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Button Man
Paul Lyons's third novel is a gritty, disturbing, and wildly comic story of street vendors, loan sharks, and long-shot love.
It's the hot summer of 1988, Michael Dukakis leads the elder George Bush in the polls, and while the over-arching events of the political conventions are in progress, Hawk and the rest of the "button gang" sell their buttons first to Democrats in Atlanta, then Republicans in New Orleans. They sell, as always, to either side of any persuasion, offering a unique underview of the American political process, amoral hucksterism, and a kind of grubby capitalism. Hawk is a gambler-canny, streetwise, full of hungers and debt, beset by loan sharks and his girlfriend's Ginsu-wielding ex-husband. His story explores trust-and trust betrayed; the ethics of the street-and ethics compromised. His story is that of an edgy outsider's strategies for survival, solvency, and love.
Lyons draws an unflinching bead on a world rarely seen. Button Man is reminiscent, in its unnerving violence and biting wit, of the worlds of Elmore Leonard, Nathaniel West, William Kennedy, and Quentin Tarantino.
It's the hot summer of 1988, Michael Dukakis leads the elder George Bush in the polls, and while the over-arching events of the political conventions are in progress, Hawk and the rest of the "button gang" sell their buttons first to Democrats in Atlanta, then Republicans in New Orleans. They sell, as always, to either side of any persuasion, offering a unique underview of the American political process, amoral hucksterism, and a kind of grubby capitalism. Hawk is a gambler-canny, streetwise, full of hungers and debt, beset by loan sharks and his girlfriend's Ginsu-wielding ex-husband. His story explores trust-and trust betrayed; the ethics of the street-and ethics compromised. His story is that of an edgy outsider's strategies for survival, solvency, and love.
Lyons draws an unflinching bead on a world rarely seen. Button Man is reminiscent, in its unnerving violence and biting wit, of the worlds of Elmore Leonard, Nathaniel West, William Kennedy, and Quentin Tarantino.
181 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 22, 2014
I thought this was a really interesting short read. It takes the point of view of someone you wouldn't normally notice, and shows that they have a life as intricate as your own. There was a lot of really interesting political/economic commentary and the author got across a lot of the messages through irony and wit. It was a very satisfying read, set in a unique time about unique characters. I would definitely recommend it!
http://ramblingimp.blogspot.com/
http://ramblingimp.blogspot.com/
January 21, 2024
I download this book for free. It sounded interesting, but my mind continued to wander as I listened to the story. There were too many characters with weird transitions between scenes. I thought the story line was different, somewhat interesting, but the book ended up being just okay.
August 6, 2011
Crazy guy sells buttons for a living & gambles and gets in all kinds of trouble.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews