Life lessons from the amoral.
Serial killers do seem to capture our imagination. Scare the shit out of us. Fascinate us. Repulse us. They're on TV, film, documentaries, and of course in print. I love a good crime tale but I need a little more than just slash and stab and slash again.
Here's three books with serial killers that are, well, disturbing as crap but are oh, so good. I won't do the disservice of calling them 'literary' crime although they are. I won't tell you they are noir although they are certainly noirish. You probably haven't heard of these but you should've if you've been paying attention. You probably haven't read them but once devoured, you'll search out the other books from these authors. You'll either be a fan or you'll be disgusted or both.
You won't be unmoved.
This was written in 1952. 1952. I'm not sure it would get published today. If you ever thought the 50's were all 'Happy Days', and kids with flat tops, and bobby sox's, then this one will shock. Thompson wrote over 30 books and several have been adapted to movies; The Getaway, The Grifters, The Killing (film by Stanley Kubrick) and The Killer Inside Me (adapted twice). He wrote with a savagery, stabbing at the pages, slashing, splashing ink all over. No one else compared. The Killer Inside Me is his most startling and graphic.
Lou Ford is just a guy. An unassuming Deputy in a dusty, dry, one-stop town where everyone thinks they know everyone's secrets. They think he's a slow, good 'ole boy. But the inside of Lou's head is a creepy, cold, horrifying place. He is unaffected by the violence he commits and craves. He is unaffected by the sexual acts he commits and craves. He seems nice and he'll ease you into just the right position to strike like a vulture tugging at some road kill. And that's how Lou sees you. Just a carcass. Piece of meat to stab or kill or fuck.
It's a visceral book. Thompson puts you in the scene. Your eyes get scorched from the heat of the Texas sun. Your nose will crinkle from the smell of flesh crawling with flies and the aftermath of sex in the afternoon. You'll feel the splatter of blood and hear the snapping of bones.
This book asks, 'Are you capable of evil?' Yes. But do you have moral boundaries you will not cross? I hope so. Lou doesn't.
Are we humans predatory creatures?
Bonus: Try reading the classic, Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. Similar themes.
Clevenger isn't the most prolific. This is his third book and the first in the last eighteen years. That's a lot of pages being wadded up and thrown in the trash, struggling to get the words out or right, get the story down, and the publisher slapped into submission. There's an upside. Each of his books are fantastic.
Plus, it doesn't take much of a reading investment to complete his entire body of work. And I recommend you pick an author, any author, and read everything they've written. It'll enhance the experience of each successive book and you will begin to see consistent themes which will make you a better reader.
Mother Howl is an unique read but it does stick to some of Clevenger's familiar concepts. He writes about identity and re-invention and the constant need for us to hide, or adapt, or change ourselves. Are the 'sins of the father' a burden to be carried through each generation? Or can we run from our darker natures by changing our name and identity? This question is all Mother Howl wrapped up in a multi-generational serial killer story.
Lyle is just a teenager when his Dad is found to be a killer. There's lots of bodies. Regardless of who you are, how old you are, how smart or stupid, when a family member is convicted of multiple murders you're screwed. Lyle heads out as soon as possible. Changes his name. Changes his identity. And begins to carve out a new life.
Clevenger smashes the edges of reality and fantasy and madness together. Enter Icarus. A huge man that may have been spat out of the heavens and splatted on earth as an angel. He knows the real Lyle. And the secrets of his life. The two crash together and identities must be resolved. He becomes Mother Howl.
Icarus may be one of the best characters in all of literature. Read.
Bonus: Try reading the classic, The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. Similar themes. Is life different, easier, harder when you turn into a giant, beetle-like insect?
This is the newest book on this list but has been winning awards a plenty. Joanna Wallace is also new to writing. She'd been a solicitor - lives in England so solicitor is a fancy word for lawyer - and was inspired to write this book after battling with doctors, lawyers, and caregivers while trying to guide her father through dementia. It's not an easy journey. Either in real life or in the pages of this book. Throw in a serial killer and you'll get some darkly, quirky humor.
That's right. This is a comedy.
Claire is a killer and our narrator. She's dry. She's unintentionally funny. Think Holden Caulfield level of snark but with a simple solution of just killing anyone that irritates her a little too much. She has no empathy but has learned - just like you'd learn a math problem - to emulate others to mimic the proper response in the proper context. Cliches are her friend.
Her father dies after a long bout with dementia so Claire - because this is what she thinks people do - joins a bereavement group. This leads to complicated relationships which leads to death by aquarium. Claire is unique. She tells her own story. She's a female serial killer. She's funny. And she may be falling completely apart.
Despite this being about dementia, elder abuse, blackmail, and serial killings, it's kinda fun. Enjoy.
Bonus: Try reading this new classic with another female serial killer, My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
Hello Jeff, This article was a great read thanks for sharing this with us!