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A review by untravel
Under the Bright Lights by Daniel Woodrell
2.0
Readable but not exceptional. Genre-cliche heavy, especially toward the beginning. It's probably not so bad for what it is, but the quality here does not hold up well in contrast to Woodrell's more recent work.
I once heard an expression about crime fiction--something to the effect that the most boring part about any mystery is the detective. That was, for me, certainly true here. The detective (Rene Shade) is so passive relative to the action of the plot that one could easily write him out of the story altogether. All of the interesting stuff happens when he's not around, and the personal 'revelation' at the end seemed tacked on and unearned.
In an imaginary revision, I would have made the bumbling hitman (Jewel Cobb) the focal character. Why not give him the detective's interesting family backstory/personal conflict stuff? Maybe without the key relationships that are introduced and then NEVER MENTIONED AGAIN (e.g. D.A. brother, girlfriend, mayor...). Or have one of the criminal factions have someone investigate the murder? The detective only seems like he's there only because someone told Woodrell 'you need a detective' or because he thought the audience/market expected it.
OK, not great, but not bad either. Despite the structural problems, there are certain flourishes that stood out. In a few good scenes, you can see the glimmer that flourishes later on. Ug, that last sentence was terrible and I'm going to bed.
SHORT CAVEMAN REVIEW: Recommend read book for Woodrell fans only. Recommend non-Woodrell fans read later work, become Woodrell fans, then come back to this one.
I once heard an expression about crime fiction--something to the effect that the most boring part about any mystery is the detective. That was, for me, certainly true here. The detective (Rene Shade) is so passive relative to the action of the plot that one could easily write him out of the story altogether. All of the interesting stuff happens when he's not around, and the personal 'revelation' at the end seemed tacked on and unearned.
In an imaginary revision, I would have made the bumbling hitman (Jewel Cobb) the focal character. Why not give him the detective's interesting family backstory/personal conflict stuff? Maybe without the key relationships that are introduced and then NEVER MENTIONED AGAIN (e.g. D.A. brother, girlfriend, mayor...). Or have one of the criminal factions have someone investigate the murder? The detective only seems like he's there only because someone told Woodrell 'you need a detective' or because he thought the audience/market expected it.
OK, not great, but not bad either. Despite the structural problems, there are certain flourishes that stood out. In a few good scenes, you can see the glimmer that flourishes later on. Ug, that last sentence was terrible and I'm going to bed.
SHORT CAVEMAN REVIEW: Recommend read book for Woodrell fans only. Recommend non-Woodrell fans read later work, become Woodrell fans, then come back to this one.