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A review by screamdogreads
The Coyotes of Carthage by Steven Wright
adventurous
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The Coyotes of Carthage is a gritty political noir that follows Andre Ross as he tries to pull his career back from the brink. His last shot is to use his brutal tactics to help a candidate win a local election. At first, I wasn't sure how invested I would be in a novel that centered itself around politics, but Wright has managed to craft a witty, almost satirical novel laced with smatterings of political wisdom.
Every single character was absolutely detestable, and while some people are depicted in a pretty generalized manner, it reads as if it's through the eyes of Andre, as if its commentary on how preconceived prejudices shape how we see people. We really get to see the ugly side of everyone, especially Andre, he's a classless drunk who enjoys knowing how his aggressive tactics have ruined his opponents.
The ending was pretty abrupt, and while I liked how things weren't all neat and tidy, I did find the coyote symbolism a little heavy-handed.
Every single character was absolutely detestable, and while some people are depicted in a pretty generalized manner, it reads as if it's through the eyes of Andre, as if its commentary on how preconceived prejudices shape how we see people. We really get to see the ugly side of everyone, especially Andre, he's a classless drunk who enjoys knowing how his aggressive tactics have ruined his opponents.
The ending was pretty abrupt, and while I liked how things weren't all neat and tidy, I did find the coyote symbolism a little heavy-handed.