"Shoot the Piano Player" was for me a very interesting book.
I don't think I've ever read anything quite like it. For me,
the explosion of violence about two thirds of the way through
the book was unexpected, quite riveting, and dominated the
whole experience of reading the novel, though it's a
relatively brief passage.
Though an artist (pianist), the main character doesn't seem
to me to fit the characterization in the David Ulin review:
"Again and again, Goodis writes of artists or professionals
who have betrayed themselves, ruined by whiskey, women or
their own character flaws." In "Shoot the Piano Player" the
women don't really betray the protagonist, and neither does
the whiskey. The women, in fact, are destroyed by their
relationship with him. The character is flawed perhaps, but
generous and decent; he does his best but fails. He is
betrayed by a particular more powerful individual, and by
circumstances.
Stephen
On 10/31/06, Stephen Burridge <
stephen.burridge@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Thanks for this. It's timely for me because I'm just
in the middle of
> reading "Shoot the Piano Player", my first exposure
to Goodis. (Suggested by
> Mr. Crider's video'd queries, "Goodis or
Thompson?")
>
> Stephen Burridge
>
>
> On 10/31/06, Randy Krbechek <
randyk@psnw.com> wrote:
> >
> > Below is a David Goodis review that ran in
the
> > L.A. Times on Saturday, October 28,
2006.
> >
> > Bye.
> > Randy Krbechek
> > Fresno, CA
> >
> >
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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