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The System
An electrifying, multi-voiced thriller tackling our criminal justice system, from the writer Michael Connelly has called “one of our most gifted novelists.”
On December 6, 1993, a drug dealer called Scrappy is shot and left for dead on the lawn outside her mother’s house in South Central Los Angeles. Augie, a heroin addict, witnesses the whole thing—before he steals all the drugs on her person, as well as the gun that was dropped at the scene. When Augie gets busted, he names local gang members Wizard and Dreamer the shooters.
But only one of them is guilty.
A search of Wizard and Dreamer’s premises uncovers the gun that was used in the shooting, and a warrant goes out for their arrest. They know it’s a frame-up, but the word from the gang is to keep their mouths shut and face the charges.
With these two off the streets and headed for jail, Dreamer’s friend Little, the unlikeliest of new gang members, is given one discover how the gun got moved, and why.
Played out in the streets, precincts, jails, and courtrooms of Los Angeles, Ryan Gattis's The System is the harrowing story of a crime—from moments before the bullets are fired, to the verdict and its violent aftershocks—told through the vivid chorus of those involved, guilty, the innocent, and everyone in between.
On December 6, 1993, a drug dealer called Scrappy is shot and left for dead on the lawn outside her mother’s house in South Central Los Angeles. Augie, a heroin addict, witnesses the whole thing—before he steals all the drugs on her person, as well as the gun that was dropped at the scene. When Augie gets busted, he names local gang members Wizard and Dreamer the shooters.
But only one of them is guilty.
A search of Wizard and Dreamer’s premises uncovers the gun that was used in the shooting, and a warrant goes out for their arrest. They know it’s a frame-up, but the word from the gang is to keep their mouths shut and face the charges.
With these two off the streets and headed for jail, Dreamer’s friend Little, the unlikeliest of new gang members, is given one discover how the gun got moved, and why.
Played out in the streets, precincts, jails, and courtrooms of Los Angeles, Ryan Gattis's The System is the harrowing story of a crime—from moments before the bullets are fired, to the verdict and its violent aftershocks—told through the vivid chorus of those involved, guilty, the innocent, and everyone in between.
432 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 8, 2020
233 people are currently reading
2410 people want to read
About the author
Ryan Gattis
23 books268 followersRyan Gattis is the author of Safe, Kung Fu High School, The System (July 2020), The Big Drop novellas (Homecoming & Impermanence) and All Involved, which won the Alex Award from the American Library Association and the Lire Award for Noir of the Year in France. He lives and writes in South Los Angeles, where he is a member of art collective UGLARworks, a founding board member of arts non-profit Heritage Future, and a PEN America Prison Writing Mentor.
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For UK readers, Advanced Reading Copies of The System are now available. Please visit Netgalley UK to request one.
For news, updates, & more, sign up for Ryan's monthly newsletter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 120 reviews
November 12, 2020
"This is the story of one...crime-those accused of it, those who witnessed it, the lawyers who prosecuted and defended it, and those left behind on the outside".
"...the system is the system. It always gobbles up the ones with the lowest distance to fall".
It started with Augustine Clark aka Augie on December 6, 1993 in South Central Los Angeles. "These earthquakes I got are major...I need something bad. So bad I'll do whatever has to be done for it". He starts tugging on the wooden shutters of Scrappy's mother's house. Drug dealer Scrappy confronts Augie...deal done. Augie starts to slink away...but...Scrappy has been "green lighted from above" and shots ring out. Augie returns, applies first aid, and tells Scrappy's mother to send for an ambulance. Meanwhile, Augie pockets ten baggies stored on Scrappy's person and a weapon dropped at the scene. "I got the gun in my hand. What can I sell it for if I clean it up?" Not so fast, Augie!
