Maura McMillan (mmcm@azstarnet.com)
Fri, 31 Dec 1999 18:29:41 -0700
about the surprise ending of pick-up: willeford said, ' the
clues are there if you look for them." he wanted to do a
fredric brown ending.
At 05:46 PM 12/31/1999 -0500, you wrote:
>It's been a long time since I've read Pick-Up, but I
never took that last
line
>literally. I thought it was just that in his
isolation, loneliness etc, he
felt
>like a Negro would, especially since the story takes
place over thirty years
>ago. Does anyone know what Willeford himself ever
said about it?
>David
>
>Ron Clinton wrote:
>
>> > By contrast, I have read every Willeford
book the same
>> > day I got it. This guy must have been the
most
>> > compelling writer in the entire genre.
Nobody writes
>> > like him.
>>
>> I just finished PICK-UP by Willeford - a very
dreary and depressing look at
>> a couple of life's failures and throwaways. But,
still, very
>> engrossing...kind of like watching a car wreck.
A question, though, for
>> those more familiar with Willeford's work than
me: the last line of the
>> novel, where he announces his race as "Negro".
Perhaps I didn't understand
>> the significance of this proclamation...was
there more to it than that? My
>> instant reaction was, "Umm, okay...*and*?" It
seemed to have been
posed as
>> an almost O'Henry like twist - yet it didn't
seem to me to offer
anything to
>> the book's prior storyline nor cast any new
light on what had come before
>> it. Did I miss something? Or am I just making
too much of what was simply
>> meant as a throwaway last line?
>>
>> Ron Clinton
>>
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