Nobody Move (utgåvan 2010)

I've never read anything by Johnson that wasn't good, and this is no exception. The story starts simply enough with an in-debt gambler shooting his about-to-be assailant in the leg, then it spirals through a group of mostly desperate characters--including a beautiful woman framed for theft--and a series of violent incidents, though the worst violence takes place off stage. What shines through is Johnson's characterization. Each member of the cast is made multi-dimensional. Even the worst of them have some elements of humanity we can identify with. And the relationships between the characters are well handled. The plotting is solid, but it is Johnson's writing that makes it all work. Recommended.

The audiobook version is well narrated. ( )

A solid, fast-paced crime novel that has none of Johnson's poetic flourishes whatsoever. If it had a blank cover I would have assumed it was by Elmore Leonard. ( )

Are you familiar with the subreddit r/menwritingwomen ? Because that is where this book belongs. Though Johnson's female characters certainly have some agency. Quentin Tarantino could direct the movie.

This novel did apparently first appear in Playboy. And it very much reads like a c1950s harboiled detective novel, but everyone here is a criminal--there is no detective. Gamblers, loan sharks, thieves, embezzlers, who knows what all. They come from Arcadia, Bakersfield, and somewhere outside Oroville. They are all interconnected, because I guess all criminals know each other? And it's equal opportunity insults, with women, Mexicans, Muslims, and Natives all getting it. Only the gay characters aren't mocked.

I listened on hoopla so don't have page numbers, but here are some lines:
--"pee kind of musically" (a woman, of course)
--"a hefty woman", also described as "a hefty blonde"
--"Do you always talk about people as though they are invisible?" "Usually just women." (HAR HAR)
--"You do drink like an Indian." (another woman)
--"possibly pregnant or ready for a diet"

So...yeah. There's also lots of shooting. ( )

Reads very much like a movie and stayed right on the surface like some fun post-modern noir. The anti-hero in a barbershop chorus with a gambling problem and a history with some bad folks. The femme fatale who’s a sure shot despite a massive drinking problem. The retired combat nurse, the Mexican gangster who’s really Middle Eastern, Sally Fucks the biker, etc. Everyone just pops off the page that I, frankly, didn’t care too much which side won. ( )

Trust Denis Johnson. If you need someone to lay down a straight flush pulp masterpiece, one of the best writers in the business is a safe bet. Not that I usually expect to find Johnson writing in this genre. But if anyone understands the movement of plot and character through dialogue, it’s him.

Jimmy Luntz is a bit down on his luck. He’s in debt to some unsavoury people. The kind who come round to collect. And that gun you see in the first act will go off. In the first act. It’s that kind of novel. When Jimmy crosses paths with Anita Desilvera, he might think his luck has changed. She’s clearly out of his league. But she’s got troubles of her own, a taste for vodka, a bad karaoke habit, and a few million in missing funds that she’s taking the fall for having pilfered. She’s also got a bit of a mean streak. But she and Jimmy hit it off, sort of. And their two narrative paths are certain to comingle. With consequences.

Mostly this is just fun writing and fun reading. There isn’t really much more to it than that. Johnson’s dialogue is endlessly refreshing. And he knows how to mingle fates both subtly and with lead. You might as well just sit back and enjoy. Gently recommended. ( )