Parole Agent Phillip Petrillo checks Augie's Parole Field File before making a home visit. Petrillo has reason to believe Augie is "using" and searches the premises finding a gun hidden behind a baseboard. To avoid additional jail time, Augie suggests, "...what if I knew something?" Petrillo retorts, "Get on the right side of the system, Augie. I'm your one shot". Augie fingers two suspects, Wizard as shooter, and an second unknown assailant. Petrillo presses. "If Wizard was one, who was the other guy at the shooting? Dreamer. Dreamer...C'mon, Augie, Say it...whether he was there or not last night doesn't matter""....there could even be something for me to take out of it...", thinks Petrillo.
Here is how it goes down. Wizard and Dreamer are arrested and charged with "willful, deliberate and premeditated...conspiracy...to murder Lucrecia Lucero [aka Scrappy from] ...a rival street gang. Who are these suspects? Omar Tavira aka Wizard, twenty two years old, traveled with a pad...to write words...perhaps "Mister Gangster-Trying-To-Be a Rapper". "Loyalty is the best part of anybody". "When we wind up at County Jail, it's a whole new education". Jacob Safulu aka Dreamer is seventeen years old. He has "no tattoos...hasn't even been arrested yet". "I don't want to go to jail for something I didn't do...some shit Wizard did and it's on me". It would seem that Dreamer and Wizard's fates are intertwined. The agendas of the prosecution and defense will soon be revealed.
"The System" by Ryan Gattis is a legal thriller that masterfully voices a crime using the narratives of Wizard and Dreamer, Scrappy, parole officers, detectives, and lawyers for the defense and prosecution. There are those who will consider it to be a badge of honor to become gangsters. Others, entrenched in the system, can't find a way out. "I've got to kill my feelings...I know I can't show weakness...Survive. No matter what"...Nothing I could say gets me out of here. It only gets me deeper". The reader views a snapshot of the criminal justice system. We witness a police procedural that examines an urban crime. Will justice be served? Highly recommended.
Thank you Farrar, Straus and Giroux/MCD and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
"...the system is the system. It always gobbles up the ones with the lowest distance to fall".
It started with Augustine Clark aka Augie on December 6, 1993 in South Central Los Angeles. "These earthquakes I got are major...I need something bad. So bad I'll do whatever has to be done for it". He starts tugging on the wooden shutters of Scrappy's mother's house. Drug dealer Scrappy confronts Augie...deal done. Augie starts to slink away...but...Scrappy has been "green lighted from above" and shots ring out. Augie returns, applies first aid, and tells Scrappy's mother to send for an ambulance. Meanwhile, Augie pockets ten baggies stored on Scrappy's person and a weapon dropped at the scene. "I got the gun in my hand. What can I sell it for if I clean it up?" Not so fast, Augie!
Parole Agent Phillip Petrillo checks Augie's Parole Field File before making a home visit. Petrillo has reason to believe Augie is "using" and searches the premises finding a gun hidden behind a baseboard. To avoid additional jail time, Augie suggests, "...what if I knew something?" Petrillo retorts, "Get on the right side of the system, Augie. I'm your one shot". Augie fingers two suspects, Wizard as shooter, and an second unknown assailant. Petrillo presses. "If Wizard was one, who was the other guy at the shooting? Dreamer. Dreamer...C'mon, Augie, Say it...whether he was there or not last night doesn't matter""....there could even be something for me to take out of it...", thinks Petrillo.
Here is how it goes down. Wizard and Dreamer are arrested and charged with "willful, deliberate and premeditated...conspiracy...to murder Lucrecia Lucero [aka Scrappy from] ...a rival street gang. Who are these suspects? Omar Tavira aka Wizard, twenty two years old, traveled with a pad...to write words...perhaps "Mister Gangster-Trying-To-Be a Rapper". "Loyalty is the best part of anybody". "When we wind up at County Jail, it's a whole new education". Jacob Safulu aka Dreamer is seventeen years old. He has "no tattoos...hasn't even been arrested yet". "I don't want to go to jail for something I didn't do...some shit Wizard did and it's on me". It would seem that Dreamer and Wizard's fates are intertwined. The agendas of the prosecution and defense will soon be revealed.
