Al wrote:
> One more: THE MOTEL LIFE by Willy Vlautin. As good a debut as I've
> read
> since Donald Ray Pollock's KNOCKEMSTIFF. Vlautin's the polar
> opposite of
> McCarthy, simple prose, language that never transcends the
> vocabulary of the
> narrator. It's not sold as noir (I don't think -- I don't pay much
> attention
> to marketing labels) but I suspect if you like noir you'll get on
> pretty
> well with it. Might be just a bit elliptical for the more conservative
> reader but I quite enjoyed the digressions (the protagonist likes to
> make up
> stories throughout to entertain his brother).
And Vlautin's day job, as singer/songwriter for grungy alternative
Americanistas Richmond Fontaine has provided plenty of satisfyingly
noir (or whatever you want to call it), lyrically sparse moments as
well...
"My brother left home one night, no one knew where he went..." is how
"Williamette" begins.He writes songs like he's writing short stories.
Kevin Burton Smith
Editor/Founder
The Thrilling Detective Web Site
"Wasting your time on the web since 1998."
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