“Patrick deWitt just doesn’t fuck up.
Again, he’s written a book with a super unlikable character, this time our main character. And made him sorta likable, but not really, but still not awful.
Again, here’s a book with one of the weirder scenes I’ve ever read in my life that comes out of nowhere but totally fits when it lands.
Again, a book with a harrowing action sequence.
Again, a book that takes place in a different setting, different time period, but doesn’t use the time or the events of the time as a crutch.
Again, an absurd, funny book.
The guy nailed it again.
I’ve talked before about unlikable characters and how they turn people off from books, but I don’t know if I’ve talked about something in this book. Something in common with writers like Cormac McCarthy.
Life is cheap.
It seems to be a running theme for Patrick deWitt. It gives his stuff this realistic edge.
In this book, there were some off-page character deaths. More than a couple. In fact, for all the death, I don’t think we witnessed any of them. And I don’t miss the deathbed scenes.
The characters also seem to have this weird attitude towards death. I don’t know how to describe it other than weird. But it feels very real. Like the characters haven’t figured everything out yet, which it’s safe to say is the case for most of us.
Great book. Read this guy.”