Edge City

by Sin Soracco

Fresh out of prison, Reno takes a job as a cocktail waitress at the Club Istanbul and becomes caught up in a world of sleazy sex, dope, blackmail, and murder.

Genres: Fiction, Crime

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1992

Reviews

[Victoria Law]

Edge City follows Reno, a white woman fresh out of prison. Except for an unfriendly parole officer, no one is waiting for her outside the prison walls. . She checks into a cheap hotel and worries about how to pay the rent. Her ex-girlfriend Susanna, who now goes by Su’ad the Fortunate, is working as a belly dancer in the rundown Club Istanbul. Although Susanna is none too thrilled to see her, Reno begins waitressing at the club, beginning the dreary hustle of trying to make ends meet without ending up back in prison. “She still had no money, no credit cards, no prospects,” we learn. “One step closer to crashing homeless on the streets or going back to jail. She grumbled: the only difference between the Royal Hotel and the joint was that no one leaned out of any of the cells at the Royal to greet her as she chuffed up the hall.”

As a dark noir Edge City isn’t without its extra layer of intrigue. While Reno waitresses for fifty-cent tips, she also hatches bigger, less-legal, plans. Although she’s the only parolee at the club, she’s not the only one scheming; nearly everyone Reno meets has ulterior motives. Reno is reminded of her lack of opportunities — as an ex-felon and a parolee — again and again. She has skills but “the law takes exception to them so I don’t use them.” Her talents at taking locks apart, disabling alarms and motion sensors, spotting the most valuable items in the room, do her no good in the professional job market. So where does that leave her?

My full review (a joint one with Slapped by Injustice) is here: http://www.newclearvision.com/2014/01...

[Camille McCarthy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. The style it was written in was super gritty and almost reminded me of "Naked Lunch" by William Burroughs in how it treated language at times. The story was both fast and really slow - it all takes place in only 2 or 3 nights and the dialogue makes it quick but I still felt like not much actually happened in the book. The ending felt really abrupt and confusing. I liked aspects of it and thought some of it was really interesting, but I also disliked the overall feel of the book and didn't relate much to the characters. This book just didn't seem like my cup of tea. Another thing that was odd was that I couldn't tell when or where it took place - at first I thought this was meant to be a dystopian/speculative fiction novel but then it seemed like it took place in our world but maybe in the past a little bit. I really couldn't tell. It did show some of the difficulties of coming out of prison and trying to get back into society.

[Krista Schandel · Rating 1 out of 5]

*fart noise*

[Morgan Rector]

I haven't quit a book for many years, but I found this one to be a tiresome read. The author was trying so hard to write cool and sound cool that it just came across as a pretentious bore. Just reminds me of all these shitty road trip movies from the 90s where Johnny and his girlfriend smoke cigarettes, drink Johnny Walker and live life on the run. It's like a failed attempt to amalgamate movies by David Lynch, Quentin Tarantino and Gus Van Sant and commit them to print. I read 35 pages and gave up. Don't even both with page 1.

[Mathew Walls · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book made me want to drink and smoke and steal things. It also made me really tense. The protagonist, Reno, is paranoid and its infectious. And like her, you know it's paranoia, but knowing doesn't lessen its effect. I really felt the noise and crowds of the club - or rather, the oppressive sense of them; that uncomfortable feeling of being in a room full of people you don't know and where you'd rather not be, where everything's too loud and everyone seems to know what's going on except you. I had to stop reading a couple of times because it was making me feel trapped.

[Friscomama · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main character, Reno, has just left jail on parole for burglary and her first appearance is in the office of her parole officer, who does not seem very helpful. She is required to get a job within the first week, but her only talent is in burglary. She is not motivated to look for any kind of job, believing she would only fail and waste her time with interviews.

She stays in a single room occupancy (SRO) where house rules include no food in your room, no visitors, and a 9:30 curfew. Reno does not have family, or real friends, but does meet up with someone she had met before who helps her get a job tending bar where the other woman works as a middle eastern dancer.

The workers, and owner, are into drugs, odd things happen with the money, from taking from the cash register to more elaborate mischief by the manager and owner.

There is no one Reno trusts, but she does end up getting involved in a series of troubles, maybe learning from all this, or maybe something else. You'll have to read it to find out.

[Andrew Ahn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Follow Reno as she steps out from behind bars and into the Nightclub life. Filled with the knowledge of belly dancing in Morocco Sin Soracco brings life to San Francisco nights in the late 80's. You almost feel like you were there, meeting those people, the greed, the wit, the danger and the beauty. Hard dialogue, hard life, brought alive for us to read and enjoy.

[Lori · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ended VERY abruptly.

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

the protagonist of this story made absolutely zero decisions…. she also had s*x with a minor…… this book was all aesthetic and no real substance.

[Dreia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book - it was kind of a guilty pleasure.