July/August 2012 Group Read: Absolute Zero Cool

[John]

Gerard wrote: "I see that Declan Burke's new work, 'Slaughter's Hound', is continuing on from his earlier, 'Eight Ball Boogie', and will, I expect, be in the more familiar crime genre mode.
Is 'Absolute Zero Coo..."

Gerry,
I can see how a new novel could carry on from EightBall Boogie, because the main character can easily lend himself to a series.

At first, when thinking about if AZC could be sustained as a series, my opinion was that it would be difficult. However, who knows? If Declan Burke has created other characters in manuscripts he has put to one side, and who regularly come back to haunt him, it could make a good series.

[John]

Robin,

"So I think Burke's inclusion of the 'writer's retreat', which provides no real peace and retreat, is a perfect setup for this story unfolding."

Have you been on a writer's retreat yourself?

[Robin]

Gerry,

I agree with John that AZC could be a series, with 'cast-aside' characters. Not sure it would have the same oomph this one has, because it was unexpected the first time. Guess it would depend on how it was done, but still, the surprise of it was part of the fascination, for me, anyway. I'm looking forward to reading a more traditional crime novel from Burke now, to see what his take is on the classic form(ula).

John,

Nope - never been on an author's retreat, but I've been crazy-busy enough at times in my life when I fervently wished for a couple of weeks alone in a cabin in the woods, or at the beach! So I get the need for retreat, but I'm pretty sure there'd be some intrusions!

[John]

Just a little point I'd like to make. Many Irish crime novels are still bogged down in the times of the troubles. Some of them are good, but it seems to be becoming more and more difficult to write that sort of story from a new perspective. Would you agree that, based on the evidence in this novel, Declan Burke's writing is a sign that the country has moved on?

[Gerard]

John,
An excellent point. It is interesting that there were actually very few crime novels coming out of the North of Ireland during the troubles, say in the 70's and 80's.
There were a few notable exceptions, of course, but most 'troubles' stories by Irish writers came out after the ceasefires, from the mid-90's onwards.
I found most of these disappointing, anyway; too many stereotypes, cardboard characters, fanatics and psychos.
Declan's book does give a passing mention to an organisation which has minimal impact on the real world of today. Ten or fifteen years ago, this would usually have been a crucial plot point, with an organisation capable of having a major impact on everyday life.
I don't know if Declan Burke made any conscious decisions in this regard but the fact that this novel can claim its own ground without the troubles crutch is refreshing and, indeed, indicative that 'normality' is what we are coming to expect.
That's not to say that authors should necessarily avoid the troubles but, if they take that route, they will increasingly be expected to show us something new.

[John]

Gerry,

That's an interesting point that very few crime novels came out in the North of Ireland during the troubles. I agree with you that this novel can claim its own ground.

[Gerard]

John,

Although AZC doesn't rely on the predictable Irish troubles background, I read it as, intrinsically, an Irish book. The attitudes of the various characters, the economic collapse, the failing Health Service, the paradox between the bureaucratic and the 'circumvent the system' mindsets are all very recognisable, and true.
Of course, much of this is universal, so should also ring true in other places, but there is something about the writing which marks it to me as Irish.
That may make it more accessible to Irish readers, but it should add an extra layer of interest for the non -Irish reader. I know I like to read books from other places and cultures (usually in translation), so I would heartily recommend this book to any non-Irish reader who wants a sideways insight to Irish society that they won't get from many of the best sellers.

[Robin]

The first Irish crime novel that I read was a few years ago now - Stuart Neville's The Ghosts of Belfast/The Twelve. I liked his twist on the troubles. (I don't claim to be an expert in this area, however, as my family hasn't lived in Ireland since the 1840's, other than the relatives still there, that I don't know...)

[Robin]

John, What you said about Burke's novel: the paradox between the bureaucratic and the 'circumvent the system' mindsets are all very recognisable, and true. definitely rings true in my experience, in the States. Rings true in my family, absolutely. We both appreciate and denigrate "the man". Personally, after having worked in DC for a number of years, bureaucrats, at least the American versions thereof, don't thrill me, to put it mildly...

[Robin]

Oops, Gerard said that above - sorry, guys!

[Gerard]

Robin,

do you think the novel would be easily transposed to an American setting? Is there any particular area in the USA that would be most suitable? East/west, north/south, urban/rural?

[Robin]

I'm not sure, Gerard - though I do think that's an attitude you could use in an "American" novel quite easily. But I agree - the tone and feel of Burke's novel feels Irish to me. I like that.

