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ljutavidra's review against another edition
4.0
So, this would get all 5 stars if the whole story didn't turn out so gross and disturbing in the end (and this is coming from a person who usually reads stuff like that). When I read the blurb at the back, I imagined this Photo-killer to be a regular killer, but this was far more deranged then I thought it would be. Definitely not a book for everybody. I appreciated the humour and passages about writer's struggles, and I liked the first half much more. There were a couple of unnecessary plot twists at the end, but I just wanted to be done with this book at that point. The murder mystery really didn't do anything for me, just spooked me out, and I feel that I would like this much more if it was only about Harry's writing career and little everyday anecdotes.
thestoryowl's review against another edition
4.0
A nice, albeit raunchy, murder mystery book. Some of the supporting cast could have used some fleshing out but the narrator was a good character.
sandin954's review against another edition
5.0
I usually try to read the Edgar nominees for best first novel within the year of the award but had put this book off (it was nominated for 2010) because I frankly thought it would be pretentious literary fiction posing as a genre story so I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it. I do enjoy different and this book definitely was that and the narrative voice and dark humor really won me over. The only downside was the whole serial killer obligatory graphic violence thing.
jervonyc's review against another edition
2.0
It's an interesting premise, but it's not written nearly as well as it thinks it is. And being that the book is very much about books, writing and reading, this particular flaw stands out rather glaringly.
ericbuscemi's review against another edition
4.0
This article, about author David Gordon being famous in Japan and not even realizing it, made me curious enough to read the book that made him an accidental, foreign celebrity.
The book starts with a really great, memorable opening, including this line -- which isn't the first line of the book, but the last line of the first chapter:
It becomes quite interesting to note that Bloch discusses, near the end of the story, how writing the middle of his books is the trickiest part, after I had -- naturally -- already finished the middle of the book and thought it dragged a bit. It seemed like a bit of a postmodern mea culpa.
But this slight drag in the middle is more a speed bump than an impediment. This story is well worth the read. The opening scenes, introducing the characters in Bloch's struggling existence, are funny and occasionally poignant, and the meat of the story, when Bloch's agreement to ghostwrite a serial killer's memoirs turns dark, is captivating. And the crux of the mystery was sufficiently tricky -- which was impressive and a bit infuriating, as Bloch points out more than once that the clues are already laid out in what he has already written to discover exactly whodunnit before he reveals it.
Another narrative twist is that about half a dozen chapters of the novel are chapters from these various pulp novels, interspersed throughout the narrative. While they aren't necessary to the story, or allude to events that are concurrently happening, they give Bloch's character some depth since it gives an idea the kind of writer he is. For any reader not enjoying these brief infrequent intermissions, know they can be skipped with no loss whatsoever to the main story.
Finally, I feel compelled to mention the narrator of the audiobook, Bronson Pinchot, as I listened to this book. I would deduct a star from this book solely for its narration (although I did not, as I didn't want to punish the author for this shortcoming). Despite Pinchot being a professional actor, his voice work is lacking, at best. He gave Harry Bloch a whine that made the first person narrative difficult to listen to at points, and every female character sounded like Mickey Rourke in drag. While I would heartily recommend this book, especially to fans of the genre books it plays with, I would not recommend the audio version.
The book starts with a really great, memorable opening, including this line -- which isn't the first line of the book, but the last line of the first chapter:
It all began the morning when, dressed like my dead mother and accompanied by my fifteen-year-old schoolgirl business partner, I opened the letter from death row and discovered that a serial killer was my biggest fan.That hook follows a bit of preamble, including this line, which is the first line of the book:
The first sentence of a novel is the most important, except maybe for the last, which can stay with you after you've shut the book, the way the echo of a closing door follows you down the hall.These two lines should give you an idea of both the humor in the book, and how it plays with the narrative structure, as the narrator, Harry Bloch, is a writer of pulp genre fiction novels. His bibliography, all written under pen names, includes an erotic space opera series, an erotic detective series starring a black man from Harlem, and an erotic vampire series.
It becomes quite interesting to note that Bloch discusses, near the end of the story, how writing the middle of his books is the trickiest part, after I had -- naturally -- already finished the middle of the book and thought it dragged a bit. It seemed like a bit of a postmodern mea culpa.
