I can't give you the GM number because this is a reissue that
probably came out in the early Seventies, judging by the way
they're hawking THE DREADFUL LEMON SKY on the cover. It
originally came out in 1954.
CONTRARY PLEASURE is a "this is the way we live now" book.
It's an examination of the Delevan family, who run a local
knitting mill in upstate NY. Some things happen: an
early-issue corporate raider is interesting in coordinating a
merger with a larger firm; various family members have
various bad things of varying severity happen to them. But
it's mainly intended to be a character study.
It's a much better book than THE DAMNED, although less
happens. It's longer, for one thing, which means that JDM
could actually work on developing characters, rather than
employing stock types as a kind of shorthand. The revelations
are quieter and come out mostly at a natural pace, which
makes them seem believable.
Best of all JDM seems more in control of the material here,
more willing to be objective, step back from it all. If you
read a lot of JDM some general themes emerge time and again:
business is a quietly heroic enterprise; modern American
society is unfulfilling, sex is best as part of an
uninhibited committed relationship, etc. But here JDM plays
with his formula a bit, and the book's the better for it. The
Slut Who's Well on her Way to Becoming a Whore is far more
sympathetic than usual, the main act of violence isn't
perpertrated by the Animalistic Throwback but rather The Weak
Ineffectual Male, etc.
It's not a perfect book -- some of the revelations seem to me
awkward in the extreme and badly dated, and there's a rather
ponderous air of self-importance in the later chapters. And
frankly I'm not a huge fan of JDM's soapier offerings. But I
liked it, and if you like this sort of JDM book, you'll
probably love it.
doug
===== Doug Bassett
dj_bassett@yahoo.com
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