The Grifters (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard)

著者 : JimThompson

• Vintage (1990年10月3日発売)

感想・レビュー・書評

[sophieさんの感想 · 2005年5月21日]

Jim Thompson is a pulp fiction writer in the tradition of Chandler, Hammett and Cain, from the 50s and 60s, and The Grifters is a noir pulp classic. Some of his other novels are The Getaway, The Killer Inside Me, After Dark My Sweet and Pop 1280. The Grifters has more introspective interplay between the characters and less action than some of the others, and while just as gritty and dark, possibly even bleaker, there is a clean elasticity to the edge of the writing, which is poetical, almost philosophical in places. Reviews tend to emphasise the heartlessness of the characters, but although in the end self-interest prevails, what makes it so hard-hitting is that they do fleetingly feel something for each other. Lilly, who works for the mob, happens to save her estranged son Roy's life, but makes a mistake at her job in doing so. Roy is a salesman, working short cons on the side, but after landing in the hospital toys with the idea of going straight. However his girlfriend Moira, who looks a lot like his mother, used to work long cons and wants to reclaim her glory days by working together with Roy. She is jealous of Lilly, who she thinks is responsible for Roy's reluctance, and there is a sexual tension between mother and son. Moira tries to get rid of Lilly by telling the mob that she is skimming money from them. But you can't fuck with Lilly. The ending is shocking but appropriate. A brilliant book.