I just sent in this review of "The Grifters" to Amazon and I
thought I would share it here as well.
Grift is money made dishonestly as in a swindle or a
confidence game. The grifters in this masterpiece by Thompson
are Lilly and Roy Dillon and Moira Langtry. Lilly and Roy are
mother and son and haven't seen each other for seven years as
the book opens. Moira is Roy's girlfriend, a prostitute, and
a former grifter. Roy has a steady sales job and he makes the
grift on the side. Lilly does her grifting for the mob,
betting down the odds on long shots at the horse races so her
boss won't take too big of a fall should one of those long
shots come in. This novel has beautiful description, great
characterization, and even some subtle jabs at consumerism
and the corrupting aspects of the modern world. Moira and her
former grifter partner Cole laugh at and make fun of
advertisements. Moira in a bar after ordering a sidecar feels
"that the times were out of joint with themselves, and that
the most emphasis was put on the least worthwhile pursuits".
"She can no longer hear it. It was lost, the music which each
person had inside himself, and which put him in step with
things as they should be". Dillon is the name Thompson used
on his Communist party Identification card. Many artists at
the time were interested in Communism because of their
concern for social justice for the poor and didn't know much
about the larger Communist world. There is an Oedipal
atmosphere that develops in Roy's love hate relationship with
Lilly. This novel builds at a slow crescendo pace and the
ending is a shocker. This is Thompson's best work!
Paul Miller
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