The Assault on Tony's

by John O'Brien

As a riot rages outside a bar, patrons barricaded inside face their own battle in a “brilliant and twisted” novel by the author of Leaving Las Vegas (The Kansas City Star).   Completed posthumously, The Assault on Tony’s is an unapologetic, unsentimental, and at times exuberant examination of the joys and sorrows of intoxication, written with the same unflinching eye and grim wit that made John O’Brien’s Leaving Las Vegas an instant classic.   Barricaded in a bar called Tony’s while a race riot rages outside, five affluent white men—all strangers—are united by their desire to drink to the end, no matter what. Social alliances are forged and challenged as each member of this macabre party ignores his fears in favor of keeping his tumbler full to the brim. As time goes on and the liquor supply starts to dwindle, the novel reaches a gritty intensity that explores the highs and lows of the human spirit.

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Literature

226 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

John O'Brien's first novel Leaving Las Vegas was published in 1990 and made into a film of the same name in 1995.

His other three works were published posthumously.

[Source]

John O'Brien was born in 1960 and grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. He moved to Los Angeles in 1982 with his then-wife Lisa. During his lifetime, he was a busboy, file clerk, and coffee roaster, but writing was his true calling. He committed suicide in April 1994 at age thirty-three. His published fiction includes "Leaving Las Vegas," "The Assault on Tony's," and "Stripper Lessons."

"John O'Brien was a stunningly talented writer who created poetry from the most squalid materials."--Jay McInerney, author of "Bright Lights, Big City"

Reviews

[WTD JR · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great if you are a lit fan and into symbolism-imho. Taken literally it is a chaotic look at alcoholics and their disease. Metaphorically, it could be seen as the attack that an addict forces upon himself. The riot representing the decay and crumbling of one’s dignity and morality as seen from the outside, while the clients inside represent the inner demons visited upon the addict as he attempts to stave off the most basic animal instinct-survival, in order to exterminate himself. Or at least that’s how I see it.

As metaphorical lit it’s a 5 plus
As a novel a 2.


As an aside the author’s father considered this to be his son’s magnum opus. Based on the imagery and havoc that characterizes the book, that makes sense to me. It’s almost like the author opened up his being to expose those inner demons buffeting his existence to us.

[Zac · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though it was incomplete at the time of his suicide, John O'Brien's "The Assault on Tony's" is a must read. America lost one of its greatest voices with his passing.

8 characters, all deeply flawed, hole up in a bar during an apocalyptic race riot, with the intent to drink themselves to death. About as upbeat as you would image, although not without moments of levity and insightful skewing of socio-economic privilege. Yet it understands it is a dark novel, and never shies away from that, not until the bitter end.

We all miss you, John.

[Richard Schwindt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is brilliant and it is also very disturbing with despair creeping through like ooze. Like a mirror on the alcoholic experience their is a need for alcohol without it ever quite providing the hoped for comfort. The characters are for the most part shorn of redeeming features and in the end we are left with an unpleasant allegory for social breakdown and withdrawal. The utility and ultimate uselessness of guns is also a theme; what are our weapons in the end? While this is a very American story there are lessons for Canadians here as well. The door between us and the disenfranchised may be more frail than we think. Recommended.

[Jen Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new top favorite. Dark, comedic, gritty story unlike anything I've ever read dealing with masculinity and alcoholism. Profoundly excellent.

[Ryan LaMantia · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an EXCELLENT read! Thank you to my good friend Phil for sending this book (and Leaving Las Vegas) to me. Both fantastic reads, and both made me emotional. I know that's why he sent them.

Anyway, what a great book of several men and one woman who are holed up in a restaurant (Tony's) during a nationwide riot. The men are heavy drinkers and luckily for them, there's a room filled with booze. But how long will it last? How long can these same people stand each other, no matter how much some of them might have in common? Tony's seems to be structurally sound, but for how long?

This one will have you thinking. I'm giving it 5-stars.

Erin, John O'Brien's sister, finished writing his book after his suicide. There's a very touching AFTERWORD written by Erin. I absolutely recommend The Assault On Tony's, and I recommend you have a dictionary handy. There were several "five dollar words" I was unfamiliar with.

[Toby Muse · Rating 3 out of 5]

A brutal book, an energy, a mindset not seen much in contemporary fiction (the book is close to 39 years old). He handles well a shifting point of view of the people holed up in the bar in the middle of a riotous collapse of the United States. His books seem focused on men dying soaked in booze (unsurprising given his demise). There’s some suitably ghoulish elements as we see everything breakdown among alcoholics counting the drops of booze left at the end of the world.