"The System" by Ryan Gattis is a legal thriller that masterfully voices a crime using the narratives of Wizard and Dreamer, Scrappy, parole officers, detectives, and lawyers for the defense and prosecution. There are those who will consider it to be a badge of honor to become gangsters. Others, entrenched in the system, can't find a way out. "I've got to kill my feelings...I know I can't show weakness...Survive. No matter what"...Nothing I could say gets me out of here. It only gets me deeper". The reader views a snapshot of the criminal justice system. We witness a police procedural that examines an urban crime. Will justice be served? Highly recommended.
Thank you Farrar, Straus and Giroux/MCD and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
December 11, 2020
The System is a dark, gritty and sinister legal thriller all about the consequences and implications of the United States criminal justice system. Set against the backdrop of Lynwood in South Central Los Angeles, around 19 months after the LA/Rodney King Riots, Gattis sets about exploring both the different stages of the system as it progresses and also the array of distinct entities involved in order to keep the wheel of justice turning. It's December 6, 1993, and heroin addict Augie Clark, witnesses his dealer, Scrappy, getting shot outside her mother’s house, and recognises the shooter as gangbanger Wizard, but doesn’t know who the guy with Wizard is. Clark saves Scrappy’s life with some quick first aid, calls an ambulance—and pockets the gun used in the shooting left at the scene. The next day, Clark’s parole officer finds the gun during a routine check on Clark, and blackmails him to finger Wizard and Wizard’s usual accomplice, Dreamer, who has no felony record. Following the aftermath of the crime for all involved, those accused of it, those who witnessed it, the law enforcement who investigated it, the lawyers who prosecuted and defended it, and those left behind on the outside, we get a multifaceted look into the cogs in motion through immersive multiple first-person monologues. Everyone has a well-defined role to play in this legal symphony.
This is a fascinating and refreshingly original method of illustrating both what works and what doesn't regarding the U.S. criminal justice system, and by utilising an engaging fictional murder to depict the wide-ranging positives and negatives that come from such a system, we get to view exactly how the complex, intertwined sections of this system play out. Discussed in a compassionate, moving and intricately informative fashion, this richly woven and extensively researched novel becomes ever more thought-provoking as it progresses and paints a compelling portrait of the criminal networks that often operate from within prisons. An authentic, intelligent and superbly written piece of social commentary on a system consisting of many moving parts and inevitable fundamental flaws that once noticed can be “fixed”, at least until the next one makes an appearance, The System highlights that our legal system(s), and this is true of them all across the world, despite having developed and evolved over centuries, are still very much a work in progress and must adapt to fit the changing times. All in all, a scintillating, dramatic courtroom drama but at the same time so much more than that — it's questioning, full of sharp observation, profound social criticism and razor-sharp characterisation — a resonant and relevant page-turner. Highly recommended.
This is a fascinating and refreshingly original method of illustrating both what works and what doesn't regarding the U.S. criminal justice system, and by utilising an engaging fictional murder to depict the wide-ranging positives and negatives that come from such a system, we get to view exactly how the complex, intertwined sections of this system play out. Discussed in a compassionate, moving and intricately informative fashion, this richly woven and extensively researched novel becomes ever more thought-provoking as it progresses and paints a compelling portrait of the criminal networks that often operate from within prisons. An authentic, intelligent and superbly written piece of social commentary on a system consisting of many moving parts and inevitable fundamental flaws that once noticed can be “fixed”, at least until the next one makes an appearance, The System highlights that our legal system(s), and this is true of them all across the world, despite having developed and evolved over centuries, are still very much a work in progress and must adapt to fit the changing times. All in all, a scintillating, dramatic courtroom drama but at the same time so much more than that — it's questioning, full of sharp observation, profound social criticism and razor-sharp characterisation — a resonant and relevant page-turner. Highly recommended.
