Mrriter@aol.com
Wed, 30 Jun 1999 19:24:30 EDT
Of the handful of Chicano writers who delve into crime
fiction, Max is definitely the hardest and most noirish. His
sense of place and character influenced by place is top
notch. I took from his books an appreciation for the South
Texas he has created in his novels. His is a redneck noir
approach that brings out the worst that a combination of sex,
greed, flat stretches of arid landscape and Texas heat can
produce. Of his two crime novels, I prefer White Leg. He got
right to it in that one although Layover certainly has an
interesting opening chapter, if I remember correctly. He has
said that he had another in the works tentatively entitled
Lap Dance. Who knows if it will ever see a bookstore shelf?
It's difficult for a writer like Max to get noticed.
Published by a small press, apt to be labeled an "ethnic
writer" by bookstores, readers and critics and thus his
audience is immediately narrowed and, on the other hand, he
may be too outrageous for the casual reader of what is called
"Latino Literature." Too many labels and not enough readers
willing to take a chance on something different. Manuel
Ramos
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