[J.S. Bratton · Rating 4 out of 5]

a nihilistic and unpleasantly cruel and realistic portrayal of alcoholism as seen through the shuttered lens of violence and the creeping paranoia of a life without whatever it is that helps us get through the day.

[Sasha · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn’t like the writing style. It took forever to read

[William Retherford · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I loved all of John O’Briens other books this one really drug, it comes off as not polished. Very much a rough draft.
So sad he’s not around to write another novel.

[Travis · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little slow, leaving las vegas was so much better.

[Adam Bricker · Rating 4 out of 5]

An apocalyptic novel delivered with delirium tremens.

[Richard · Rating 2 out of 5]

"The Assault On Tony's" reads like a David Mamet play sans the stage direction, in fact I imagine it would make a great, intense work as a play in the right hands. O'Brien is best known for his only other work completed in his lifetime "Leaving Las Vegas" largely because of the movie of the same name with Nicholas Cage and Elizabeth Shue from 1995. The blurb on the back of the dust jacket for "The Assault On Tony's" Ron Carlson says about "Leaving Las Vegas" 'This is not only dark and dire, it is crushing. How can a novel so absolutely devoid of hope be so gripping? The portrait of Sera and Ben is a tour de force - masterful and relentless. Leaving Las Vegas is the strongest and most extreme look at alcohol I've ever read. This book moved and bothered me and weeks later it is still in my mind. I think O'Brien is simply terrific." High praise indeed coming from a writer of Ron Carlson's stature and I would put "The Assault On Tony's" in a similar category.

The setting for 'Tony's' is an upscale bar where a group of locals, drunks gathers regularly. The tension around the novel occurs when they get locked into Tony's with their beloved liquor, basically prisoners while a raging race riot takes place on the streets outside. All are armed and getting progressively more drunk while debating the action outside the doors and their next steps - the occupants rage on about their love of guns, republicanism and hatred for minorities. The book is intense, claustrophobic and gripping - the perfect boiler room setting for a stage play. The book reads like the narrative in Nick Cave's "O'Malley's Bar" from "Murder Ballads" (Reprise/1996) an intense little song if ever there was one.

O'Brien is like John Kennedy Toole author of "A Confederacy Of Dunces" who never received any recognition for his only work during his short life time and committed suicide in defeat only to receive substantial acclaim years after his death thanks to his mothers tirless efforts to promote his book. O'Brien similary committed suicide before "Tony's" was published and the major ding against the book is that his manuscript was unfinished at the time of his death - his sister completed the novel based on his notes and manuscript left behind. While this book likely won't get the same attention that "Las Vegas" did for that reason it has some incisive moments about a narrow segment of mankind. Then again, maybe it will...

[Wyatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was just referring to this book in another review about The Verificationist. The Assault on Tony's is very sobering and it worth considering on its own but having read them together, I found a few loose connections that might be worth noting. For instance, the use of a mundane public space (a bar, and diner respectively) is interesting. In the Verificationist, the diner's a stage for an inward journey, but the men at Tony's bar are more interested an inward retreat.

If The Verificationist is the Purgatorio, in it's protagonist's transcendence, The Assault on Tony's is The Inferno. Tony's implodes like the world around them. There is no safe haven. Their gun-toting Republican nightmares have come true. It's a befitting scenario for a zombie movie.

Why do all the good authors shoot themselves?

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grim, grim, grim. O'Brien was so lost but I love him. His sister finished writing this novel and seamlessly interwove her changes. It was obviously tough for her but she finished it the way he wanted. Uncompromisingly hard.

O'Brien committed suicide by gunshot two weeks after learning that his novel, Leaving Las Vegas, was to be made into a movie. His father says that the novel was his suicide note.

I love him like John Kennedy O'Toole. So much sadness in life, sometimes..

[Matt]

Facinating that this book was never finished by the author, but his sister. An incredible talent that just could not hold down his demons. It was almost like he created a story, like his life, that he could not get out of. The book was good at seeing the dark side of the LA Riots.

[Lee · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought the plot of this one would be an interesting read, but the characters were under-developed. They had no personality. O'Brien talks about guns in a over zealous way; after i read this i found out the dumbass shot himself in the head.

[Sam Slaughter · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible. Trite, cliched prose and plot line with little care or concern to making logical sense. Avoid at all costs.

[Per · Rating 4 out of 5]

A couple of drunks, a waitress and a busboy gets trapped in a bar during nation wide riots, and does their very best to protect their stash of booze from rioters and themselves. I'd drink to that!

[Colin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unique writing and interesting concept Assault On Tony's was an enjoyable read. However I did find the writing fragmented and lacking flow which stopped me from falling in love with it

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trapped in a bar during the LA riots and either die in the riot or die when the booze runs out.