Hard Rain Falling by Don Carpenter is a gritty novel that follows the life of Jack Levitt, a troubled young man who grows up in Portland, Oregon, facing struggles and hardships from a young age. The story delves into Jack's journey from petty thefts and pool hall hustles to serious trouble and incarceration in county jail. Through Jack's experiences in prison and his life post-release, the author paints a vivid portrait of a man failed by society. The writing style of the book is described as spare and thoughtful, capturing the struggles of the characters as they try to navigate life and find a reason to live amidst harsh realities.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Potential triggers include themes of abandonment, sexual abuse, mental illness, substance abuse, and graphic depictions of imprisonment.
Has Romance?
Romantic elements exist, particularly through Jack's relationships, albeit in unconventional forms.
From The Publisher:
A hardboiled novel about life in the American underground, from the pool halls of Portland to the cells of San Quentin. Simply one of the finest books ever written about being down on your luck.
Don Carpenter's Hard Rain Falling is a tough-as-nails account of being down and out, but never down for good-a Dostoyevskian tale of crime, punishment, and the pursuit of an ever-elusive redemption. The novel follows the adventures of Jack Levitt, an orphaned teenager living off his wits in the fleabag hotels and seedy pool halls of Portland, Oregon. Jack befriends Billy Lancing, a young black runaway and pool hustler extraordinaire. A heist gone wrong gets Jack sent to reform school, from which he emerges embittered by abuse and solitary confinement. In the meantime Billy has joined the middle class-married, fathered a son, acquired a business and a mistress. But neither Jack nor Billy can escape their troubled pasts, and they will meet again in San Quentin before their strange double drama comes to a violent and revelatory end.
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Hard Rain Falling?
About the Author:
Don Carpenter (1931-1995) was born in Berkeley, California, and grew up on the West Coast. He served in the air force during the Korean War, attended the University of Portland, and received a B.S. from Portland State College and an M.A. from San Francisco State College. Carpenter, his wife, Martha, and their two daughters settled in Mill Valley, near San Francisco, and he became good friends with the local writers Evan Connell and, especially, Richard Brautigan. His first book, Hard Rain Falling, was published in 1966 and was followed by nine other novels as well as several collections of short stories. Carpenter also wrote for the movies and television and spent a good deal of time in Hollywood, the subject of several of his novels. Plagued by poor health in his later years, he committed suicide at the age of sixty-four.
George Pelecanos is the author of twenty books and was a writer, story editor, and producer on the HBO series The Wire and Treme and is co-creator, with David Simon,of The Deuce.
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