EASTERN SPAN: A Novel

by Rick Paulas

A serialized neo-noir novel. The story follows Pug, a down-on-his-luck gig economy worker, as he stumbles and bumbles through gentrifying Oakland's bougie cafes, dive-bars-turned-cocktail-joints, and ever-expanding homeless encampments as he tries to find a long-lost friend. Along the way, Pug stumbles across a housing conspiracy that goes all the way to the top.

http://oaktownnoir.strikingly.com/

Genres: Fiction

240 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2019

Reviews

[Wendy Liu · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is great. The story is fun & easy to get in to. Underpinned by clear-eyed political analysis that encompasses everything from police brutality, to the Bay Area housing crisis, to the gig economy. Reminds me a bit of Cory Doctorow, or Neal Stephenson with better politics.

[Ivan Illich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Top tier Oakland fan fiction; I loved following the protagonist down familiar streets.

Clear your calendar, because you'll want to read this book in one sitting.

[Randall Bleichner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good job, Ricky

[Michael Howley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I lived in downtown Berkeley the Summer of 2011, and moved to SF in January. Spent a good amount of time going over that old bridge to site visits. I know SF better than I know Oakland, but this book captures so much of the texture of 2013 Oakland I felt like I was right back there, jamming with a brass band at Cafe van Cleef before chasing down the last BART home. It's an incredible sense of time and place.

The conspiracy at the heart of the book is perfectly executed, even if the breadcrumbs our plucky hero has to follow are a little convoluted. He's helped out along the way by a variety of friends and bartenders who, even if they don't get much screen time, you get the sense all form a close community of people helping each other out when called upon. I hope they're all still thriving in Town.

[Kelsey Atherton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whether or not "Eastern Span" resonates with you is I think largely dependent on how your shitkicker friends handled the Great Recession and its aftermath. Paulas captures the precarity of that age, several forces colliding to wreck hell on anyone just trying to make it to the next $3 tallboy in a dive. The world is visceral, the book fittingly illustrated, and the story propulsive. (I read the book in two sittings; we can ignore that the sittings were a year apart.)

It's a testament to living in a place and watching it become unlivable, and while inexorable forces of history grind underneath. It's also more fun than I make it sound.

[Dave K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eastern Span is a fun, well-paced take on modern noir, with an emphasis on Bay Area gentrification and its effect on the homeless. The main character is more of a scamp than a hard-boiled antihero, and the overall tone is lighter than, say, a James Ellroy novel, but there's enough action and intrigue to satisfy fans of the genre. It's definitely worth putting on your Kindle, and the author recently had it printed as a physical book for readers who prefer those.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I fully acknowledge that I am biased due to being friends with the author and one of the artists. That said it is a unique and fast read. Anyone from the bay area would appreciate it far more than I could. The geographic location is as much a character as anyone else. Rick did a great job of explaining parts of the housing crisis that never quite make it through the media machine. The art work is a great accessory to each chapter and the book it's self is sized perfectly to hold in one hand.

[Darren Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Love Letter to Oakland in the guise of a mystery, with a heaping of social commentary thrown in.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun, modern noir that's full of both heart and a topical case study in late-stage capitalism. Give it a try.

[Susie · Rating 4 out of 5]

a really fun and thought-provoking read, especially if you live in Oakland.

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this read.

Loved the characters, the quickly moving plot, and the setting.

Captured the Town, and the changes happening, very well.

[Philip Sallee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A noir tale set in today’s Oakland, CA. The topic is timely and a part of the sales goes to helping the homeless in the area.

[Adam Mohrman · Rating 1 out of 5]

All style and no substance, writes as if he only wants to hear himself talk. Waste of time.

[Spencer McCall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm finished with Eastern Span: Can't say enough about this gem. If you like Pynchon, this is for you.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a charming book! Rick is really a non-fiction writer who for pragmatic reasons had to semi-fictionalize his encounter with the housing crisis in Oakland. It’s not a five-star book in the conventional sense, but it’s a five-star artifact.