Street of No Return Summary and Reviews

Street of No Return
by David Goodis

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Book Summary Information

Author: David Goodis
Introduction: Robert Polito
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-05-01
ISBN: 1933618221
Number of pages: 252
Publisher: Centipede Press

Book Reviews of Street of No Return

Book Review: Fate pulls no punches.
Summary: 4 Stars

Street of No Return by David Goodis is the story of Gene Lindell, once an up and coming crooner with the potential to be another Frank Sinatra. But that was seven long years ago. Now he's a Skid Row derelict known only as Whitey. A pathetic shell of a man who has no hope, no future and only one desire....to find that next drink.
The narrative to this ugly and depressing tale takes place over the course of a single night, a night that starts off no different from any other. But then something out of the ordinary happens. Whitey sees a man. It's someone he recognizes from his previous life. So he starts following the man and it's then the reader finds out how Whitey lost everything.
This book is brilliant in places. It starts off great as we learn how Whitey began life as an orphan, rose to near stardom, met a lovely woman he could not have and rapidly saw his life destroyed. The final chapter is also quite good in that it's unapologetically downbeat, in keeping with the novel's overall tone.
But other parts of the narrative are less compelling. For example, there's a subplot that revolves around a Puerto Rican "race riot". The dialogue written by Goodis for the Puerto Rican characters has the effect of making them all sound exactly like Tonto.
Bottom line: A very uneven effort. Brilliant in places but seriously flawed. Recommended to diehard David Goodis fans only.

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