tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19542556.post-79343895522580863872008-07-16T18:28:00.003+02:002008-07-17T10:10:31.614+02:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_xCEnZzv6oMc/SH4hwq8TKZI/AAAAAAAABVo/_p1fTpBpuEI/s1600-h/dramabookcover.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_xCEnZzv6oMc/SH4hwq8TKZI/AAAAAAAABVo/_p1fTpBpuEI/s400/dramabookcover.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223649737840994706" border="0" /></a>Always steal from the best, some have it, and for fresh narrative ideas one should check out George Pelecanos' crime novel <span style="font-style: italic;">The Night Gardener</span> (2006,<span style="font-style: italic;"> Tuinier Van De Nacht</span> in Dutch), an excruciating tale about three cops trying to solve an old case from the eighties. Waiting for the paperback edition of his next novel, <span style="font-style: italic;">The Turnaround</span> (2008), I thought I'd check out one of Mr. Pelecanos' older books, <span style="font-style: italic;">Drama City</span> (2005, above).<br />It's a story about an ex-con trying to stay away from his old drug buddies and about his parole officer, a lady struggling with some demons of her own. The setting - as always - is the Washington, DC area where tourists are advised not to spend their afternoon walk, i.e. anywhere but The Mall (at least that's what one overly thoughtful cabbie instructed me in the early nineties). We're talking the projects here, obviously, those American city parts we in Europe mostly know from Baltimore-set <span style="font-style: italic;">The Wire</span>.<br />It came as no surprise when David Simon, creator of the acclaimed tv show, asked Mr. Pelecanos to join his team of writers. He recognized <span style="font-style: italic;">Drama City</span> for what it was, a storyline that would have perfectly fitted into his depiction of the drug underworld.<br />And here's a funny thing. I thoroughly enjoyed <span style="font-style: italic;">Drama City</span>; loved the characters, the pop culture references, was truly shocked when one particular drug dealer got shot in the head. But after finishing the novel, it didn't stand out as a true classic. And that's only because I'm such an avid fan of <span style="font-style: italic;">The Wire</span>, which I've, well, completely dissected over the past three years. Wonder what I'd have thought if I enjoyed series and book in reverse order. So what's the lesson we've learned today?<br />Steal from the best. But only from their latest work. Bring on <span style="font-style: italic;">The Turnaround</span>.eugene baakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11532680794435838181noreply@blogger.com