The Grifters

Of all the “Pulp Fiction” novels listed, I chose The Grifters by Jim Thompson. How I came upon this decision out of the more popular novels is beyond me, however I am thoroughly satisfied with my selection. Although the quality of media may differ, I had the opportunity of reading the original novel and the opportunity to view the cinema-graphic rendition of the novel. The novel itself reveals how twisted and crazy the life of a con man, or woman, can become in some strange “love triangle” in which the mother con raises a son con who makes love with a “sister” (meaning fellow) con who despises the mother con. A type of three way deadlock which ends with a dark irony, leading the mother to her own insanity.
At first I had no idea what to expect from this novel, published in 1963, with hardly any indication of the time period, I assumed it was within that decade if not earlier. The settings lend themselves to the imagination within the boundaries of Los Angeles and other surrounding areas. However the way in which the story is told provides a clear and definitive placement of characters around different parts of Los Angeles. Also, the language adds a “sophisticated” slang to it, which helps set the shifty mood of the grift. I was even humored by some lines in the novel as some dialogue is used even today by our younger generation. “But--she shook herself mentally--to hell with that noise.”
What I received from the novel as it places itself in the generation it was published, and a book in itself, was that this opened up a whole new genre of action. A type of gritty twisted set of events that has a sense of suspense with a modern appeal. Its not like the usual story where the good guy gets the girl and changes the world. Which is far from the conclusion of the novel. It offers a new pathway for written work in which the “predictability” of all novels is somewhat eliminated, which really heightens the interest in the novel.