I just finished re-reading THE LONG GOODBYE. (I have this
great knack of forgetting endings. All I need to do is wait
long enough. I'd read this book once before, in the early
90s, and all I could remember was it was about some guy who
goes down to Mexico.) I've been rereading a lot of Chandler
lately, and I told my wife I thought GOODBYE had to be one of
his best. I have a soft spot for THE BIG SLEEP, but I still
thought a lot of GOODBYE.
She liked it, too (and unlike me, she doesn't have to reread
books every five to ten years), but in her opinion, the best
noirs are tragedies... which is why she favors THE BIG SLEEP
and FAREWELL, MY LOVELY. Now, her premise is interesting (I
think) and I wonder if you folks agree. But I'm not so sure I
agree with her that GOODBYE isn't a tragedy. Here Marlowe has
busted his ass to do something for the sake of friendship,
and more than a little out of guilt, only to discover that it
was all for nothing... and by the end, he seems even sadder
and more disillusioned than ever. Would Marlowe ever go this
far out on a limb for a friend, ever again? And isn't that
change tragic, in some sense?
Doug Hoffman
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