May 31, 2020
If you loved Gattis' All Involved then this is a must-read as I'd say it's even better, perhaps because it has a cleaner narrative arc and more story-telling momentum. The format is essentially similar: a revolving series of 1st person narratives that offer up a 360-degree view of a gang crime and its aftermath in LA.
Gattis' compassion and understanding is well to the fore here as well as, I would assume, deep research. The characters in the gangs are youthful in the extreme, mere teenagers, brought up in harsh circumstances, and it's not hard to see how gangs might become a quasi-family. All the same, this also highlights choice and options: the fates of Dreamer and Wizard could have been the same but are not.
My one small qualm is about the character of Petrillo, a parole officer - without giving away spoilers, I can see what role he plays in the overarching plot but it seems to be tied in in a rather soap-y way. That said, I enjoyed reading his narratives, condemning himself through his own words as a disaffected white man blaming 'feminazis', Latinos, African-Americans, Eastern Europeans and pretty much everyone else for his woes (despite, ironically, his own Italian immigrant heritage).
The structure keeps this pacy with a quick-switch feel similar to TV series. Emotive, compelling, immersive and insightful - a title to watch this summer.
Many thanks to Picador for an ARC via NetGalley
Gattis' compassion and understanding is well to the fore here as well as, I would assume, deep research. The characters in the gangs are youthful in the extreme, mere teenagers, brought up in harsh circumstances, and it's not hard to see how gangs might become a quasi-family. All the same, this also highlights choice and options: the fates of Dreamer and Wizard could have been the same but are not.
My one small qualm is about the character of Petrillo, a parole officer - without giving away spoilers, I can see what role he plays in the overarching plot but it seems to be tied in in a rather soap-y way. That said, I enjoyed reading his narratives, condemning himself through his own words as a disaffected white man blaming 'feminazis', Latinos, African-Americans, Eastern Europeans and pretty much everyone else for his woes (despite, ironically, his own Italian immigrant heritage).
The structure keeps this pacy with a quick-switch feel similar to TV series. Emotive, compelling, immersive and insightful - a title to watch this summer.
Many thanks to Picador for an ARC via NetGalley
January 13, 2023
This was our audiobook for the annual Christmas road trip. The System is a gritty crime thriller about LA street gangs and corrupt cops. The writing makes you feel like you're right there in the thick of it all.
Wizard is a high ranking banger, and when word comes down to take out a rival dealer named Scrappy, he loads up with a driver and does the deed. Too bad Scrappy survives and fingers Wizard as the shooter, but she isn't sure who drove the car.
Officer Petrillo has the hots for Wizard's cousin, Angela, but she's already mixed up with Dreamer, an entry-level gang member. If Petrillo can get Dreamer out of the way, his path to Angela will be clear. All he needs is for Dreamer to have been the driver during the shooting...
I thought this was good, and Gattis did a good job of showing how easy it is to fall into crime and why people do it. Some of it's familial, some is coercion, but some of it is because it gives a sense power to people who would otherwise have none. The same can be said about being a cop. It was interesting to compare the two intersecting-yet-parallel storylines.
I recommend this for those who like in-your-face crime novels, but I say pass on the audiobook. All the narrators sound like they're reading, and the female narrators sound like little kids.
Wizard is a high ranking banger, and when word comes down to take out a rival dealer named Scrappy, he loads up with a driver and does the deed. Too bad Scrappy survives and fingers Wizard as the shooter, but she isn't sure who drove the car.
Officer Petrillo has the hots for Wizard's cousin, Angela, but she's already mixed up with Dreamer, an entry-level gang member. If Petrillo can get Dreamer out of the way, his path to Angela will be clear. All he needs is for Dreamer to have been the driver during the shooting...
