The Crooked Man

Philip Davison's The Crooked Man is not for the Mrs. Marple set. It is intellectually rigorous, witty -- as in Samuel Beckett -- and full of shades of gray that will upset Chuck Norris fans. It is a book for our times, when the world is full of black ops in support of morally questionable enterprises. I found this book thoroughly enjoyable. I disagree with the frequent observation that Davison is a "minimalist." They were wrong about Raymond Carver, too. What they probably mean is that the writing is spare, disciplined and full of punch, so that when he does use an image it is offset like the Ruby in Othello's ear. I am going to read all of his books now, and look forward to his next. The crime fiction genre, written by Davison, David Peace or Ian Rankin, must be reconsidered as serious literature.

I really liked this book, even though I felt guilty about it. Guilty because this guy is a major sinner. Throughout the entire novel, I couldn't decide if he was a good man who did bad things, or a bad man who did good things. Totally felt his loneliness, though, and the heart of a poet, albeit one who would slit your throat if he felt he had to. Wouldn't give it to my relatives to read but I would recommend it to people who think they hate the crime/spy/detective genre. This is written more as a work of literature than pulp fiction and I think it didn't get the attention it should have.

This novel is rather unlike anything I've ever read before. At best, I could compare it to Camus' The Stranger, as it shares the same dark, surreal quality of narrative. However, in The Crooked Man, the protagonist, Harry Fielding, does manage to make a hint of peace with his circumstances, but it's a hellish sojourn before he obtains even that much.Fielding is employed by the M15 to do someone else's dirty work, which puts him outside of the law, more or less. Although Fielding manages to escape the legal consequences reserved for ordinary citizens, his deeds do not go unpunished. As he goes through his existence making choices according to a half-anesthetized morality, he begins to become aware that he, as an individual entity, is being eclipsed by the shady manipulations of his unscrupulous boss. That sense of powerlessness breeds in him desperation, and as he makes his slow and steady way toward damnation, he discovers that potential exits are really deceptions that lead him back to his previous course and there are no u-turns to go back and undo past deeds. He also finds a singular yet grim consolation in knowing that he is not alone in being punished far more than he deserves, and becomes a sympathetic witness to the desperation, fear and suffering of others, from incidental strangers to his neighbors, friends and family. In the end, Fielding manages to thwart fatal resignation and comes to terms with his situation, acknowledging wryly the twisted means of his survival in a world dominated by desperation, confusion and moral ambiguity. Author Davison's pithy and direct writing style is effective in evoking the sense of desperation and confusion felt and witnessed by the narrator. It's also a notable accomplishment by the author to have been able to capture the protagonist's disorientation so effectively while making the novel so readable. Additionally, Davison has a much more profound understanding of irony then many of his contemporaries, which affords some of the novel's most quotable bits. He does an equally commendable job in creating sympathetic, believable, even haunting characters, including smaller, marginal ones such as the drunk carrying the bag of coal. These characters are disturbingly memorable, as they become as etched into the reader's mind as in the protagonist's. Overall, this is an excellent, recommendable book, providing a poignant and unforgettable narrative of a very flawed and very human individual making his 'crooked' way in a very grey world.

Even before I read the reviews of the others the word delicious had come into my mind - not exactly the way I would normally describe a book but after seeing it described as "lean but tasty" I new I was in the same mind frame as some of the other reviewers. Every page offered something new, it was never boring- it was refreshing - not wordy, drawn out - and the characters were themselves - in other words no matter what bizzareness they were involved in they seemed real - I really liked it!!

The Crooked Man is a good read. It's sparse, true, but some of us prefer our steak lean.I originally was going to post a glowing review of (Davison's) The Crooked Man on this page but I started reading some of the negative reviews and I began to doubt myself. It's funny how somebody else's opinion can spin yours, especially if you find yourself in the minority.But then I came to my wits and I want to say this- Yes, it is true that the story exercises lean prose, offers hints of a shady, violent world, and has a scumbag for a narrator but I ripped through the book in a little over 4 hours and was never bored.Per the writing: It's not for everybody. A lot of "big idea" themes: murder, kidnapping, family are delivered in very understated ways. In fact, it sort of reminds me of Irvine Welsh's stuff (Trainspotting, Acid House) but without the wacky dialect and over the top heart-racing style. But the writing is solid and consistent to the character of Harry Fielding (the scumbag in question). Harry, exposed to violence for most of his life, doesn't react to it the way you might expect but, deep inside, he is moved by events and witnessing a bunch of murders does transform him.In fact, I like Harry because he is a bit of a scumbag. A loser. He isn't the heroic type. He is a sub-operative for the government for God's sake so what kind of a hero could he be? His Universe (like the Universe of many people) is often empty and filled with the choice between greater or lesser evils. In Harry's case, even choosing the lesser evils (for example: choosing kidnapping and threatening instead of murder) can lead Harry to be harmed, maybe even killed. We watch Harry maneuver through a minefield of moral choices, sometimes numb and sometimes disgusted with himself. And yet, and this is the charm of the character, every once in a while he comes through for us, doing something heroic. Doubly heroic because he is not inclined to do such things.A couple of other things I want to touch on:The plot is terse and moves at a fair clip: murders, kidnappings, blackmail and violence keep suspense in the story and, in my mind, does not become redundant. Furthermore, we realize that anyone might die at any time, which makes things a more suspenseful.Another thing I liked was the narrative voice. Harry is the type of person who say, if he was talking to you at a bar, would rarely appear to be emotional. But the author, Davison, performs the neat trick of having the narrative content of the story betray Harry's fairly flat delivery. For example: Harry may never sound angry, even while he's being tortured, but he does tend to empathize with angry people. It seems as though he has to channel emotions, good and bad, through others. Also, his actions betray his seemingly lackadaisical attitude. For example: after witnessing a cabinet minister stab his mistress in the heart, Harry (by training) moves in to protect the man and can't really bring himself to lecture the minister but he d