It took me awhile to get into James Sallis and, specifically, this book. I’m comfortable admitting that. I’ve gotten pretty used to genre conventions over the past few weeks and this book threw me for a loop at first, just in the ways that it defies them. However, as soon as I got over the shock of it, I deeply enjoyed the ambiguity and avant garde approach that Sallis embraced in telling the story of this hit man’s last job.
Is it a book about despair? Certainly.
Is it more than a bit depressing to read? Yup.
But, more importantly, it pushes the genre in interesting ways and challenges the reader to engage with the words and characters differently.
It left me feeling hollow and empty and intrigued to read more Sallis, especially his popular series, to see how this style translates to other stories.
This post is part of #MySummerOfMysteries, a project to immerse myself in mysteries, thrillers, crime writing, and whodunits. For each book I finish, I’m posting brief thoughts and reflections here. Please note that these are not intended as full reviews. To view my reading progress throughout the summer, click here.