I've been lurking here for years. I've never posted mainly
because the usual folks here are so knowledgable that they
generally post what I wanted to say before I get around to
it, and say it far better than I would have done anyway
I've been a Lawrence Block fan for a long time, especially
the Scudder books. Somewhere in the past 10 years I stopped
reading the Scudders, but that's what happens with every
series I read - no matter how much I love the character, I
think a writer can only do so much with a series character,
eventually even the best ones turn into rote, and when
Scudder stopped drinking , and when even the threat of
drinking became less terrifying, and when he got a
girlfriend, and became happy, well the books just became less
compelling to me.
Over Thanksgiving I had a chance to re-read my 2 favorites -
Eight Million Ways to Die and When the Sacred Ginmill Closes
and I came away convinced that Block really captures the
essence of alcoholism and depression better than any
contemporary writer I've read.
The plots are very simple and almost irrelevant. It's the
constant, repititous, painstakingly detailed laying out of
the daily grind that sets a mood of someone just going
through the motions. I went here, I drank that, I ate that, I
saw this person, I almost did this but didn't.
It sounds as if it should be boring, but I pretty much read
each rather thick book in one sitting - they're impossible to
put down.
It's really none of my business and I don't know if Block has
ever shared details of his personal life, but I wonder how he
is able to portray the life of a depressed alcoholic so
vividly and, from my experience (I am not a depressed
alcoholic myself, but I've worked with them professionally
and dealt with them personally), so truly.
Has Block ever spoken to this?
just curious and, as I said, none of my business
really.
hope I can chime in more often
phred
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