Seriously, Read a Book!
Thoughts on books, often interpreted through the high-brow prism of cartoon (read: Archer) references. Wait! I had something for this...
Currently reading
A Diet of Treacle
If it weren't for the fact that fellow Block fans have given this sub-stellar marks I would think that I had somehow lost the last 20 pages (presumably ones that would reveal a clever twist lurking just beneath the surface). Alas, it appears that I am not missing said pages, and that this simply is not Lawrence Block at his finest.
While Block's first "Hard Case Crime" piece, Grifter's Game, wasn't my favorite, its ending was redemptively haunting. This one read like a by-the-book morality tale à la Reefer Madness.
For me, it was just shy of achieving a campy level of self-awareness. The dialogue between the hip, turned-on stoner cats (or whatever they call themselves) and the naïve, square Anita reminded me of the Goth Kids from South Park.
Why don't you just go back to your Justin Timberlake and your homework, you conformist asshole?
While the Goth Kid zingers are funny (to me) as one-liners and scenelets, though under 200 pages, this book was pushing my limits. However, I certainly won't hold it against the father of Matthew Scudder.
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