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That's How I Roll
by
Andrew Vachss (Goodreads Author)
Andrew Vachss, the master of hard-boiled fiction, returns with a deeply revealing new novel about an assassin whose love forced him to kill his own conscience.
Esau Till’s race is almost run. After pleading guilty to a series of homicides, he sits on death row, awaiting lethal injection. And writing his life story. But his memoir is no case study in tragedy—it’s his one las...more
Esau Till’s race is almost run. After pleading guilty to a series of homicides, he sits on death row, awaiting lethal injection. And writing his life story. But his memoir is no case study in tragedy—it’s his one las...more
Hardcover, 224 pages
Published
March 20th 2012
by Pantheon
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The average rating of this book is high, and I believe that is because Vachss attracts devoted readers. I'm not sure if I count in that group. I read all of his Burke books; they're about violence and child abuse. When I criticize his books, one of his fans will comment on it to chastise me. Don't bother, crazed fan! You are not Burke, neither am I; he doesn't exist in real life.
And that is my critique: Vachss' books are too far afield from Real Life. They romanticize killing child abusers. Some...more
And that is my critique: Vachss' books are too far afield from Real Life. They romanticize killing child abusers. Some...more
Esau Till is writing his memoir from prison - death row as a matter of fact. But he is a man with a plan, the state may take his life, but he will do anything within his power to make sure that his developmentally disabled brother Tory-Boy is taken care of after he is gone. The story is told in non-sequential order, with Esau in prison, finally caught as one of the premiere contract killers of his location. When one of his bombs kills a federal agent, they track him down and his fate is sealed....more
Vachss is recovering his voice after concluding the Burke series. His protagonist is, as always, a damaged yet honourable criminal. Set in a unnamed possibly southern rural community, Esau Till tells his story from death row. Fraternal love comparable that of Cal and Niko motivates extreme measures. Vachss's Burke books benefitted from the depth of characterization that only many years of development can bring; a single book, especially on this short, cannot do that. As always, Vachss shows us t...more
Book Review (ARC)
That’s How I Roll is an excellent book. Esau and Tory are brothers, born of an incestuous relationship between their father and sister. They are perfect compliments of each other. Tory has superhuman strength, but is mentally slow, while Esau has a genius IQ, but is confined to a wheelchair due to spina bifida. In an effort to protect his brother and ensure his future safety, Esau takes to building bombs and provides his services to rival mobs in the area. It’s only a matter of...more
That’s How I Roll is an excellent book. Esau and Tory are brothers, born of an incestuous relationship between their father and sister. They are perfect compliments of each other. Tory has superhuman strength, but is mentally slow, while Esau has a genius IQ, but is confined to a wheelchair due to spina bifida. In an effort to protect his brother and ensure his future safety, Esau takes to building bombs and provides his services to rival mobs in the area. It’s only a matter of...more
Full disclosure: I was able to read a copy of this book prior to its publication in preparation for an event I am hosting with the author.
Vachss' books should appeal to anyone who has read and enjoyed the Stieg Larsson Millennium books. Both writers explore brutal revenge, characters who write their own code of morality, and the role of crime and thriller fiction to serve a higher purpose. Readers will see a similarity in themes explored in both writers' works. I would argue that we wouldn't hav...more
Vachss' books should appeal to anyone who has read and enjoyed the Stieg Larsson Millennium books. Both writers explore brutal revenge, characters who write their own code of morality, and the role of crime and thriller fiction to serve a higher purpose. Readers will see a similarity in themes explored in both writers' works. I would argue that we wouldn't hav...more
There was a tangled narrative thread to this and for a long time I wasn't sure we were ever going to have a story. I didn't like the way the whole book was arranged into little chapterlets running anyplace from a paragraph to a page and a half. It was all fits and starts and I almost didn't have the patience to get to enough information to make it interesting. I also -- and I guess this is just personal taste -- found it very annoying that the narrator called his brother "Tory-boy" for the whole...more
It's not the first time a story is told from the point of view of the murderer himself, but "That's How I Roll" is no less interesting for reviving this technique. Esau Till's voice has a lyrical quality which draws in the reader slowly, like sinking into molasses. I felt it took a bit longer than necessary to get to the meat of the story, which is one of the reasons I gave it only 4 stars, but it's fascinating all the way through and worth the journey. Perhaps, Esau's plans go a little too ofte...more
Vachss is back to his Burke series intensity and depth with this book as far as I am concerned. The hero is on death row relating his series of events and his plan for making sure his developmentally slow brother is safe and cared for after his death. You may not believe what these people have seen and been a part of in their lives. And that's just it...neither one uses it as a handicap; they accept and go on...and plan as Esau feels needs done. And Esau was born with spina bifida as well. Tory-...more
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That's How I Roll by Andrew Vachss (Pantheon Books 2012)(fiction - mystery) is the author's newest book. I've read almost all of his "Burke" series and a couple of his other books, but this is a stand-alone novel. Our protagonist here is on death row, in a wheelchair, and has only one goal in life: to protect and provide for the narrator's only relation, a mentally-challenged man-child named "Torrey-Boy," after the narrator is gone. This protagonist is a more sympathetic character than Burke was...more
This is an absurdly weird book. To be sure, I'm sure there's weirder out there. But it's not even as interesting as it clearly should be.
Andrew Vachss is certainly an original with his writing style, I will give him that. However, the real story doesn't even begin until 50 pages. Then, since you already know what happens if you read the inside flap, the story lags with 50 pages left to go. It's a miracle I waded through everything.
