Last Exit to Brooklyn (An Evergreen book)
by Hubert Selby Jr.
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Book Summary Information
Author: Hubert Selby Jr.Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1994-01-13
ISBN: 0802131379
Number of pages: 320
Publisher: Grove Press
Book Reviews of Last Exit to Brooklyn (An Evergreen book)
Book Review: A Dirty Old Town
Summary: 5 Stars
Hubert Selby Jr. first caught my eye with Requiem for a Dream. His disjointed, stream-of-consiousness narrative fits perfectly with his subject matter, lending a simultaniously manic and insightful voice to his myriad characters.
As Selby's premier novel, one critic aptly described Last Exit to Brooklyn as an "urgent ticker tape from hell". This book will grab you by the throat and drag you, willingly or otherwise, into Selby's Brooklyn.
The first story, "Another Day Another Dollar" is a short tale of the violent exploits of a street gang that resides within the Brooklyn neighborhood. This group shows up again in a few of the following stories, and functions as a sort of metaphorical and physical dark angel, a manifestation of the backlash of the characters' vices.
The second story, "The Queen is Dead" details the exploits of Georgette, a drag queen, and her friends. Georgette is one of the most pure characters, in a sense, because she searches for true love, while the others would have physical satisfaction.
In "Tralala", a young, hateful prostitute seeks attention and gets it, dying as she lived: in a dirty back alley, covered in the shame of her customers. Lacking the ability to understand the love shown to her, she continues to seek the only approval she has ever known: men's appreciation of her body.
The fourth short story, "Strike" involves Harry Black, a union official running a strike at a manufacturing company. His struggles at home, at work, and with his own sexuality allow the reader to simultaniously despise and hate him.
The final short story, a coda titled "Landsend", about what the possible fate of the gang members could be once they marry and settle into a government housing complex.
Selby's ability to write these otherwise dispicpable characters with compassion is what makes his novels so intriguing. If you were a fan of Requiem for a Dream, this will more than satisfy any craving for Selby's unique cocktail of American naturalism and European existentialsm.
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