But this slight drag in the middle is more a speed bump than an impediment. This story is well worth the read. The opening scenes, introducing the characters in Bloch's struggling existence, are funny and occasionally poignant, and the meat of the story, when Bloch's agreement to ghostwrite a serial killer's memoirs turns dark, is captivating. And the crux of the mystery was sufficiently tricky -- which was impressive and a bit infuriating, as Bloch points out more than once that the clues are already laid out in what he has already written to discover exactly whodunnit before he reveals it.
Another narrative twist is that about half a dozen chapters of the novel are chapters from these various pulp novels, interspersed throughout the narrative. While they aren't necessary to the story, or allude to events that are concurrently happening, they give Bloch's character some depth since it gives an idea the kind of writer he is. For any reader not enjoying these brief infrequent intermissions, know they can be skipped with no loss whatsoever to the main story.
Finally, I feel compelled to mention the narrator of the audiobook, Bronson Pinchot, as I listened to this book. I would deduct a star from this book solely for its narration (although I did not, as I didn't want to punish the author for this shortcoming). Despite Pinchot being a professional actor, his voice work is lacking, at best. He gave Harry Bloch a whine that made the first person narrative difficult to listen to at points, and every female character sounded like Mickey Rourke in drag. While I would heartily recommend this book, especially to fans of the genre books it plays with, I would not recommend the audio version.
deepikaneel's review against another edition
5.0
Has to be the funniest and most unusual book I've read all year long! I listened to the audiobook and highly recommend that as the narrator was really great! I genuinely laughed out loud in multiple places which is something I almost never do. I recommend this book to anyone who's looking to read something quirky and offbeat and yet with a lot of heart.
bunnieslikediamonds's review against another edition
4.0
Sometimes when serious writers take a break from their high-brow endeavours and play around with genre fiction the results are less than stellar. They feel the need to insert ironic little references to make sure we understand that they're just fooling around, and I find this contempt for the mainstream a little off-putting. Reading the blurb by Rivka Galchen, where she carefully explains that Gordon makes high art out of trash, I was worried that The Serialist would be one these self-indulgent writing exercises. Then I noticed the author info that says David Gordon has worked in pornography, and thought well, thank goodness, there may still be hope.
And it is indeed a playful novel that doesn't take itself too seriously. The protagonist is called Harry Bloch, a name for a tough guy (or maybe I'm just thinking of Connelly's Harry Bosch), but he is anything but. He barely makes a living writing pulp, has self-esteem issues, was dumped by his girlfriend and hasn't had sex since. When death-row homicidal maniac Darien Clay, enchanted with Harry's work as the Slut Whisperer in a smut magazine, asks him to ghostwrite Clay's memoirs, the Slut Whisperer is in no position to decline. So begins an implausible, noirish murder mystery. It's gory but fun. Interspersed in the story are excerpts from Harry's work: hard-boiled detective novels, vampire erotica, space smut. They're very funny and quite sweet (for a man with a pornographic past, Gordon/Bloch certainly writes demure erotica), and fit in nicely with the overall narrative.
So forget about the high art: this is witty, well-written fun, which is a good thing.
And it is indeed a playful novel that doesn't take itself too seriously. The protagonist is called Harry Bloch, a name for a tough guy (or maybe I'm just thinking of Connelly's Harry Bosch), but he is anything but. He barely makes a living writing pulp, has self-esteem issues, was dumped by his girlfriend and hasn't had sex since. When death-row homicidal maniac Darien Clay, enchanted with Harry's work as the Slut Whisperer in a smut magazine, asks him to ghostwrite Clay's memoirs, the Slut Whisperer is in no position to decline. So begins an implausible, noirish murder mystery. It's gory but fun. Interspersed in the story are excerpts from Harry's work: hard-boiled detective novels, vampire erotica, space smut. They're very funny and quite sweet (for a man with a pornographic past, Gordon/Bloch certainly writes demure erotica), and fit in nicely with the overall narrative.
So forget about the high art: this is witty, well-written fun, which is a good thing.
rachel_mft's review against another edition
2.0
This was awful. It had so much promise, and I very nearly recommended it to a couple of people before I got very far it--it's funny, cutting, a satire of the postmodern novel while also being a bit of a postmodern novel. But then the murders start, and it's the most gruesome thing I have read in a long time. And in a way that sort of celebrates that gruesomeness. When I got to the chapter that began "The first thing I ever killed was a gerbil" I just wanted to put the damn thing down, but I finished it, and now I need a bath.
jennylemon's review against another edition
The first chapter felt so contrived, so "look here is my quirky hook don't you want to keep reading?" that I stuck it in the donation bin immediately. Life's too short!
mm22's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5