It gets bumped up a star for having a few quotes I did mark.
If y...more
Andrew Vachss is certainly an original with his writing style, I will give him that. However, the real story doesn't even begin until 50 pages. Then, since you already know what happens if you read the inside flap, the story lags with 50 pages left to go. It's a miracle I waded through everything.
It gets bumped up a star for having a few quotes I did mark.
If y...more
Meh. There's not really much of a plot beyond a character telling what has brought him to Death Row, and the story feels sloppy and haphazard. Cliches abound - the hooker with a heart of, the healing power of sex, and so on. It's a book. not sorry I read it, but not thrilled about it either. I'm not familiar with the author's other works but this just feels somewhat phoned in.
The characters are amazingly well-developed--"warts and all." I can't call this a page-turner because of the autobiographical nature of the novel, but it is definitely intriguing.
The story is simultaneously gritty, disturbing, and sweet.
(Listened to the audiobook. The narrator is a great match in voice, accent and inflection.)
The story is simultaneously gritty, disturbing, and sweet.
(Listened to the audiobook. The narrator is a great match in voice, accent and inflection.)
Andrew Vachss writes about evil and the men that do it. This book features Esau Till and his brother, Tory-boy. Esau is a contract killer for the local mob bosses. He loves his brother beyond words. Esau has spina bifida and is confined to a wheelchair; Tory-boy is big and handsome, but suffers serious developmental difficulties. They witness their father kill their mother, who is also their sister. They never had a chance in life, but they survive, doing what is needed. Esau is captured after h...more
Pretty much what I expected -- raw and overwrought. It's a variation on what Vacchs does over and over again: a killer with a heart of gold protects defenseless victims from ubiquitous evil. This time it's George protecting Lennie with a load of C-4. I think I'm done with Vacchs unless he finds a new pond to fish in.
I read that this author has written several books, all for children. He needs to stick to children's books. Not only was this book boring it was not believable.
My litmus test of a book is whether I would recommend it to anyone else. In this case as resounding NO!
My litmus test of a book is whether I would recommend it to anyone else. In this case as resounding NO!
This is not one of the Burke series, but the main character reminds me of Burke. Vachss is a master at making the reader sympathetic to a crook who has certain principles. I never miss a Vachss book.
Andrew Vachss becomes a better writer with each book. His characters are more of him than many writers but there are so few writers like him that it is not all that unnerving. His plots pack plenty of punch, the pace is amazing and his characters are complex. His stories are not stories that exist elsewhere in literature and he is always worth a read in my book - plus the money always funds a good cause.
Vachss is best at relating events with gut-level prose, whether it's a Burke novel or an effort such as this - a character study of an unusual death-row in mate. The structure felt a little choppy, but Vachss always portrays characters down to the bone and the same is true here.
First Vachss read, slow start but steadily moved along. Story of two brothers, one a genius with spina bifida (and bomb maker) and the other with apparent super human strength but mentally challenged. Mob, bikers, nazis, and a touch of romanticism.
May 13, 2012
Jayw
added it
Born with spina bifida and confined to wheel chair, bomb making assassin takes look back at his life from death row. Seems pretty happy with decisions made along the way. Strangely touchingstory.
That's How I Roll got off to a slow start but then got progressively better.
I have read all of Vachss' books and wish he would resurrect the Burke series.
That was by far his best work.
I have read all of Vachss' books and wish he would resurrect the Burke series.
That was by far his best work.
I am a huge fan of Mr. Vachss, but I think this one could have been improved with a little editing. To me it felt like there was a bit of repetitiveness. To my mind, it would have made a better novella than a full fledged novel.
I would actually give this book 2.5 stars. It was OK. The beginning was rambling, but there were moments when the story picked up and I really enjoyed it. However, it was pretty inconsistent as a whole.
STUNNING!
Writing from Death Row, Esau explains how his life's meaning is in protecting Tory-boy, his developmentally delayed younger brother. I was blown away by this one.
Writing from Death Row, Esau explains how his life's meaning is in protecting Tory-boy, his developmentally delayed younger brother. I was blown away by this one.
I love Andrew Vachss. I probably would love him even if he wasn't such a great storyteller. He wears a freaking eye patch. How badass is that? This was a great story told from the point of view of Esau Till a paid assassin confined to a wheelchair for his whole life due to spina bifida. Till tells the story of how he ended up on death row. I can't wait to start the Burke series. A great writer.
Surprised by how much I actually liked this one. Started it with no real expectation other than something to read while I'm in a a reading slump.
This is basically the written confession of a wheelchair-bound professional bomber, Esau Till, who is creating his last bomb while on death row.
Liked it, but wasn't wild about it like almost all of his other books. Usually Vachss hooks me in the first few pages and it's a must-read till the end. This one just didn't have that fire.
Vachss doesn't know how to write easy novels, just superb ones. Gritty, insightful, happy and profoundly sad all at the same time.
One of the best I have read by Vachss. One of the themes throughout his books is about loyalty amongst thieves, this one just ha[[ens to be the brother. Love it!
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Andrew Vachss has been a federal investigator in sexually transmitted diseases, a social-services caseworker, a labor organizer, and has directed a maximum-security prison for “aggressive-violent” youth. Now a lawyer in private practice, he represents children and youths exclusively. He is the author of numerous novels, including the Burke series, two collections of short stories, and a wide varie...more
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