Raymond Chandler - The Big Sleep (2006)
NUMBER: 109
Genre: Fiction; Origin: US; Pages: 250
Satisfaction rating: 9.0
OVERVIEW:
When a dying millionaire hires Philip Marlowe to handle the blackmailer of one of his two troublesome daughters, Marlowe finds himself involved with more than extortion. Kidnapping, pornography, seduction, and murder are just a few of the complications he gets caught up in.
MATTHEW’S COMMENTS:
Whether it be film or literature, I’ve never been much of a genre fan. While I do have a soft spot for science fiction, it is still a rare occasion when I choose to invest a couple of weeks to read it. Realistically, I’m more likely to watch an escapist Hollywood blockbuster every now and then. As for detective fiction, it has never really been on my list.
I decided it was time to give Raymond Chandler a run only because I’ve seen The Big Sleep appear on all manner of top literature lists from critics of all persuasions – and the fact I found a collected works for $8 at the markets. Surely, such universal praise must mean something?
Quite naively I had initially made an assumption that The Big Sleep would be full of tired twists and the usual turns, such narrative devices that have become commonplace in what I know of pulp fiction and certainly the epidemic that is occurring on television. And, in many ways it does. But the difference here is that Chandler is largely responsible for the imitators.
What I love about this book is that I had no idea how good authentic hardboiled crime can be. It is clear that Chandler has a great wit and a deft hand – not just pl inot structure, but more importantly, character development and dialogue. The one-liners never stop.
I’m not sure if it was the concise writing of The Big Sleep or its infectious protagonist Marlow, but I was left wanting more. I just kept on reading into the next novel in the collection. This is not faint praise, I can count on just one hand the number of times that I have done this with an author.
FURTHER REFERENCES:
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