![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
The Long Firm by Jake Arnott
The Blurb On The Back:
There is no descriptive Blurb on the Back, instead we get the following quotes:
“This gangster novel set (mainly) in sixties London is one of the smartest, funniest and original novels you will read all year. It is a gloriously accomplished re-creation of the city in the era of the Kray Twins when aristocratic politicians mixed freely with gangsters, rent boys and actresses of dubious repute in a decadent demi-monde. Arnott is quite brilliant at excavating the cultural minutiae of the time to bring the period vividly to life.”
Justin Tague, Independent on Sunday
"Truly fascinating ... Arnott’s ability to powerfully resurrect an era is astonishing.”
Jimmy Boyle, Guardian
“This is pulp fiction so polished as to be immaculate.”
James Harkin, New Statesmen
“The Long Firm manages to hook you from the first. It is compulsive reading, powerful writing with an evocative feel for the bleaker side of the Swinging Sixties.”
Dominic Bradbury, The Times
“Outstanding ... Arnott’s recreation of the decadent, dangerous atmosphere of the times is immaculate. His prose is as smooth as a seersucker suit, as sweet as a purple heart. Suck it and see.”
Robert MacFarlane, Observer
"Gripping ... slumming it doesn’t get much better than this.”
Mark Sanderson, Time Out
“As polished as a brass knuckleduster ... This is strong-arm stuff, which zings with an authentic low-life argot and grips the reader with its head-in-a-vice portrait of the ugly glamour of the era.”
Sunday Times
“One of the most impressive first novels I’ve read in years.”
Simon Shaw, Mail on Sunday
The Long Firm tells the story of East End gangster, Harry Starks across roughly a 20 year period, from the beginning of the 1960s until 1979. Starks is (for the times) openly gay and comfortable with his sexuality, but he’s also prone to manic depression accompanied by fierce rages. His story is told through the first person point of view of five narrators, a boyfriend, a crooked and closeted gay politician, a fellow gangster, an actress turned club owner and a sociologist. Arnott’s skill is in giving each of these narrators their own individual voice, through which we see all the facets of Starks’ personality, but at the same time never compromising the character of the narrator him or herself.
The plot itself is a complicated one, weaving the murder of a rent boy who Starks was fond of, with the operations of East End gang life, including the Long Firm of the title (essentially an insurance scam), Harry’s attempts to set up a legitimate business in Nigeria and clubs in London and finally, his stretch in prison and eventual escape. Arnott gives his text an authentic feel by mingling in real life gangsters such as the Kray twins and by making the real life gangster Jack the Hat into one of his narrators in what, for me, was probably the most effective segment of the book. Arnott also incorporates real life stars such as Judy Garland and Dorothy Squires and his research into what was going on during the swinging sixties is meticulous.
Arnott maintains a cracking pace until the final segment, which is told from the perspective of a 1970s sociologist, who is teaching a sociology class in the prison housing Starks and who is secretly hoping to write a paper on him. For me, this was the weakest segment of the book, which is a pity given that it’s come at the end. I wasn’t that interested in the narrator’s domestic problems (essentially, he’s been having an affair, his wife has discovered radical feminism and has decided to become a lesbian, starting an affair with the girl the narrator slept with) and whilst Arnott has clearly done his research on 1970s sociological theory on deviancy and criminal behaviour, there’s a lot of jargon to wade through, which gets in the way of the story. Still, it picks up again once Starks breaks out of jail and gallops along to a satisfying conclusion on the Costa Crime in Spain.
Sociological theory aside, I thought this was a great book and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The Verdict:
A really good read and definitely worth a look if you’re interested in the 1960s, London gangsters or really good characterisation. The last segment’s a little too heavy on sociological theory for my taste and I think it slowed down the action too much, but I can’t fault Arnott’s research and the skill he has in maintaining voice is extraordinary.
There is no descriptive Blurb on the Back, instead we get the following quotes:
“This gangster novel set (mainly) in sixties London is one of the smartest, funniest and original novels you will read all year. It is a gloriously accomplished re-creation of the city in the era of the Kray Twins when aristocratic politicians mixed freely with gangsters, rent boys and actresses of dubious repute in a decadent demi-monde. Arnott is quite brilliant at excavating the cultural minutiae of the time to bring the period vividly to life.”
"Truly fascinating ... Arnott’s ability to powerfully resurrect an era is astonishing.”
“This is pulp fiction so polished as to be immaculate.”
“The Long Firm manages to hook you from the first. It is compulsive reading, powerful writing with an evocative feel for the bleaker side of the Swinging Sixties.”
“Outstanding ... Arnott’s recreation of the decadent, dangerous atmosphere of the times is immaculate. His prose is as smooth as a seersucker suit, as sweet as a purple heart. Suck it and see.”
"Gripping ... slumming it doesn’t get much better than this.”
“As polished as a brass knuckleduster ... This is strong-arm stuff, which zings with an authentic low-life argot and grips the reader with its head-in-a-vice portrait of the ugly glamour of the era.”
“One of the most impressive first novels I’ve read in years.”
The Long Firm tells the story of East End gangster, Harry Starks across roughly a 20 year period, from the beginning of the 1960s until 1979. Starks is (for the times) openly gay and comfortable with his sexuality, but he’s also prone to manic depression accompanied by fierce rages. His story is told through the first person point of view of five narrators, a boyfriend, a crooked and closeted gay politician, a fellow gangster, an actress turned club owner and a sociologist. Arnott’s skill is in giving each of these narrators their own individual voice, through which we see all the facets of Starks’ personality, but at the same time never compromising the character of the narrator him or herself.
The plot itself is a complicated one, weaving the murder of a rent boy who Starks was fond of, with the operations of East End gang life, including the Long Firm of the title (essentially an insurance scam), Harry’s attempts to set up a legitimate business in Nigeria and clubs in London and finally, his stretch in prison and eventual escape. Arnott gives his text an authentic feel by mingling in real life gangsters such as the Kray twins and by making the real life gangster Jack the Hat into one of his narrators in what, for me, was probably the most effective segment of the book. Arnott also incorporates real life stars such as Judy Garland and Dorothy Squires and his research into what was going on during the swinging sixties is meticulous.
Arnott maintains a cracking pace until the final segment, which is told from the perspective of a 1970s sociologist, who is teaching a sociology class in the prison housing Starks and who is secretly hoping to write a paper on him. For me, this was the weakest segment of the book, which is a pity given that it’s come at the end. I wasn’t that interested in the narrator’s domestic problems (essentially, he’s been having an affair, his wife has discovered radical feminism and has decided to become a lesbian, starting an affair with the girl the narrator slept with) and whilst Arnott has clearly done his research on 1970s sociological theory on deviancy and criminal behaviour, there’s a lot of jargon to wade through, which gets in the way of the story. Still, it picks up again once Starks breaks out of jail and gallops along to a satisfying conclusion on the Costa Crime in Spain.
Sociological theory aside, I thought this was a great book and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The Verdict:
A really good read and definitely worth a look if you’re interested in the 1960s, London gangsters or really good characterisation. The last segment’s a little too heavy on sociological theory for my taste and I think it slowed down the action too much, but I can’t fault Arnott’s research and the skill he has in maintaining voice is extraordinary.