Driver: A Novella

by Sebastian Vice, Urban Pigs Press (editor)

Rick Malone is dying, but not before one last ride. Travel with him through the seedy underworld of pimps, crooked cops and broken dreams in this transgressive noir novella. Driver should appeal to fans of James Sallis (Drive), as well as Horace McCoy's They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
Deeply introspective, Vice drags the rotting carcass of the American Dream into the sunlight. Dark. Brutal, and unapologetically honest.

Genres: Noir, Fiction

Kindle Edition

Published October 10, 2024

Reviews

[A.J. Stanton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short read, but one that packs a punch. This novella had me gripped from the start. The main character, Rick, is on his last drive through the grim underbelly of decent society. Not so much looking for redemption, but certainly trying to do at least one thing he considers meaningful with the hand he's been dealt. The writing is crisp and believable, providing a setting so vivid, the reader could be watching a movie. A slice of filthy noir that is definitely worth reading.

[Douglas Lumsden · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short novel is everything transgressive noir should be! Set in the heart of a corrupt society where authorities are just another level of criminals, and, in the words of the story, "Incompetence is paid for in blood." Professional driver and enforcer Rick Malone is doomed from birth, and his inevitable end is prompted by the death of the one good person in his life. As he embarks on one last driving assignment, he resolves to find a way to give his life a modicum of meaning before he checks out permanently.

With Driver, author Sebastian Vice has produced a gut-wrenching tour de force, a day-trip through the exposed harsh realities of the world we live in but do our best not to see. Malone is not a good man, but there is a core of nobility buried deep under the surface that would like to see the light of day. Maybe it could if it wasn't buried under so much human-generated putrefaction. But the odds are against it. As one of the characters puts it: "No one dies a virgin, darling. Life fucks us all."

And if Malone is going to do good, he's going to have to do it in the only way he knows how: through spilled blood.

Intensely violent, but not overly graphic. Filled with despair, but not overwrought. Gritty, but real. And, in the end, surprisingly tender. In its own way.

Highly recommended for readers who want to immerse themselves in the dark side of town (which, as it turns out, is BOTH sides of the track).

[Ross Cumming · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s Rick Malone last ride as a ‘driver’ and during the course of the journey we basically get Rick’s life story and what has led him to this point in his life. He recalls his abusive childhood, his addiction, his recovery, thanks to his future wife, her illness, Rick’s subsequent imprisonment and finally his current employment as a driver and enforcer.
It’s a noirish trawl through the dark underbelly of society inhabited by crooks, gangsters, prostitutes, pimps and corrupt cops and officials. Sebastian Vice is a new name to me but I enjoyed his stark, dark narrative that takes you to a world that you never hope to experience.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

She cocked her head. “I sense you’re a good man.”
If only that were true.

Rick is a driver. He had dreams of being a racecar driver but has instead found himself driving for less . . . legal purposes. Robbery getaway car, prostitute/escort chauffeur, and mystery role that involves driving women for reasons both Rick and the reader will eventually discover.

This is not a kind world. It’s dark, unhappy, gritty, and ruthless. And Rick is not always a kind man. He too is dark, unhappy, gritty, and ruthless. While we get occasional glimpses of a softer Rick (almost always related to his now deceased wife and then with a young girl he is driving), Rick also busts up faces and sprays bullets with zero hesitation. What he really wants is to retire to California, but he can’t seem to just up and leave and is instead inching towards his goal one violent job at a time.

So I drive. And throw beat downs. And sometimes I kill. It is what it is I suppose.

Driver is sprinkled with philosophical musings, recollections of the past (be prepared to bounce around a bit), and shifty locations I wouldn’t send my worst enemy into. But where it really shines? The dialogue. It’s smart and tough and realistic to the point that you feel like you’re physically there.

There were some editing details that distracted me (punctuation, tense shifts) but that could be a nit-picky "me" issue and one that ultimately didn't affect my overall enjoyment of the story.

This is a well-written introspective, retrospective, fucked up, impossible to put down noir read with details so vivid that I had a restless night full of “am I awake or asleep?” Driver related dreams.

