960 THE END OF THE
NIGHT. What a fantastic book. I've read a fair amount of
MacDonald--I think I've read all the McGee books, plus
numerous non-series novels and a short story or two. He is
often dark, but this novel is an amazingly dark novel. (I'm
trying to write this without the necessity of a spoiler
alert.)
The novel is also more complexly constructed than anything
else I've read by MacDonald. Many different points of view,
non-linear timeline, even various
(supposed) media--some of the novel is straight narrative,
the first chapter is a letter, and there are excerpts from
both an "official" diary and the last-days memoirs of a
convict on death row.
I don't know how readily available this novel is. I stumbled
onto it myself for 50 cents (U.S.) at a used book store while
I was looking for something else.
(Oddly enough, 50 cents was the original price in
1960).
Anyway, while I normally recommend JDM to anyone who asks, I
HIGHLY recommend this one.
G.
===== George C. Upper III, Editor The Lightning Bell Poetry
Journal http://www.lightningbell.org/
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