M-T (matrxtech@sprintmail.com)
Tue, 20 Jul 1999 12:57:42 -0400
Apropos of padding, I am now absorbed in Chester Himes's
_Run, Man, Run_, a marvellous book that I hadn't read in
about 15 years. Not only does this hardboiled novel have one
of the most spellbinding opening chapters in crime fiction
but it is written with the utmost economy. For those who
don't know it, this Himes title is mandatory. The trade
paperback copy I'm reading is from Carroll and Graf.
One problem when authors are expected to write 400-500 pages
is that they often give way to their weaknesses and to the
less pleasant sides of their personalities -- thus
sentimentality, preaching, needlessly reiterative acts of
brutality, and the social "issues" of the day creep in,
usually to the detriment and dilution of the central idea.
It's interesting to see how Himes handles racial conflict
with minimal preaching, almost in a matter of fact way. He
presents it laconically, through the actions and dialogue of
his characters; also, he preserves a sense of humor despite
the tense atmosphere of the novel.
Regards,
mt
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