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kellyvandamme's review
5.0
Packs quite a punch in a rather limited number of pages. Hard-hitting, pitch-black, highly recommended to lovers of noir fiction.
writermattphillips's review
5.0
A debut that rings so noir it hurts. Hardboiled epic written in sharp prose. Both a throwback and a modern novel at once. Golds has game--believe that. For fans of Cain and Thompson and Westlake. Plus anybody else who wants to read an engrossing, hardboiled tale.
storyman's review against another edition
5.0
An epic novel by an author who seems to want to write until his hands fall off judging by the number of shorts, another novel out soon, and a poetry book he has going at the moment.
This one follows two protagonists. Rudy is a former mobster now living the quiet life in Honolulu, a widow with not much to do but run his much-loved wife’s antique store. Hinako is the naive Japanese dreamer who lives for the idea of America and escape from her mother, so setting herself up for a scam where she travels to the US and into a life of torment.
They’ll meet, but the build-up to the mad climax is a tour through Rudy’s past, home life, his mob activities, a crazy heist, and Hinako’s sweet internal life. The novel starts with heartbreak and you can see the old man’s delicate care for the young Japanese girl through that dramatic start.
The novel is a corker and has the air of a Lehane about it. Enjoyed this a lot.
This one follows two protagonists. Rudy is a former mobster now living the quiet life in Honolulu, a widow with not much to do but run his much-loved wife’s antique store. Hinako is the naive Japanese dreamer who lives for the idea of America and escape from her mother, so setting herself up for a scam where she travels to the US and into a life of torment.
They’ll meet, but the build-up to the mad climax is a tour through Rudy’s past, home life, his mob activities, a crazy heist, and Hinako’s sweet internal life. The novel starts with heartbreak and you can see the old man’s delicate care for the young Japanese girl through that dramatic start.
The novel is a corker and has the air of a Lehane about it. Enjoyed this a lot.
screamdogreads's review
4.0
Say Goodbye When I'm Gone is pretty much the perfect example of a crime noir novel done right. The simplistic and brutal writing leaves no room for flashy tricks, it's straight to the point, classic noir in all it's violent and bloody glory.
This is a vivid and tragic novel, one that doesn't ever shy away from showcasing the rather depressing lives of it's cast of almost too human characters. Both of the main protagonists are well fleshed out, sympathetic people who are a joy to read about, even if their stories are filled with nothing but sorrow.
I feel certain that this novel is well on its way to becoming a future classic that will stand beside the greats of this genre.
This is a vivid and tragic novel, one that doesn't ever shy away from showcasing the rather depressing lives of it's cast of almost too human characters. Both of the main protagonists are well fleshed out, sympathetic people who are a joy to read about, even if their stories are filled with nothing but sorrow.
I feel certain that this novel is well on its way to becoming a future classic that will stand beside the greats of this genre.
literarylucie's review
4.0
Say Goodbye When I’m Gone jumps around manically in time and space to show us the lives of Hinako and Judy, as they inevitably come together in one of the most intense and heart-wrenching climaxes I’ve ever read.
This novel is not for the faint-hearted - please don’t read it while eating like I did. It is full to the brim of violence; there is murder, spousal abuse, rape, sexual assault, and even a young boy who gets off on hurting people. But when you look underneath all this, there are some deeply complex characters. Rudy falls in with a bad crowd which results in his eldest daughter, Grace, being fatally shot. His pain and guilt is something he carries with him for his whole life, even when all his family are either moved away or dead. Despite being a murderer, we still sympathise for him, possibly because of the flashbacks where we see how he cares so much for his wife and family, and his treatment of Hinako.
Hinako’s strand of the storyline was my favourite. Hinako is a young Japanese girl who wants to go to the US to have individuality and freedom, and get away from the monotony and depravity of Nagoya. She spots an ad for a maid job in a beautiful hotel in Hawaii and instantly jumps at the chance. However when she gets there, she is dehumanised and treated in the worst way possible; her time with Rudy in his antiques shop are her only moments of solace.
This book has one of the most beautiful covers I’ve ever seen, a sideways cover is always intriguing but this is a work of art. It’s bold and bright, reminiscent of a postcard or video case, with a little touch of blood, of course.
Overall, Say Goodbye When I’m Gone is everything one would want in a gritty noir. It’s incredibly dark and gruesome; there’s moral ambiguity, there’s cruelty, and there is sex. What more could one want?
This novel is not for the faint-hearted - please don’t read it while eating like I did. It is full to the brim of violence; there is murder, spousal abuse, rape, sexual assault, and even a young boy who gets off on hurting people. But when you look underneath all this, there are some deeply complex characters. Rudy falls in with a bad crowd which results in his eldest daughter, Grace, being fatally shot. His pain and guilt is something he carries with him for his whole life, even when all his family are either moved away or dead. Despite being a murderer, we still sympathise for him, possibly because of the flashbacks where we see how he cares so much for his wife and family, and his treatment of Hinako.
Hinako’s strand of the storyline was my favourite. Hinako is a young Japanese girl who wants to go to the US to have individuality and freedom, and get away from the monotony and depravity of Nagoya. She spots an ad for a maid job in a beautiful hotel in Hawaii and instantly jumps at the chance. However when she gets there, she is dehumanised and treated in the worst way possible; her time with Rudy in his antiques shop are her only moments of solace.
This book has one of the most beautiful covers I’ve ever seen, a sideways cover is always intriguing but this is a work of art. It’s bold and bright, reminiscent of a postcard or video case, with a little touch of blood, of course.
Overall, Say Goodbye When I’m Gone is everything one would want in a gritty noir. It’s incredibly dark and gruesome; there’s moral ambiguity, there’s cruelty, and there is sex. What more could one want?
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