A review by thomasroche
Blood's a Rover by James Ellroy

1.0

So... what started off as a brilliantly innovative storytelling style in [b:American Tabloid|36064|American Tabloid (Underworld USA, #1)|James Ellroy|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1403181563s/36064.jpg|35975] has become a spoogy mess. As far as I can tell, Ellroy no longer cares about creating characters I give a shit about. Worse, as he loses all creative speed, he tries to liven up the dull slog of his faux-poetic crime-novel patois by inserting diary pages in the voices of a female character and a black character. Both are nothing short of hideously offensive in their tone-deaf attempt to recreate the internal landscape of classes of people I increasingly gather Ellroy really does hold in contempt. I'm a bit embarrassed, frankly, for having tolerated what I now suspect is sub rosa racism and misogyny for so many years, writing it off as an attempt to engage in authoritative storytelling about a racist, misogynist world. Now, after experiencing this overwrought apocalypse, I'm left with the horrible realization that maybe James Ellroy's recent books really are about finding excuses for him to say the N-word. He's like Quentin Tarantino without any joy de vivre. It's gotten old.