last exit to brooklyn

this is a devastatingly beautiful work of fiction. hubert selby jr. is one of the finest american writers i've had the good fortune to read. last exit to brooklyn is a book of interconnected stories that expose the inner worlds of various nefarious characters.

"the queen is dead" is a story about georgette the drag queen who is desperate to be loved and constantly looking for her next mouthful of uppers.

in "strike" we meet harry, a total bastard who is only interested in drinking and power. his ego is enormous, his arrogance unbearable, and his life disgusting. he ends up falling in love with drag queens, which momentarily drowns his anger and violence. the story still manages to end in absolute brutality and self destruction.

the final story, "landsend", is a barrage of narrative that leaves you numb. it features an onslaught of interwoven degradation and despair. indescribably horrible and exhausting.

throughout the book characters walk out of the scene and return later. we see them from different angles, and get to hear their stories eventually.

although the first grove edition was in 1964 (the copyright lists it as 1957), nothing i've read in recent memory comes close to what selby does with language. the only word i can think of to conclude here is this: trauma.

{October 06, 2003 10:16 PM}