I thought this was good, and Gattis did a good job of showing how easy it is to fall into crime and why people do it. Some of it's familial, some is coercion, but some of it is because it gives a sense power to people who would otherwise have none. The same can be said about being a cop. It was interesting to compare the two intersecting-yet-parallel storylines.
I recommend this for those who like in-your-face crime novels, but I say pass on the audiobook. All the narrators sound like they're reading, and the female narrators sound like little kids.
February 10, 2021
Wizard is a high ranking gang member, who is tasked with killing a dealer named Scrappy, who is in a competing gang. Meanwhile, a strung-out addict Augie, is pestering Scrappy for a score, witnesses the shooting, and saves Scrappy's life with a tourniquet. When a parole officer finds Scrappy's drugs and the weapon at Augie's apartment, Officer Petrillo seized the opportunity to nail Wizard and get Wizard's buddy/roommate Dreamer jailed as an accomplice. Meanwhile, Dreamer was being dumped by his attractive girlfriend Angela (Wizard's cousin), whom is coveted by Petrillo. Petrillo is despicable through and through, with incredibly racist opinions, but the cops and prosecutors have a tough time figuring out what happened as Scrappy won't talk, except with Little, one of Dreamer's buddies, who is trying to find who ratted on Wizard. Gattis does a realistic job of depicting gang life, police indifference, the horrors of jails and the justice system, but like others, I was not very interested in the novel's characters.
December 20, 2020
The toughest part about reviewing novels like The System by Ryan Gattis, is doing justice to the writing and story. This novel really is more than just a “crime” or “thriller” novel. It’s a novel of destruction, growth, and redemption.
The System is a gritty, urban crime novel focusing on those encountering “the system,” and of those practicing within “the system.” As Gattis describes, the machination of “the system” consists of the three prongs of government when it comes to law and law-breaking: law enforcement, the courts, and corrections. The main focus of the novel is on Jacob “Dreamer” Safula and Omar “Wizard” Tavira. Wizard is a hardcore mover and shaker in the gang world, while Dreamer is more or less tied to the gang subculture because of his friendship with Wizard and geographic upbringing.
The novel opens with Angela Alvarez, the girlfriend of Dreamer, telling him their relationship has reached the end of the road and it’s time for him to move out of her home. Wizard, the cousin to Angela Alvarez, and best friend of Dreamer, also lives with Alvarez and while the couple is ending their relationship, some distance away, Wizard happens to be shooting a female drug dealer nicknamed Scrappy.
Soon, because of malevolent forces beyond the control of Dreamer and regardless of being innocent of the shooting, both he and Wizard are arrested and charged with the crime and find themselves facing possible life prison terms.
In alternating chronological chapters told from the perspective of different characters within the novel, the story continues to unfold as Dreamer and Wizard move through the bowels of the “the system.” The novel further details the toll this process exacts from all those involved when pulled into its crushing vortex, where procedure is more important than truth and where results often end with negative, unrelenting repercussions, often contrary to guilt or innocence.
Those fond of writers like George Pelecanos, Richard Price, and Dennis Lehane should enjoy the writing of Ryan Gattis and it will be quite a surprise if The System does not start appearing on “best of” end of the year lists in crime fiction. Readers are also encouraged to read Gattis’ prior novel All Involved.
NetGalley provided an advanced reader copy of this novel with the promise of an unbiased and fair review. This review was originally published at MysteryandSuspense.com
The System is a gritty, urban crime novel focusing on those encountering “the system,” and of those practicing within “the system.” As Gattis describes, the machination of “the system” consists of the three prongs of government when it comes to law and law-breaking: law enforcement, the courts, and corrections. The main focus of the novel is on Jacob “Dreamer” Safula and Omar “Wizard” Tavira. Wizard is a hardcore mover and shaker in the gang world, while Dreamer is more or less tied to the gang subculture because of his friendship with Wizard and geographic upbringing.
