In the summer of 1944, a shocking murder rocked the fledging Beats. William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac, both still unknown, were inspired by the crime to collaborate on a novel, a hard-boiled tale of bohemian New York during Word War II, full of drugs and art, obsession and brutality, with scenes and characters drawn from their own lives. Finally published after more than sixty years, this is a captivating read, an incomparable literary artifact, and a window into the lives and art of two of the twentieth century's most influential writers.
What I enjoyed about this book was the unique collaboration between the two writers. Kerouac wrote for the character Mike Ryko and Burroughs wrote for Will Dennison. The entire book was written in the first person, but almost every other chapter it would switch off between Mike or Will. In the top right hand corner of the page it would indicate which writer had written that particular chapter so there was never confusion when you came across the personal pronoun I, it was always crystal clear if I referred to either Mike or Will. The two characters hung out in the same group of friends so sometimes the chapters messed into the same storyline but it would be told differently because it was from a different character's point of view and it was written by a different author.
Here are some interesting quotes from the book:
"The bartender had the radio going. A news broadcaster was telling about a circus fire, and I heard him say, 'And the hippos were boiled to death in their tanks.' He gave these details with the unctuous relish characteristic of radio announcers." - Jack Kerouac
"For seven days she lay in bed looking sullenly at the ceiling as though resenting the death she had cultivated for so many years. Like some people who cannot vomit despite horrible nausea, she lay there unable to die, resisting death as she has resisted life, frozen with resentment of process and change. Finally as Phillip put it, 'She sort of petrified.'" - William S. Burroughs
