Re: RARA-AVIS: The Killer Inside Me/Book Discussions

Greg Swan (swan@poboxes.com)
Sun, 08 Feb 1998 14:01:09 -0700 James Rogers wrote:

> We probably just need someone to egg us on. KILLER is a great book,
> although I personally prefer POP.180, which is not very different.

I just finished Killer and found it to be a bit different from other
Thompson novels I've read. To me, it seemed to have a pretty
straightforward narrative, following a predictable course with few
surprises. The other half dozen Jim Thompson novels I've read featured
byzantine plots that sort of turned inside out as they lurched along,
especially books like Recoil, Getaway and, yes, Pop. 1280.

** potential spoiler warning: Pop. 1280 **

I agree that Pop. 1280 is similar in theme, but better. At the beginning we
are unsure about the lead character and he is revealed as one reads along.
Any one else think this character might have been the prototype for the
sheriff in the tv show American Gothic?

** end spoiler **

One thing I really appreciate about Thompson is how easily I'm able to read
his prose. It's plain, but gripping. He hardly ever uses a three syllable
word or a 10 word sentence. I wonder what reading level it would calculate
out to? Maybe sixth grade? If so, I'm amazed at how much he can convey
with such simplistic writing.

Greg
swan@poboxes.com
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