Dead Girl Blues | Lawrence Block

episode SUMMARY:

In this episode of the Books for Men podcast, host Douglas Vigliotti discusses the book Dead Girl Blues by Lawrence Block. Vigliotti highlights the unconventional nature of the book and the fact that Block chose to self-publish it. He shares a quote from Block in which the author acknowledges that the book may not be commercially appealing and may put off some readers, but he believes it is one of the best things he has ever written. Vigliotti explains that the book starts with a graphic scene of rape and murder, which presents a challenge for readers to sympathize with the protagonist. He praises Block for taking on such a difficult subject matter and explores the challenges of writing a novel like this one. Vigliotti concludes by emphasizing he does not condone any acts of violence or sexual abuse against women, but he does support artists who tackle difficult subjects. Vigliotti encourages listeners to share the podcast and support the mission of inspiring more men to read.

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Welcome back to Books for Men, a podcast to inspire more men to read and bring together men who do. So coming off of last week's episode one in which I went on a big tirade about free speech and why it matters and self-censorship and artists, and hopefully them having the power and strength to write the stories that they need to write and record the songs they need to record and film the films they need to film. And I do think that that is an issue that we face in modern society and with modern art. But I don't want to rehash last week's episode. I only opened this up with that because this week I wanted to share with you a book that was definitely written by a writer who was pushing back or expressing themselves against all industry standards or what would be typically appropriate or acceptable for a commercial fiction novel, I guess.

(01:08)

And you're probably wondering what I mean by all that, and I will get to that shortly. But first, let me just share the book with you. Of course. It's Dead Girl Blues by Lawrence Block, and it's a really short novel at about 220 pages. Came out in 2020 and of course you probably recognize the author's name. He's been an extremely prolific author for a very long time. He's written, I don't know, a hundred books or more, maybe mostly novels, but also shorts and memoirs and written under different pen names. He actually started his career in writing soft-core porn novels, believe it or not, under different pen names, but then eventually found himself a home in crime fiction, probably most known for his Matthew Scudder series. He won Anthony's, Edgar’s, and Shamus’ and every award possible for a crime writer including Lifetime Achievement Awards.

(02:02)

And this is a career, as I mentioned, probably spans over 60 years. Now, typically you don't hear me give such a big bio for the author that I'm sharing. I did that because the book that I'm sharing with you, you would think that an author of his caliber would be able to have this book published somewhere. But in fact, he chose to publish this novel on his own. While I can't verify the reason why he chose to do that, I do believe it has to do with what the book is about, how the book starts, and thematically what the book is attempting to deal with just wasn't appealing for modern literature. Now, this is an assumption on my end, but I can't figure out why else he would publish this book on his own. Again, given his background and his credentials and just his name, right?

(02:57)

I mean, his name alone should be enough for someone to publish the novel. Now, I don't know how actively he was trying to publish it through a house versus just doing it on his own, but nonetheless, he did it on his own. Now, what I can confirm is something that he wrote on his website about the book, and I pulled it, of course, I'm going to read it here because I think it's an appropriate way to lead into what the book is actually about and more specifically why I shared it with you. So here's what he said about it. “I don't think it's terribly commercial and there are elements that will put off a lot of readers, but see, Dead Girl Blues doesn't owe me a thing. I hadn't planned to write it, so it doesn't have to bring in money to justify the time I spent on it. The book is its own justification. I'll publish it myself on my 82nd birthday, and all of y'all can buy it or not buy it, read it or not read it, and like it or not like it. I've shown it to some friends whose opinions I trust, and they told me that Dead Girl Blues is one of the very best things I've ever written. And then they added, they could see where it might have problems. So I read it again last week and I realized that Dead Girl Blues was exactly the book I wanted it to be. And how often does that happen and what more could an old man possibly ask for?” So one, how cool is that quote? But two, how amazing is it that he actually took the initiative to publish the book in spite of knowing that it could be problematic for a lot of readers, but confident in the art itself and the intentionality behind the project to know that he executed on what he was trying to do.

