Молодой гопник из Белфаста Майкл Форсайт пытался завязать с прошлым, отправившись служить в британскую армию, но вскоре избил штатского и был уволен на гражданку за плохое поведение. Потом ему отказали в пособии по безработице (соседи, сволочи, настучали), после чего парню не оставалось другого пути, кроме как ехать в Нью-Йорк на поиски заработка. Но вместо обещанной работы на стройке, полной скучных пролетарских будней и дешевого “гиннеса”, Майкл оказался в бригаде бойцов Тёмного Уайта, ирландского криминального авторитета из Гарлема. На дворе стоял шальной 1992 год и времена в Гарлеме были не спокойные (вспомни хотя бы GTA, детка). Ниггеры, пуэрториканцы и ямайцы фарцевали крэком и грызли друг другу глотки, стараясь поделить улицы. У ирландцев был в этом деле свой жирный куш, но погорел Майкл вовсе на на этом. Молодой ирландец начал крутить шашни с девчонкой своего босса, поэтому однажды бригада получила от Уайта задание в Мексике. Задание, с которого не возвращаются. Остальная часть книги – это, собственно, история возвращения, история мести. Герой в процессе теряет части тела, близких людей, деньги, но чаще всего - свободу. В начале книги ему 20 лет, в конце – слегка за 30 (и это, мать его, все же спойлер). Не сразу соображаешь, что повествование ведётся в книге от лица человека бывалого, опытного - человека, который уже в курсе чем эта песня кончилась и кто на какой странице помер. А еще - человека, несмотря на свою биографию, неглупого и даже начитанного (в начале романа Майкл читает “Обломова”, а на финальный шутаут он отправляется с “Войной и миром” в плеере). Не исключено, что в подобных моментах писатель увлекается и просто перестает различать себя и героя. Звезда современного ирландского нуара Эдриен Маккинти не только сверстник Майкла Форсайта. Он тоже родился в Белфасте, вырос на улицах Кэррикфергуса, а в начале 90-х - перебрался за океан в Гарлем. Но только обе ноги у него на месте. Да и репутация – не прикопаешься.
Holy crap. I picked this up because it's Irish, mostly. Only a few discs into the story it's a pretty fun listen. It's written in first person, so listening to it is no different than your favorite Irish friend telling you a story. With A LOT of f-bombs in it. To give you an idea....one guy (Scotchy) was giving the main character (Mike) a hard time over the phone. The main character goes silent for quite a while as Sotchy bellows into the phone. Scotchy finally wises up to the silent treatment and starts inquiring to see if Mike is still on the line. When, finally, after much badgering Mike responds, Scotchy simply says: "Well, f#&king, f*$k ya f^#ker."A classic to be sure. More to come when I finish this thing.Alright, I finished hearing this book....I can't say that I loved this book as much as some others that I hold dear, but this thing was a treat and a half, for sure. As I mentioned above, it's written in first person. So listening to it was like being told a story by a good friend. Another, and much much more childish, reason why I liked this book, Irish swearing at its finest. The f-word, I'm nearly positive, was used as every single part of speech, including conjunction. The writing style was unique as well. There is a big portion that is written in wonderfully descriptive minimalism. Those portions mingled superbly with what I consider regular old prose. With a lot of detail, to the point of going in tangents. Being that I do that often with my own stories, I thoroughly enjoyed this quirk. Usually I don't like foreshadowing in books, this one's hints to the future kept me hooked in.Besides cussin' there's a lot of killing. And not your 'he rounded the corner and I put two slugs in his chest' kinda killin'. A lot more detailed. Graphic. Delicious. The absolute best thing about this book, there are 2 more. This is the first of a trilogy (so far). And I. Can't. Wait. to get my hands on the next one.
What do You think about Dead I Well May Be (2004)?
A vengeful-based story, starting off with the Irish protagonist, Michael Forsythe being jobless and borderlining poverty was offered a job to work in New York. This story was based in the 80s/90s in Harlem when it was abundant with crime (thus being a crime-based story). Narration was in first person.As this book was in first person and the story was that of crime and vengeance, to me, the book's foremost quality was being thrilling. Following a character who had some street sense and was mixed with some bad choices and events that eventually led to his demise felt almost like a typical crime or tragedy story.The redeeming part of this book was how it was delivered though. It was never complicated literature that makes you stop and think about a deeper meaning in what was said, and the sentences felt brief and to the point allowing the story to flow extremely smoothly. The characters are interesting, sometimes funny and somewhat fun to listen to. The descriptions are not overdone. There isn't much character development in my opinion but the protagonist does slowly change nonetheless as the book progresses (most changes nearing the end of the book).Overall the book was enthralling in how it was delivered, and the story was interesting enough. I would recommend this.
—Veydh Gooljar
Anyone looking for a good read? May I recommend Adrian McKinty’s “Dead I Well May Be”. A friend lent me 4 books of his, and this the first novel he wrote, I believe. He’s a raunchy bard, this Irishman, and his novel packs punch from start to finish, a violent saga told with a velvet tongue. His language is intoxicating, addictive, a pared down voice of wit and soulfulness. I think I’d read one crime story prior to this, as I have no interest in murders and Who-dunnits, but this is written so beautifully that it hooked me, even after the drama of the first near-killing had me up all night, so upset I was by the Belfast brutality of it.I tried the sequel but had to put it down as the protagonist had morphed from the consummate bad-boy anti-hero to a cardboard cut-out of his former self, and not to be disappointed I left him… I like bad boys, but not narcissists…
—Fiona Godfrey
Having 'found' Adrian McKinty only recently (starting with the Troubles Trilogy, and having developed a slight crush on Sean Duffy), I am now going back McKinty's earlier works, eager for more of his writing brilliance. I didn't want to like Michael Forsythe, but McKinty and his way with words made me care. Forsythe isn't necessarily the anti-Duffy, but he doesn't wear the white hat, either. There are not many redeeming characters in the entire book, but still I couldn't put the book down and am hanging in suspense - what can Forsythe be up to in his next book? The epilogue frames the cliffhanger nicely. Thanks for another great read, Mr. McKinty, and thank you, Cindy, for introducing me to Adrian McKinty's works.
—Kristine Rier
