The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
bunnieslikediamonds's review against another edition
4.0
Sometimes when serious writers take a break from their high-brow endeavours and play around with genre fiction the results are less than stellar. They feel the need to insert ironic little references to make sure we understand that they're just fooling around, and I find this contempt for the mainstream a little off-putting. Reading the blurb by Rivka Galchen, where she carefully explains that Gordon makes high art out of trash, I was worried that The Serialist would be one these self-indulgent writing exercises. Then I noticed the author info that says David Gordon has worked in pornography, and thought well, thank goodness, there may still be hope.
And it is indeed a playful novel that doesn't take itself too seriously. The protagonist is called Harry Bloch, a name for a tough guy (or maybe I'm just thinking of Connelly's Harry Bosch), but he is anything but. He barely makes a living writing pulp, has self-esteem issues, was dumped by his girlfriend and hasn't had sex since. When death-row homicidal maniac Darien Clay, enchanted with Harry's work as the Slut Whisperer in a smut magazine, asks him to ghostwrite Clay's memoirs, the Slut Whisperer is in no position to decline. So begins an implausible, noirish murder mystery. It's gory but fun. Interspersed in the story are excerpts from Harry's work: hard-boiled detective novels, vampire erotica, space smut. They're very funny and quite sweet (for a man with a pornographic past, Gordon/Bloch certainly writes demure erotica), and fit in nicely with the overall narrative.
So forget about the high art: this is witty, well-written fun, which is a good thing.
And it is indeed a playful novel that doesn't take itself too seriously. The protagonist is called Harry Bloch, a name for a tough guy (or maybe I'm just thinking of Connelly's Harry Bosch), but he is anything but. He barely makes a living writing pulp, has self-esteem issues, was dumped by his girlfriend and hasn't had sex since. When death-row homicidal maniac Darien Clay, enchanted with Harry's work as the Slut Whisperer in a smut magazine, asks him to ghostwrite Clay's memoirs, the Slut Whisperer is in no position to decline. So begins an implausible, noirish murder mystery. It's gory but fun. Interspersed in the story are excerpts from Harry's work: hard-boiled detective novels, vampire erotica, space smut. They're very funny and quite sweet (for a man with a pornographic past, Gordon/Bloch certainly writes demure erotica), and fit in nicely with the overall narrative.
So forget about the high art: this is witty, well-written fun, which is a good thing.
rachel_mft's review against another edition
2.0
This was awful. It had so much promise, and I very nearly recommended it to a couple of people before I got very far it--it's funny, cutting, a satire of the postmodern novel while also being a bit of a postmodern novel. But then the murders start, and it's the most gruesome thing I have read in a long time. And in a way that sort of celebrates that gruesomeness. When I got to the chapter that began "The first thing I ever killed was a gerbil" I just wanted to put the damn thing down, but I finished it, and now I need a bath.
jennylemon's review against another edition
The first chapter felt so contrived, so "look here is my quirky hook don't you want to keep reading?" that I stuck it in the donation bin immediately. Life's too short!
mm22's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
tiernanhunter's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Death, Death of parent, Alcohol, Murder, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Gore, Torture, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Blood, Gaslighting, Grief, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Car accident, Cancer, Fatphobia, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Adult/minor relationship, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, Vomit, and Rape
konwalia's review against another edition
4.0
Dawno nie czytałam tak dobrego kryminału. Tak mnie wciągnął, że pochłonęłam go całego w dosłownie dwadzieścia cztery godziny. Cztery gwiazdki bo trochę nie rozumiem koncepcji tych rozdziałów gdzie były fragmenty książek głównego bohatera i ponieważ momentami ta książka była tak absurdalna, że zastanawiałam się czy to na pewno kryminał. Nie podobały mi się też za bardzo to jak dużo było w tej książce o seksie i uprzedmiotawiania kobiet, jednak rozumiem zamysł autora.
khairfield's review against another edition
5.0
This book rules - loved the commentary on books and the inclusion of the different excerpts. Too fun!
quynh23's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sacrificebyfire's review against another edition
4.0
I read this book in about 5.5 hours and quite enjoyed it. I do agree with another reviewer who said the book could have been "tighter," and the first half was much better than the second half, but it didn't manage to take away any of the book's fun or pleasure. I appreciated Gordon's insights on being a writer and being a reader, and I appreciated that he unabashedly and irreverently mocked most pop culture novels, not excepting the murder-mystery genre. All in all, a great first novel and I look forward to his next piece. Probably a 4.5 star...