First, Mark Sullivan asked why I chose certain novels in my
revisit of Michael Collins. I wish I had an intellectual
reason but the truth is I unpacked a box of paperbacks and
found several by Collins. THE BRASS RAINBOW
and BLUE DEATH were two I was reasonably sure I had not
read. It wasn't easy to separate the read from the
unread.
So this brought to mind the fact that I have been reading
mystery novels for over four decades. My memory of many of
them is very dim. Now and then I reread a novel that I know I
have read and it is like a new book to me. This is not true
of all of them. Some stick more in my mind. The shockers when
I was in my early teens. Spillane's I, THE JURY and THE BIG
KILL and Chandler's LITTLE SISTER and THE LONG GOODBYE.
Certainly I could never forget much of Fred Brown and a few
others discovered in my teens. But beyond that discovery
phase, it is more selective. There are some novels I know are
very good but the distinct memory is not there. Other
writers, who may be flawed, stand out like beacons. I still
remember the impact of Cornell Woolrich, especially
RENDEZVOUS IN BLACK.
So as I grow older, I have to consider the possibility that I
may develop Alheimer's. I have experienced family members who
have gone down this way and consider it a terrible fate. Yet,
it may happen. A friend and I have discussed making a pact
that if this happens to one of us, the other one will visit
and hand over a pistol and say "It's time. Do the right
thing." But I don't believe that will happen.
So the day may come when all I need is one book. I will be
able to read that book over and over again and it will be
like the first time. No short term memory, yet otherwise
aware, I can read and reread the same book with first time
joy.
So what book would I choose? Instead of a gun to end it all,
I might select a book that someone would hand me and until I
lost the ability to read, that one book would be enough to
entertain me.
THE LONG GOODBYE is a possibility as is THE BIG KNOCKOVER by
Hammett. Alas, Chandler freaks, I generally prefer Hammett to
Chandler and the Continental Op is my favorite. But GOODBYE
is a great book. One other contender, less predictable
perhaps, would be Howard Browne's THE TASTE OF ASHES.
I have a few years (I hope) to think it over and I will add
other possibilities. But it is intriguing to think of what
novel, read and experienced as if for the first time over and
over again, I would choose.
Richard Moore
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