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Amarillo (2000)

by Bill Durham(Favorite Author)

3.64 of 5 Votes: 3

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English

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review 1: This is a difficult book to write a review about. I really did like the story and thought it was well written. However, it had to be one of the slowest books I've ever read. Especially at the beginning it plods along at a snail's pace. Twice in the first 125 pages I almost zapped it out of my Kindle. But I stuck through it. When the book finally gets to a real crime it really does get pretty good. Max the Jewish lawyer chased out of NYC lands in Amarillo thanks to a sand storm killing his miserable car. Phoenix was his destination, now he's just stuck with Amarillo. Four other characters, Carl, Joe, Freddy, and Smith decide to rob the very local supermarket. At "Bailey's", which is the local pool hall & bar, the plan for the crime is hashed out. "Bailey's" is owned by An... moregela, and Bailey is her dog. He's more wolf than dog, but he's a monster. After the supermarket crime comes off without a hitch. Money really corrupts the bandits. One bandit is overcome by guilt. Of course he ends up dead, and buried in a shallow grave. The grave being in an old and falling down drive- in movie theater. Max being one of the local PD's ends up representing one of the bandits. Max and Angela have meanwhile blossomed into a very deep relationship. It takes a while to get this one rolling down the highway at top speed. But I'm glad I stuck it out. I enjoyed the characters and the craziness of Texas immensely. The plot itself was actually crafted pretty well. After the big trial the remaining bandits go off to account for their crime. Again the book threw me for a loop. It didn't end ! It kept going and going ! Far far too long. All in all I'm giving "Amarillo" 3 stars out of a possible 5. I'm being generous since it's December. But seriously, it's a pretty good read if you can get past the first 125 pages, and then skip the last couple chapters.
review 2: Amarillo appears to be the first novel, self-published, by Bill Durham. This book is a great example of why editors (typically hired by publishers) are important! Beginning with the difficult to read font, and the irritating format allowing chapters beginning wherever they may fall on a page, this was a difficult book to read. Chapter delineation seems to be arbitrary as well. At times the chapter changes as we shift focus from one of the dozen characters' points of view and at other times the chapter rolls along right over this shift in perspective leaving the reader to wonder "whoa, who's this again?" In general, an editor could have also helped Mr. Durham tell his tale more succinctly. The novel is billed as being Noir in tradition. Noir novels are not verbose! This book is far too long for the tale it has to tell. Far too much time is spent on reinforcing images already introduced and established. I suspect this is in lieu of Mr. Durham actually working on character development. An example of lack of character development is in one of the key characters Joe Wagner. We end up seeing Joe be an asshole over and over again, rather than gain insight into his nature we are merely bludgeoned by it over much of the first quarter of the book. The point is very clear, Joe is an asshole. Even when insight into Joe's behavior is given, it is only given in a cursory fashion. Event A preceded event B which lead to event C. The other characters in Amarillo are often as thin in substance as the stereotypes they are drawn from. There is a drunk, who's only shaping influence seems to be that he is a recovering alcoholic, even when he is engaged in interesting and curious behaviors. There is a compulsive gambler who has two features, one he is in debt, and the other is he is angry, presumably due to the debt! There is the professional thief who inexplicably comes home to Amarillo and tries to "do the right thing" but turns to his profession when he needs money. Why return to Amarillo? Why now? Why start a new life doing the "right thing"? There are no answers and in fact these questions don't even get asked. We are expected not to look any deeper into these character's souls than the words on the page. Of the information provided there is little to like, or identify with in any of the half-dozen key characters. Hopefully the reader has, by sheer coincidence, something in common with the habits of one or more of these individuals. Emotions or thoughts are rarely illuminated. Even though I recognized the habits of the major protagonist, I never grew to like him. Fondness requires something more than recognition.I will not say this book is totally without merit. The denouement is nice, if you can call it a denouement, falling after the big trial for which the whole book seems a set up, but before the final excitement in the story. The love story is cute. The sex scenes (the loving sex scenes, I should clarify,as opposed to rape scenes) are worthy of a bad-sex-scene-writing award, if nothing else.In short, if a friend hadn't strongly suggested I buy this book, I wouldn't and I would have had far more enjoyable reading these last few weeks (I find it very hard to give up on ANY book.) The only possible place this book can go now is back to that very friend as I would never allow this book to leave my hands and end up in the hands of some other unsuspecting reader. I will insist my friend read it. I have to believe he has not. My friend will not be unsuspecting. I plan on telling him exactly what I think of this book! less

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