Reviews

Dope by Sara Gran

notorious_mjt's review against another edition

4.0

I got a recommendation for this book off a list of best neo-noir novels. It's the story of Josephine Flannigan, a former drug addict now enlisted by the parents of a wealthy middle class girl who drifted into New York's seedy underbelly. Now Josephine must face the ghosts of her past to find the missing girl and claim her reward. This book checks off all the noir/mystery boxes: hard-boiled protagonist, a femme fatale, nihilistic look on life, urban underbelly, etc. It's a fairly quick read, I read it in about a day. It's set in New York City in the 1950's/1960's right around the time the city was turning seedy and dangerous. Gran writes of parks filled with drug dealers and dope fiends, a dead-end existence of addiction and taxi dancing and a drug den that sounds like something straight out a horror movie. Upon finishing the book, I immediately had to take shower because that's how filthy it made me feel. If you're a fan of noir and want something a little different than the same old "world-weary detective", I recommend it. But you don't need to take my word for it.

kaaaara's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

kalymol's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

lauraborkpower's review against another edition

3.0

I'm a big fan of Gran, and this hard-boiled noir doesn't disappoint. Her protagonist is rough and likable and surrounded by a rich cast of ne'er-do-wells: cons, dope fiends, pimps, and cops. And the ending is really nice. Dark, but nice.

logolepsy_e's review against another edition

2.0

Una ex-tossica dalla vita modesta, che si mantiene facendo la ladruncola e che cerca disperatamente di non cascare di nuovo nel circolo vizioso della droga viene ingaggiata da un ricco avvocato per ritrovare la figlia che pare abbia iniziato a drogarsi.
Ecco la premessa di questo noir ambientato nella New York degli anni '50 dal quale, sinceramente mi aspettavo qualcosina in più. La storia in sè è buona e interessante e sicuramente è un romanzo coinvolgente che fa venire voglia di continuare a leggerlo, ma non ha assolutamente alcuno spessore.
I personaggi non sono minimamente caratterizzati, a partire dalla protagonista stessa che, spesso, ci accenna cose del suo passato da tossica che sarebbero interessanti da scoprire, ma che poi non vengono quasi mai sviluppate. Tutti gli altri personaggi che compaiono, fatta forse eccezione per la sorella Shelley, sono piccole comparse a cui viene data talmente poca importanza da scordarsi il nome subito dopo averlo letto.
Persino il tema della droga, che a mio avviso avrebbe dovuto essere predominante, stenta a venir fuori. Ogni cosa al riguardo viene appena accennata, nessuna introspezione, nessuna riflessione, anche pochissime spiegazioni. Solo nomi di spacciatori, qualche indizio sugli orrori che vivono i tossici e null'altro.
Tutto quello che c'è all'interno di questo romanzo è una trama lineare sviluppata in modo rapido e approssimativo, sviluppando unicamente i fatti, incastrati uno dietro l'altro in rapidissima successione. In questo modo il libro si legge parecchio in fretta, ma purtroppo, a fine lettura, rimane ben poco (se non l'amaro in bocca per la conclusione).

smelendez's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

kathrinpassig's review against another edition

4.0

Die straighte Version der "Claire de Witt"-Serie, ohne den Surrealismus. Der Plot ist überraschender, als ich währenddessen dachte, und ich mag weiterhin Grans Hardboiled-Stil sehr. Außerdem hatte ich noch nicht so viel über das Drogenmilieu im New York von 1950 gelesen, und wenn, dann nur von Männern, ich war also schon wegen des Settings interessiert. Minor nitpick: Alle sind zu nett zueinander, die Polizei lässt Joe ohne besonderen Grund einfach wieder laufen (mehrfach!), aber das klassische Hardboiled-Genre, so wie ich es bisher kannte*, ist ja auch unrealistisch, nur halt an anderen Stellen.

* Ist hier undokumentiert, weil es zu lange her ist, aber von Hammett, Chandler und Cain habe ich mal alles gelesen. Inzwischen natürlich auch alles wieder vergessen. Ich darf die 1990er Jahre hier niemals nachtragen, sonst dauert mein Projekt "50% Bücher von Frauen", bis ich 100 bin.

shangraham's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

missmim's review against another edition

2.0

This is a quick, easy read. Gran really amps up the noir style to a degree that sometimes feels forced. Still, the main character, Jo, was interesting and the ending was completely unexpected for me, so I'll give her points for that. Also, I kept thinking about the book for days, which is another plus.

lovesresqdogs's review against another edition

A good quick read. Interesting story wiht a real twist at the end. Interesting to wonder who Shelley is, my first thought was an old lover ?