James Ellroy & The L.A. Quartet
My first introduction to James Ellroy came when on one of those random movie trips one finds themselves on while in college I went to see L.A. Confidential. I was blown away. It was like every hardboiled detective cliche but totally different. In particular I was fascinated by how human the three main protagonists were. They bled, sweat, and cried but without compromising their "tough guy" image.
When I noticed that L.A. Confidential was based on a novel I decided that I needed to check this guy out. So, I read The Black Dahlia. I loved it. I was greatly looking forward to the recent film adaptation and I was equally disappointed. It's actually a fairly strong adaptation of the plot but the film does exactly what I admire Ellroy for NOT doing which is jump up and down loudly shouting, "Hey look at me! I'm a genre piece!"
I recently found out that The Black Dahlia is the first in a sequence of novels referred to as "The L.A. Quartet." Intrigued, I took the time to re-read The Black Dahlia and then immediately jumped into the second book The Big Nowhere which I finished today. Let me say that this stuff should be mandatory reading for Los Angeles residents. This is historical fiction at its finest and after reading it you will not look at the city the same way.
One thing I really admire about Ellroy is his ability to present prejudices of the time as factual element of the setting without judgment. His novels are peppered with racial slurs that just seem so natural to the environment that they produce none of the uncomfortableness that would accompany them if spoken today in casual conversation. They're not there for shock value. They're not there to separate the good guys from the bad guys. They're there for the same reason the sign on the hill still says Hollywoodland.
What follows is a few comparison notes between The Black Dahlia and The Big Nowhere mostly for myself as I prepare to roll into L.A. Confidential the actual novel. However, they do constitute minor spoilers for both books. You have been warned.
Both books feature homosexuality. The Black Dahlia focuses on women. The Big Nowhere focuses on men.
Both books make a partial connection between homosexuality and narcissism. In The Black Dahlia a woman seeks out another woman because she, "wanted to know what it would be like to sleep with someone who looked like me." In The Big Nowhere a man pays to have his lover surgically altered to look like himself.
In both books the most psychologically monstrous person is facially disfigured.
Both books feature mutilation murders (although this is a historical point in The Black Dahlia).
Both books feature incestuous relationships. Father/Daughter in The Black Dahlia (although it is later revealed that no actual sex is involved and she isn't his real daughter, but the creep vibe is the same). True Father/Son incest is featured in The Big Nowhere.
Both books feature real unsolved murders and pin them on fictitious characters. In The Black Dahlia this is central. In The Big Nowhere it's a subplot.
Both books feature multiple characters who know the killer's identity almost from the get-go and choose to things other than go to the police with that information.
When I noticed that L.A. Confidential was based on a novel I decided that I needed to check this guy out. So, I read The Black Dahlia. I loved it. I was greatly looking forward to the recent film adaptation and I was equally disappointed. It's actually a fairly strong adaptation of the plot but the film does exactly what I admire Ellroy for NOT doing which is jump up and down loudly shouting, "Hey look at me! I'm a genre piece!"
I recently found out that The Black Dahlia is the first in a sequence of novels referred to as "The L.A. Quartet." Intrigued, I took the time to re-read The Black Dahlia and then immediately jumped into the second book The Big Nowhere which I finished today. Let me say that this stuff should be mandatory reading for Los Angeles residents. This is historical fiction at its finest and after reading it you will not look at the city the same way.
One thing I really admire about Ellroy is his ability to present prejudices of the time as factual element of the setting without judgment. His novels are peppered with racial slurs that just seem so natural to the environment that they produce none of the uncomfortableness that would accompany them if spoken today in casual conversation. They're not there for shock value. They're not there to separate the good guys from the bad guys. They're there for the same reason the sign on the hill still says Hollywoodland.
What follows is a few comparison notes between The Black Dahlia and The Big Nowhere mostly for myself as I prepare to roll into L.A. Confidential the actual novel. However, they do constitute minor spoilers for both books. You have been warned.
Both books feature homosexuality. The Black Dahlia focuses on women. The Big Nowhere focuses on men.
Both books make a partial connection between homosexuality and narcissism. In The Black Dahlia a woman seeks out another woman because she, "wanted to know what it would be like to sleep with someone who looked like me." In The Big Nowhere a man pays to have his lover surgically altered to look like himself.
In both books the most psychologically monstrous person is facially disfigured.
Both books feature mutilation murders (although this is a historical point in The Black Dahlia).
Both books feature incestuous relationships. Father/Daughter in The Black Dahlia (although it is later revealed that no actual sex is involved and she isn't his real daughter, but the creep vibe is the same). True Father/Son incest is featured in The Big Nowhere.
Both books feature real unsolved murders and pin them on fictitious characters. In The Black Dahlia this is central. In The Big Nowhere it's a subplot.
Both books feature multiple characters who know the killer's identity almost from the get-go and choose to things other than go to the police with that information.