[John]

Robin wrote: "Oops, Gerard said that above - sorry, guys!"

No problem!

[John]

Robin wrote: "John, What you said about Burke's novel: the paradox between the bureaucratic and the 'circumvent the system' mindsets are all very recognisable, and true. definitely rings true in my experience, ..."

I have had some experience with D.C. myself. The closest thing I can compare it to in Europe is Brussels and there aren't very many thrilling bureaucrats there either.

[Robin]

Birds of a feather. Yeah - some personality types are international, aren't they?!

[John]

I noticed yesterday that Declan Burke has posted the first (short) chapter of his new novel, Slaughter's Hound, on his blog. Here's the link: http://crimealwayspays.blogspot.fr/20...

[Robin]

John,

Thanks for the heads up - just went and read. Love the lyrical yet incisive prose. To me, that's a hallmark of good Irish fiction, and NOBODY does it better than a good Irish writer.

Also love the tagline on Declan Burke's blog: "may contain hype". Made me smile.

[Gerard]

Yes, it may be a different type of book (who knows?) but the brief intro certainly displays the same sure touch that we see in AZC.
Here is the last part of the intro:

The blast smashed me ten feet into a heap of scrap metal, left me deafened and half blind, limbs rubbery as I scrabbled around ripping my hands on rusty steel. Stunned and flopping in the aftermath of a quake that tore my insides apart
lie down stay down
lungs pounded by hammers O Jesus breathe, breathe and a roaring in the ears of blood tortured to a scream
‘Dad?’
coming tinny and distant
‘Dad? Are you there?’
the phone two feet and a million miles away, dirt thick in my teeth
‘I think you’re breaking up, Dad …’
and the taste of roasting flesh and metal thick on my tongue.
A hot knife pierced my ribs as I reached for the phone.
‘Ben?’ A harsh grating. ‘Ring you back, Ben.’
I lurched to my feet on spongy knees and stumbled across the yard towards the blaze. The air all a-shimmer so that his feet looked submerged, some weirdly wavering polyps. One of his moccasins came away as I pulled him free and at first I thought I’d ripped him in half. Then I thought he’d dropped a dwarf on the cab. Strange the things you think when you’re trying not to think at all, dragging a man from a torched wreck and his flesh frying in lumps on the melting tar.
As I twisted my head, guts already heaving, I realised why he seemed so short.
He’d dived, come down arrow-straight, in the final instant pulling back his arms so that the impact drove his head and shoulders back up into his chest. There was still some remnant of what had once been his neck but the head had pulped like so much ripe melon.
I puked until the heaves came dry and then rang it in. Globs of grey grease spitting on the cab’s skeletal frame.

[Kaci]

Hi all. Just hit the middle of this book and I have to say that it is unlike anything I've ever read before. I can't decide yet if I like it or not but I'm certainly going to keep reading. I feel like it's definitely one I have to read another time or two to really comprehend everything that's happening. I am however having a hard time understanding why there's so much talk about the different gods and goddesses. I feel like it throws me off the plot when those moments come up. Any thoughts on why they are in there?

[Gerard]

Kaci

I think it adds to the delight of the book the plot isn't predictable, and a character is always likely to change its direction at the most unexpected points.
I can't say for sure why some things are included, (only Declan Burke could have a stab at that one), but I would say I enjoyed the extra layers that prowl around the pages.
Like you, I wasn't sure where it was all leading to, but then I decided to not worry about that too much and just enjoyed each page as it came.
John Gaynard gave us all very good advice when he suggested turning back to read the first chapter after finishing the book.

Please come back to let us know how you feel about the rest of the book.

[John]

Kaci,

When I read Declan Burke's books I'm always aware that he's making an enormous number of references to other books, ancient and modern, and other writers. I manage to understand some of them, but not all.

I think the best answer to your question comes from a review that was written in the Irish Indepdendent on August 13, 2011 (http://www.independent.ie/entertainme...)

Here are three paragraphs I think relevant to your question:

Begin quote
It's all very surreal, calling to mind books like The Third Policeman... John Banville got it right when he described this book as a cross between Raymond Chandler and Flann O'Brien. Burke has a rich understanding and appreciation of the history of noir, adding in zingy one-liners and quips aplenty.

He peppers the novel with layers and layers of literary references, including 'lines of the day' to define the day he has had, which vary from Cyril Connolly's pram in the hallway to Aristotle's 'no excellent soul is exempt from a mixture of madness'.