(04:37)

I think that is the coolest thing ever. When I hear a writer or an artist talk about their process, and it's cool when they say, I found it as I was going, but when they have a vision in their head and they're able to bring that vision to life, it might just be a tad more impressive to me. Now, I know that that's not the same for everyone, but the idea that you have this vision in your head of something you're trying to create, and then you lay the foundation brick by brick and build the story, the house, the song, whatever it is, and it comes out exactly how you want it to be. To me, that's super, super impressive. And I love hearing that about this book because it takes a lot of guts to write it. So at this point, you're probably wondering what the book's about.

(05:26)

And since I've been doing a couple of firsts in this episode, like giving a longer bio and reading a direct quote from the website, I'll continue on that and read the back cover copy I guess from the website because I think it articulates the book perfectly. And rather than have me butcher it, I think that that's probably a good idea. So here it is. “Lawrence Block's new novel is not for everyone. It's recounted in journal form by its protagonist and begins when he into a roadhouse outside of Bakersfield, California, and walks out with a woman. And rapes and murders her. But not in that order. But it's what he does with the rest of his life that's really interesting.” So right now, I could imagine there's at least half of you cringing knowing that the book is about that or after, or while I was reading it, I should say.

(06:19)

But here's the big reason why I wanted to share it. The novel obviously starts off with that very graphic scene about the protagonist, and the author really paints himself into a corner because how are you supposed to root for this protagonist after you watch him commit this heinous, terrible, brutal act of violence and get away with it? Really, that is what the book is about. Essentially, what is it like for this man to lead his life after committing such a big mistake? And you're probably thinking what a lot of people are thinking in that there is nothing that this person could ever do that's going to make you be sympathetic towards him or empathize with his situation or like him at all. This is why the book is problematic for a reader and why you might have a problem publishing it or why you might turn off a lot of readers right away because the author puts himself in a corner and how does he get out of this corner?

(07:35)

This is very rare inside of novels. Most novels will lead potentially with a crime or something, but it's vague. You're not asking me to then root for this protagonist for the rest of the novel. And that's what makes it so challenging. And so for anyone who really enjoys craft or is a novelist, this is a great teacher for how you get yourself out of the biggest corner that you can possibly get in with a reader. And it's just one that I've grown to appreciate on that level alone. But where the novel goes is as indicated, super interesting and a challenge to wrap your head around any individual being in the predicament that this protagonist finds himself in. And I don't want to spoil anything, but he ends up having a family of his own, children of his own, hiding with this secret in the back of his mind.

(08:35)

And what happens to this protagonist and what does he do with it? And I think I've given you enough and maybe you kind of gather what the name or the title of the book actually means. Now, dead Girl Blues, for the sake of not ruining the novel, I don't want to keep talking here, and I do want to just make it that I don't support rape or murder or sexual abuse or acts of violence on women in any shape or form, not even close. I think it's completely unforgivable and something that I find appalling and I don't condone it at all. I think that goes without saying. But what I do support and I will reiterate and close with is any artist or writer who is willing to write about and challenge themselves with subject matters that are extremely difficult and have the confidence to put that work out into the world to me, that in and of itself is a super admirable thing, and that is primarily why I wanted to share this novel with you, especially coming off of as I led this episode with last week's episode.

(09:45)

Alright, so on that note, this episode is a wrap. I hope you enjoyed it. As always, if you did, please remember to share it with friends, family members, or other people who you think might enjoy it, because word of mouth is everything. And with this podcast specifically, it's to inspire more men to read. And if you want to double down on that support, please remember to rate, like, follow, and subscribe, or any of that good stuff on whatever podcast platform you're listening to this on. And remember, if you'd like to connect with me, you can always do so on Instagram @douglasvigliotti. And lastly, for more information, you could visit BooksforMen.org where you can get full transcripts for all of these episodes, as well as sign up for the newsletter, which is a monthly roundup of every episode, complete with book and author information, all the best quotes and newsletter only book recommendations. Again, all you have to do is visit BooksfromMen.org.