The Expendable Man FINISHING Thoughts/Discussion Questions

[Karen]

Here we can discuss our thoughts/discussion questions on finishing 'The Expendable Man'.

[Cam]

Just finished the novel, definitely not what I expected in a genre that I haven't really read since my teenage years. I enjoyed the style, with the writing flowing easily and the rhythm well managed. However, it's difficult to give a high rating to a novel which has more sympathetic descriptions of racists than doctors carrying out abortions. Page 326 nearly brought this down to 2*, I've read more progressive 12th century literature...
Overall, a mixed bag, and not one to entice me back to reading crime stories.

[Pamela]

I really enjoyed this, I wavered between 3 and 4 stars, but settled on 4 as I really liked her writing. The descriptions of Phoenix and the desert, the heat, the motel and the shack in the countryside - it felt like a Noir film from the era and I loved that.

I guess the plot seems a little predictable nowadays, the early twist was quite obvious although I'm sure it would have been more unusual and challenging when it was written. I thought the author got inside Hugh's head well to show his panic and helplessness.

Really glad the group picked this one as something different, and I would probably have overlooked it otherwise.

[Susan]

I enjoyed this even more the second time through. I appreciated Ellen’s presence in the story as a strong woman character with her own contribution to make. And I wondered at the irony that the killer might never have been caught if he hadn’t tried to cast blame on someone else.

[Suki]

I really wondered about Hugh in the beginning of the book, why he felt so threatened by the carloads of teenagers and why they would even bother noticing him, and why he was so nervous about having the girl in his car, that people would notice the differences between them. I was busy wondering about his past, whether he had some history of trouble with the police. Hughes had to pretty much hit me over the head with the race angle near the end of Chapter 2 before I grasped the situation and understood his discomfort. For the rest of the book, my emotions swung back and forth between feeling that there was no way even Venner could believe in his guilt to fearing that race hatred would overcome the truth of the case and he truly would be expendable. I love Hughes' writing-- In a Lonely Place is a particular favorite. A lot of her titles are out of print, and can be quite difficult/expensive to find. I would love to see a collection of her works published.

[Pamela]

That's really interesting, Suki, I must admit the race issue sprang into my mind immediately. Probably because the way the story was framed reminded me of other books/films I'd read/seen. I thought Hughes wrote that beginning really well though,

[[deleted user]]

I read this one several years ago, but it has had a lasting impression on me. I felt something was "odd" but didn't know what until his race was revealed. Then my heart dropped, because, professional man or not, who would believe his denials? Great book and has not really aged at all, despite it's mid 20th century first publication.

[Susan]

Suki wrote: "I really wondered about Hugh in the beginning of the book, why he felt so threatened by the carloads of teenagers and why they would even bother noticing him, and why he was so nervous about having..."

I really love her writing in this book. I’ve got to read In A Lonely Place, but any others you’d recommend, Suki?