Meanwhile, Karlsson is writing an imaginary book which includes the history of the Greek gods, which in turn calls to mind John Banville's latest novel The Infinities. Burke uses these incidental stories to reflect facets of his own book, pitying Orpheus, who had the misfortune of being redrafted by Virgil, Plato and Ovid, while he himself is redrafting his character Karlsson.
End quote

The challenge of reading such a book, of course, is that, while many of the literary references will have some of the readers rolling around on the floor, other readers will find them a distraction from the plot. In his latest book, Slaughter's Hound, it seems that Burke has adopted a more traditional noir format (although I won't be sure of that until I've read it!).

I hope this helps.
John

[John]

Robin wrote: "John,

Thanks for the heads up - just went and read. Love the lyrical yet incisive prose. To me, that's a hallmark of good Irish fiction, and NOBODY does it better than a good Irish writer.

Also l..."

Robin,

The "may contain hype" tagline makes me smile too. That sort of attitude often puts me in mind of the Czech writer Bohumil Hrabal. When Hrabal died, "he was buried in an oak coffin with the inscription Pivovar Polná (Polná Brewery), the brewery where his mother and stepfather met." (Wikipedia ref.)

[Gerard]

Robin

I'm expecting the prose to be just as lyrical and incisive in his new book, Slaughter's Hound. See what the publisher's say below:

Harry Rigby is right there, an eye-witness when Finn Hamilton walks out into the big nothing nine stories up, but no one wants to believe Finn is just the latest statistic in Ireland’s silent epidemic. Not Finn’s mother, Saoirse Hamilton, whose property empire is crumbling around her; and not Finn’s pregnant fiancé, Maria, or his sister Grainne; and especially not Detective Tohill, the cop who believes Rigby is a stone-cold killer, a slaughter’s hound with a taste for blood . . .

By the way, what is a slaughter's hound? Is it the mean one they bring in to make the kill, after the less blood-thirsty hounds have brought the prey down?

Welcome to Harry Rigby’s Sligo, where death comes dropping slow.

Studded with shards of black humour and mordant wit, Slaughter’s Hound is a gripping noir from one of the most innovative voices in Irish crime fiction.

[Gerard]

Oops1

I meant to add this at the end, not in the middle of the Publisher's blurb -sorry.


By the way, what is a slaughter's hound? Is it the mean one they bring in to make the kill, after the less blood-thirsty hounds have brought the prey down?

[Robin]

Wow- I didn't even think about what a slaughter's hound actually IS!

I Googled around just now - saw an Irish name, Archu, for "hound of slaughter"...

[Gerard]

That sounds right, Robin. Ár can be used for slaughter, massacre or any general wallowing in blood and entrails. Cú is an older word for a hound, so put both together and they become 'árchú'.

[[deleted user]]

I have been trying to read this book for the group read. I'm about 20% in and I just can't seem to get attached. I know everyone seems to love it....it's just not coming together for me. I'm not hooked, amused, or horrified....I'm just "what the heck?"

[Gerard]

Lori
It is certainly unlike most crime novels I have read, and when I tried to categorise it, for myself, I had the 'what the heck' moment as well. However, I just started to enjoy the writing as it appeared in front of me, without worrying too much about 'what it means'.
In the end, I enjoyed the writing and, I think, appreciated some of the many layers that hide in this book.
If you make it to the end, please come back and let us know what you make of it.

[[deleted user]]

Gerard wrote: "Lori
It is certainly unlike most crime novels I have read, and when I tried to categorise it, for myself, I had the 'what the heck' moment as well. However, I just started to enjoy the writing as i..."
Thanks Gerard. I will do that. I hope I didn't sound rude. I was just puzzled because I'm having a difficult time making sense of it all.

[Gerard]

Lori

You really did not sound rude at all.
I think the Group read is very useful because it gives people a nudge to read something that they may not otherwise have picked up, but that doesn't mean you aren't allowed to be puzzled.
I found this book a puzzle as well but, ultimately, I enjoyed it; perhaps exactly because it is different to what I would usually read.

[Dsknott]

Its late late August, but could I throw another question out? Is AZC a story of a character (the narrator) in the throws of a mental breakdown? Does Karlsson/Billy exist outside his mind? I.e., how much of this is Fight Club-inspired?

This is what I enjoyed so much about the book. The humor and characters' reflections are self-contained and entertaining, so we don't really need to answer the question about what is "the reality" of this fiction. I loved it from a "let it flow over you" perspective, and got a lot of laughs. The college student in me is wondering if I missed a key to how to interpret the relationship between Billy/K and the narrator. Loved this book!