Last weekend, I read Horace McCoy's They Shoot Horses Don't They? It is one of the novels in the Library of America's Crime Novels: American Noir of the 1930s and 40s. I had heard of the movie (starring Hanoi Jane) and knew the movie was about a Dance Marathon, so I was a bit puzzled to find the story in this volume. The movie was based on the book, and yes, indeed, it is about a dance marathon, but the book was much more interesting than it sounds. The novel opens with our protagonist telling us that he did indeed shoot a girl in the head, but that she was happy that he did so. Then the story begins in which there is no mystery about who killed whom, but rather, why in the world this seemingly pleasant guy would shoot this particular girl in the head. The story is nicely done. And that Dance Marathon--well, suffice it to say, it is a rather miserable experience--it's odd to think that such things happened in the 1930s. We are not talking about just dancing for a night or two. Imagine dancing with a 10 minute break every two hours for over a month.
But, as nice as the novel was, it certainly isn't High Literature and would only be enjoyed by people who like the Noir type of story. So, why did I like it? There is something about imagining the dark side of human nature which is terribly intriguing. That is not the same thing as reading about disturbed individuals who commit horrible acts--that sort of thing doesn't really interest me all that much--some people are just seriously crazy. But, thinking about why a normal well-adjusted person would do something which seems horrible and then imagining the thought process in which said horrible event looks perfectly normal and sensible is pretty intriguing. This book does that--by the end, it really isn't hard to see how a nice, normal guy could shoot a girl in the head at point blank range and think he was doing a good and perfectly sensible thing.
In unrelated news, the Recession ended last year. Incidentally, this is only news if your source of news is things like news programs and newspapers. Now, maybe, just maybe, the conversation on the economy will change. Oh, and in other news, the recent recession was not as bad as the Great Depression. Shocking, to be sure.
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Critics of the Internet complain that it spoils books and movies by revealing their end. I consider that a public service. I am spared the necessity of reading this particular book.
ReplyDeleteDetermining when it is appropriate to spoil the end of a book or movie in a review is an interesting ethical puzzle--I have been thinking about this problem ever since I read John Simon's review of the movie The Crying Game in 1992. However, in this case, I actually didn't reveal the ending--we find out on page 2 that the narrator shot the girl--so, there is no surprise ending or even plot twist in the whole book.
ReplyDeleteSorry I didn't make myself clear. After reading your blog post I googled the book to learn why he shot her. Satisfied, I am spared the necessity of reading what I fear is a dreary book.
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