4 Stars

[Suzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

For a short novella, this definitely packs a punch. From page 1 I was compelled by the character of Rick and his interactions with everyone he met, the dialogue was so sharp and propelled the story along, and I found it hard to stop every time I picked it up.

[Thxlbx · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gritty noir novella that explores the underbelly of crime, drugs, and all of the things that civilized society pretends does not exist.

The is the perfect novella length, right around 200 pages on kindle, and not a single word is wasted.

The prose fits the setting and the time period. The dialogue is crisp and clean, and the narration is fantastic.

Characters are very well done, especially our two main ones. Well developed despite not having many pages for setup.

Overall this story is very well done and worthy of a read.

5 STARS

[Remo Nassutti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Few authors are as single-minded in their dedication to extracting an aesthetic depiction of the grinding misery of human existence. The sort of transgressive fiction where you expect panic sweat and blood to run from the pages. Crime fiction right out of the of mid-century. Razor blade noir.

[Lauren Sapala · Rating 5 out of 5]

Driver is the story of Rick, a broken man who’s been beaten and bloodied by life over and over again, but still has the heart of a warrior and the soul of a white knight. Rick has lost everything that ever meant anything to him, but he still embodies what it means to be a good man in a world gone to hell. We watch him deal with mafia goons, a corrupt brothel owner, and abused women, all the time trying to get himself out of these situations and into a better life. As a reader, I fell in love with Rick, and I wanted more than anything for him to be able to find his dream.

A few things I particularly loved about this novel: number one, the setting. We see the action take place in the shadowy era of the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. Sometimes we get a specific year and sometimes we don’t, which gives the setting the ethereal, disorienting feel of being in a very particular period of time, and also out of time. Number two, I loved the dialogue. So much of the story is told through conversations between the characters and the dialogue manages to be brief, but also show us such a layered story and so much nuance going on between the characters. The dialogue reminded me of a Quentin Tarantino film, because the characters say so much, while also saying very little. And finally, number three, I loved the pacing and momentum of the story. You get so caught up in Rick’s destiny that the final punch of the novel hits you right in the jaw, and while it’s maybe not surprising, you find yourself shocked and gutted nonetheless.

I highly recommend Driver to anyone who loves transgressive fiction, crime fiction, gritty realism, and excellent literary fiction. This book is amazing.

[Neda Aria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Novella is a gritty, transgressive noir that follows Rick Malone, a man who is dying but determined to take one final ride through the underbelly of society. First thing I loved about this book is its portrayal of society in this case American society and exploration of the decay of the American Dream. Like all Sebastian's works including his poetries, this story has a dark and brutal tone that pulls you into a life full of violence and despair, where hope is a rare commodity, and survival is the only goal. His writing is always unapologetically raw, channeling the same existential gloom you could find in James Sallis's Drive and Horace McCoy's They Shoot Horses. The narrative moves fast, building a suffocating atmosphere that reflects Malone's inner turmoil and the collapsing world around him. The story's deep dive into the psychological and emotional decay of its characters makes it a compelling, unflinching look at lives on the edge. Just like as I like my characters to be. Fans of noir and hard-hitting, existential literature will find Driver a dark, gripping, and unforgettable ride.

[Manny Torres · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book would have sat perfectly on a dime book spinner, back in the 70's. An almost perfect noir set in the early 70's about a man who drives women to clinics to get abortions, before Roe vs. Wade. It submerges you in it's mise en scene of relentless crime, and noir trappings, grabs you by the throat in its singular voice. It arrives like Sallis's Drive with stops by Salinger's self-pity, and the claustrophobia of They Shoot Horses, Don't They? It's a gritty story about a man trying to redeem himself for the terrible things he's done, and reluctantly helping people, and killing the bad guys. Like books such as Fat City and Hard Rain Falling, it puts you in the pits of destitute but pulls off something triumphant. Hopefully there will be more books like this from Sebastian Vice, who wears his influences on his shoulders. As gritty as it gets. One of the best books of 2024.

[Coy Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Driver is a poetic, fast, and painful embrace, like a beating heart wrapped in the cool skin of the dead. A tremendous read.