Lush Life: A Novel

Often, in my own personal grading system, a novel about crime and punishment that isn't by Dostoevsky, nearly always loses a point for that reason. Whether I bought the book in an airport may or may not, but usually does lose another star. "Lush Life" is not Dostoevsky, but it is a grand and humane novel about a crime that is committed at the beginning of the book, is the story of the police investigation into the murder, and is told largely from the point of view of at least one of the characters most intimately involved in the case. "Crime and Punishment" is told mostly through the killer's point of view and "Lush Life" is told mainly through one police detective's POV. Forays into the interior monologues of other characters are upstaged by our anguished detective's - this may not be entirely intentional by the author - and his moral crisis (all novels about cops must be about moral crisis of one kind or another). Other similarities invite the comparison. And even though it is not a great Russian novel, "Lush Life" is a novel about place - New York City - that approaches greatness in its pitch-perfect portrayal of the interior life of people in and of that city.But since it is literature, and even great literature can seem tedious at times, a potential reader might be wary that he/she would have to bring too much energy to reading the novel. Don't worry about that. This book is immediately engaging on many levels. Full of suspense and uncertainty - a novel told from the head of a NYPD detective could hardly avoid that - "Lush Life" is, among other things, a nail-biter story that passionately and primarily describes a police investigation into a murder that occurred in the lower east side of Manhattan, without sentimentality, but with the tenderest possible empathy for nearly all the characters, good guys and bad guys alike. The prose is diamond-sharp and satisfying without being self-conscious as so many works of "literary fiction" are. And it's realistic to the tiniest detail. In fact, I've never read or seen any books, films, television shows, etc., that even come close to describing the way things are actually done.Although it would be misleading to call this "genre" fiction, If you are interested in the genre fiction about crimes, that also happens to be (great?) literature, this is the book for you. Although the story follows a familiar - but not quite formulaic - trajectory, it is not a cookie-cutter airport book, even if you buy it in an airport. The accomplished craft with which the novel is made makes "Lush Life" satisfying in a way most books of this genre cannot approach.

"Lush Life" appears on many lists as a must-read novel, praised for its vibrant dialog and gutsy, no-holds-barred punch. I appreciated it for that earthy quality. Author Price (who also co-wrote the HBO mini-series "The Wire," is incredibly good at getting the cadence of dialogue right. He's like David Mamet in understanding the back and forth, ebb and flow of "huhs" and shrugs, profanity and "dunnos" --all things that minor novelists just can't translate to the page. It's not like Elmore Leonard, who is brighter with the patter. This is deeper material, hinting at a thought process that the reader must delve into.The plot is serviceable enough. It involves a bunch of losers going nowhere (including the cops) and one bright guy, Ike Marcus, who is definitely on his way up and out of New York's Lower East Side. However, a bungled robbery intrudes. A gun goes off, and it's Ike who dies. The rest of the book involves the agonizingly slow attempts to close the case when no one wants to talk, the police top brass show themselves to be idiots, the grieving parents are leeches, and the two other survivors really don't know what they saw.Had Price sustained the suspense for just long enough and wrapped the book up at a satisfying point, I'd give this book five stars. Instead, he begins to meander through the psyches of all the characters. Believe me, there's not that much in their heads to view. All of them are hopeless and a protracted look at their hopelessness is not only depressing, it makes boring reading. When Price finally wraps up the case, he insists on delving into an unnecessary denouement to tie up loose ends, giving the the end a rootless, floating feeling.This is a masterwork for anyone working on dialog. There is some brilliant stuff here. But it is far and away from the masterpiece that I was led to expect.

I had high hopes for this novel. It was extremely well-written, but it seemed like an also-ran in a lot of categories of crime stories. It seemed neither hyper-literary nor hyper-enveloping. I rated 4 for the syntax and flow, but I was engaged in much of any way with the characters. Just disappointing in the end.I also really hoped to get a better understanding (although this is fiction) of the lower-east side in NYC and its history. I had seen reviews that mentioned that. This is IMO not at all a significant aspect to this book. That's fine, but don't come expecting it. It pays lip service to multiculturalism in shifting neighborhoods. There's a burned-up synagogue somewhere, but these are mostly just settings and, to me, at least, not key plot elements.

Expectedly pacy. But Original story kept everything at a Steady momentum!

Very New York, I assume, and I did not find it compelling. Lent it to a mate and he thought similarly.

What makes this book such a compelling read is not the plot, which is given up front, but the writing and characters. Prices prose flows like reality mimicing how people talk and how people think. This book is a terrific read and will appeal to anyone who likes a gritty, american detective story.

Der Realismus des Buches ist unvergleichlich; man fühlt sich, als wäre man selbst Teil der Lower East Side und des ewigen Katz und Maus Spiels zwischen Polizei und kriminellen. Wie dieses Buch allerdings auf deutsch übersetzt werden konnte, ist mir ein Rätsel - das scheint wegen des Slang unmöglich.

日本に居ながらニューヨークの今に瞬間移動できる楽しみがあります。日本語訳の「黄金の街」を読み始めたところで、これではつまらないと感じて原本を読みました。意味がよくわからない会話では日本語訳が役に立ちますが、味わいは原書に限ります。