Who Would Like This Book:
If you’ve got a soft spot for gritty crime stories, broken relationships, and tense psychological drama, The Grifters is a noir gem. Jim Thompson is in top form with his raw and unflinching look at the darker side of human nature - con artists running schemes, dangerous family bonds, and characters you love to hate. The plot moves quickly, the dialogue bites, and for lovers of classic noir or fans of hardboiled pulp fiction, this is a must-read. Plus, if you love morally grey, deeply flawed characters and twisty endings, you’ll be hooked.
Who May Not Like This Book:
Not everyone will fall for Thompson’s take-no-prisoners style. The prose can be a bit barebones - sometimes even lazy - and the characters are about as likable as a traffic ticket. If you need someone to root for or prefer stories with glimmers of hope, this depressing parade of manipulation and misery might put you off. Some readers also found the narrative style too flat or the plot meandering, wishing for more con action or richer atmosphere.
About:
The Grifters by Jim Thompson follows the life of Roy Dillon, a young grifter struggling to navigate his relationships with his con artist mother, Lilly, and his girlfriend, Moira. The story delves into the dark underworld of cons and rackets, portraying a life filled with deception, manipulation, and the constant struggle to survive. Thompson's writing style immerses the reader in a world where characters are morally ambiguous, relationships are fraught with tension, and the plot unfolds with unexpected twists and turns.
Genres:
Tropes/Plot Devices:
Topics:
Notes:
Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings for The Grifters include themes of violence, deception, dysfunctional relationships, and potentially triggering character behaviors such as manipulation and betrayal.
From The Publisher:
Jim Thompson's classic The Grifters is one of the best novels ever written about the art of the con, an ingeniously crafted story of deception and betrayal that was the basis for the critically acclaimed film by Stephen Frears and Martin Scorcese.
To his friends, to his coworkers, and even to his mistress Moira, Roy Dillon is an honest hardworking salesman. He lives in a cheap hotel just within his pay bracket. He goes to work every day. He has hundreds of friends and associates who could attest to his good character.
Yet, hidden behind three gaudy clown paintings in Roy's pallid hotel room, sits fifty-two thousand dollars - the money Roy makes from his short cons, his "grifting." For years, Roy has effortlessly maintained control over his house-of-cards life - until the simplest con goes wrong, and he finds himself critically injured and at the mercy of the most dangerous woman he ever met: his own mother.
Ratings (4)
Loved It (2) | |
Liked It (2) |
Reader Stats (12):
Read It (4) | |
Want To Read (8) |
What can you read after
The Grifters?
When you click the Amazon link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commision, at no cost to you.
