Scan barcode
A review by thetiredmagician
Savages by Don Winslow
2.0
I pursued this book because of the hype surrounding the movie (which I'm going to go see out of morbid curiosity). I’ve never read any of Don Winslow’s previous works and it doesn’t seem like I ever will (with one exception). I understand what he is trying to say with this story. I just don’t think it’s done well.
Savages is a story about friends Ben, Chon and (their shared lover) O who produce premium-grade pot so potent that the BC (Baja Cartel) takes notice. O gets kidnapped for leverage when Ben and Chon refuse the business deal. I feel like I’ve read this book before and seen the movie(s).
You’ve got your sex obsessed damsel in distress in O. I find she falls flat as a character. She is the glue for a love triangle I don’t care about and I wouldn’t care if Lado, an employee of the BC, dismembered her. At one point I actually start rooting for him to do it so that I can see some character development.
You’ve got your ex-marine one man killing machine in Chon, another flat character in this novel. Considering he is featured in most of the book I get the sense that I should care about (or like) this guy. There are only two times I’m intrigued by Chon: when he uses a GOOD WORD and the anecdote about his father and trust.
You’ve got your brains behind the business in sweet Ben. This is a character I like. I get to see him develop through his experiences. The Ben we see at the end of the novel is not the Ben we hear about/meet at the beginning. He is one of the reasons that I finished the book. I was interested and invested in his story.
But who really cares about this trio? I certainly don’t. In fact, I don’t even see how they’re connected. How did these three come to know one another? I don’t believe they have “love” for each other. Certainly Winslow shows me that they share lust and a “savage” physical relationship. I question throughout most of the book why Ben and Chon are even motivated by O's kidnapping. They are three separate entities in my mind until the very end of the book. Winslow is incapable of showing me a connection between these three vastly different characters until the last three pages.
You’ve got your “villains” in Elena and Lado. I like these characters. I’m more interested in their stories than the stupid love triangle, Chon and O. Once they were introduced I was less annoyed by the book. The writing itself was constantly interrupted by Winslow’s style choice making it impossible for me to become absorbed by the story. I call this “shattering the illusion”.
There is one piece of prose that I applaud Winslow for. “And it’s all fun and games until someone loses an I.” (Page. 210)
Savages is a story about friends Ben, Chon and (their shared lover) O who produce premium-grade pot so potent that the BC (Baja Cartel) takes notice. O gets kidnapped for leverage when Ben and Chon refuse the business deal. I feel like I’ve read this book before and seen the movie(s).
You’ve got your sex obsessed damsel in distress in O. I find she falls flat as a character. She is the glue for a love triangle I don’t care about and I wouldn’t care if Lado, an employee of the BC, dismembered her. At one point I actually start rooting for him to do it so that I can see some character development.
You’ve got your ex-marine one man killing machine in Chon, another flat character in this novel. Considering he is featured in most of the book I get the sense that I should care about (or like) this guy. There are only two times I’m intrigued by Chon: when he uses a GOOD WORD and the anecdote about his father and trust.
You’ve got your brains behind the business in sweet Ben. This is a character I like. I get to see him develop through his experiences. The Ben we see at the end of the novel is not the Ben we hear about/meet at the beginning. He is one of the reasons that I finished the book. I was interested and invested in his story.
But who really cares about this trio? I certainly don’t. In fact, I don’t even see how they’re connected. How did these three come to know one another? I don’t believe they have “love” for each other. Certainly Winslow shows me that they share lust and a “savage” physical relationship. I question throughout most of the book why Ben and Chon are even motivated by O's kidnapping. They are three separate entities in my mind until the very end of the book. Winslow is incapable of showing me a connection between these three vastly different characters until the last three pages.
You’ve got your “villains” in Elena and Lado. I like these characters. I’m more interested in their stories than the stupid love triangle, Chon and O. Once they were introduced I was less annoyed by the book. The writing itself was constantly interrupted by Winslow’s style choice making it impossible for me to become absorbed by the story. I call this “shattering the illusion”.
There is one piece of prose that I applaud Winslow for. “And it’s all fun and games until someone loses an I.” (Page. 210)