Jack Kerouac, �Tristessa�
Another weird one for me (and by the way, last night I dreamt John Cleese came into the store, but it was too busy for me to talk to him). As I started this book, I just KNEW it was going to suck, but at least I could console myself with the fact that it was really short.
And then, just a little past the halfway point, I suddenly gave a shit about what happened. This is a semi-diary of Kerouac living in Mexico and falling for a junkie girl, so there�s lots of fodder to play with here, but it doesn�t happen until page 40 or so. The main character (that would be Tristessa, you little monkeys), falls further and further into a junkie lifestyle and Kerouac can relate, even though he doesn�t get involved with the drugs himself.
It�s a nice narrative once you get into this area, and what�s more, it seems real � a bare-boned narrative about a girl destroying himself and one guy�s desire to stop it, though he knows that he�s powerless against her addiction.
Having spent way too many missions to �save� various girls over my life, I know the pain Kerouac feels, and I know the hopelessness of the situation that he describes. Unfortunately, since I�ve had these situations before, I also know how the story will end. And indeed, I was right on the mark. So I guess it would have been better if I had read this book ten years ago. Maybe then I wouldn�t be so bitter now.
The rating is variable: I guess it depends on how old you are. If you haven�t had your heart ripped out yet, it�s worth new, so you can have perspective. If you have, then it�s worth used, if only for the �I can relate� factor.
