28 Feb / The Graybar Hotel by Curtis Dawkins [in Library Journal]
Although the “Son of Sam” law prohibited criminals from profiting from their crimes by writing books or creating other crime-based entertainment, the Supreme Court struck down the law in 1991 citing First Amendment violations. Decades later, Dawkins, a convicted murderer serving life without parole, received a six-figure book deal.
Armed with an MFA (earned before prison; he thanks Elizabeth McCracken and Kent Haruf as former teachers) and having served 13 years thus far, Dawkins relays tales from the titular “graybar hotel.” He confronts suicide in “County,” abject loneliness in “A Human Number,” unreliable relationships in “Sunshine,” mental illness in “Daytime Drama,” identity in “573543” (Dawkins’s prison ID), and release in “Leche Quemada.”
Pete Simonelli’s deadpan delivery underscores the anonymity, tedium, and desolation that looms over the 14 pieces.
Verdict: Prurient interest aside, Richard Ford and Denis Johnson fans will find resonance in Dawkins’s collection.
Review: “Audio,” Library Journal, February 15, 2018
Published: 2017