Well I have finally finished with my re-reading of
Thompson's top tier works in a self assigned task "quest" to
determine for myself his best work. Along the way in the
enthusiastic wake after finishing one of his good ones I have
been tempted to assign priority to this one or that one. Now
that I am finished I can make a sober reasoned determination
of best Thompson and I know some personel preference plays a
part. When I began this quest "The Getaway" looked like
"best" to me and now at the end of this re-reading it still
does.
The Getaway begins with a bank robbery that puts Doc McCoy
and his wife Carol to running across country. This flight of
theirs makes up most of the book and the pace is unrelenting.
Along the way they jump trains, steal cars, hide underwater
in two caves and in a hollowed out manure pile. Doc and his
wife will kill anyone who gets in their way. They are trying
to get down to Mexico where a man called El Rey has a
criminal sanctuary lying in a small coastal group of
mountains... El Rey's kingdom is no utopia however. There is
nothing but the best to be had and it all cost plenty. When
your money runs out so does your luck you are taken to a
little village to starve to death. It is a place of cross and
double cross as people try to make their money stretch
further. It's a waking nightmare for Doc and Carol. The last
line has confused many readers, it comes from a quote about
the Alamo. Santa Anna, coldly gazing at the piles of dead and
wounded soldiers all about the Alamo mission, is said to have
casually dismissed the siege as "a small affair," Following
this comment, a senior commander is said to have
replied....."And another such victory will ruin us."
And now on to other authors and readings re and
otherwise.
Paul Miller
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