The novel opens with Angela Alvarez, the girlfriend of Dreamer, telling him their relationship has reached the end of the road and it’s time for him to move out of her home. Wizard, the cousin to Angela Alvarez, and best friend of Dreamer, also lives with Alvarez and while the couple is ending their relationship, some distance away, Wizard happens to be shooting a female drug dealer nicknamed Scrappy.
Soon, because of malevolent forces beyond the control of Dreamer and regardless of being innocent of the shooting, both he and Wizard are arrested and charged with the crime and find themselves facing possible life prison terms.
In alternating chronological chapters told from the perspective of different characters within the novel, the story continues to unfold as Dreamer and Wizard move through the bowels of the “the system.” The novel further details the toll this process exacts from all those involved when pulled into its crushing vortex, where procedure is more important than truth and where results often end with negative, unrelenting repercussions, often contrary to guilt or innocence.
Those fond of writers like George Pelecanos, Richard Price, and Dennis Lehane should enjoy the writing of Ryan Gattis and it will be quite a surprise if The System does not start appearing on “best of” end of the year lists in crime fiction. Readers are also encouraged to read Gattis’ prior novel All Involved.
NetGalley provided an advanced reader copy of this novel with the promise of an unbiased and fair review. This review was originally published at MysteryandSuspense.com
May 17, 2020
Wow! I have had the good fortune to read several great books so far this year, and this one goes right to the top of the list of most enjoyed. I actually got into trouble with the wife, because I would not put it down and go to bed. It was that mesmerizing.
The book is set in Los Angeles in 1993, after the Rodney King riots. The plot follows an attempted murder of a young gangster drug dealer, and of the two men arrested for the crime. It uses multiple voices, that of the person shot, of the two arrested men, of parole agents, detectives, District Attorneys, Public Defenders, and other gang (or wanna-be's) members. I think there are about a dozen different characters.
The story is excellent. Entirely believable. Riveting. The confusion of the crime scene, the motives of some of the law enforcement, the political maneuverings to get ahead in careers (and in gang reputations), the jail scenes, the prison scenes, the courtroom scenes, descriptions of the gang (I think it's the Mexican Mafia). All were spot-on!
The author expertly uses the multiple characters voices to make you feel like you are there.
I spent seven years as a Deputy Sheriff, then another 21 years in the Federal Bureau of Prisons (in various positions). I can vouch for the author's descriptions. He really hits the nail on the head!
All in all, this is an incredible book. After finishing the book (and taking a day to catch my breath), I immediately ordered some more of his books. I think I have a new favorite author to follow.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an Advance Reading Copy of this book.
Highly, highly recommend!
The book is set in Los Angeles in 1993, after the Rodney King riots. The plot follows an attempted murder of a young gangster drug dealer, and of the two men arrested for the crime. It uses multiple voices, that of the person shot, of the two arrested men, of parole agents, detectives, District Attorneys, Public Defenders, and other gang (or wanna-be's) members. I think there are about a dozen different characters.
The story is excellent. Entirely believable. Riveting. The confusion of the crime scene, the motives of some of the law enforcement, the political maneuverings to get ahead in careers (and in gang reputations), the jail scenes, the prison scenes, the courtroom scenes, descriptions of the gang (I think it's the Mexican Mafia). All were spot-on!
The author expertly uses the multiple characters voices to make you feel like you are there.
I spent seven years as a Deputy Sheriff, then another 21 years in the Federal Bureau of Prisons (in various positions). I can vouch for the author's descriptions. He really hits the nail on the head!
All in all, this is an incredible book. After finishing the book (and taking a day to catch my breath), I immediately ordered some more of his books. I think I have a new favorite author to follow.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an Advance Reading Copy of this book.
Highly, highly recommend!
March 17, 2021
The basis of the story surround the attempted killing of a gang member in Los Angeles right after the 1993 riots. The incident is then used by a parole officer to frame the wrong gang member in order to start an amorous affair with his girlfriend. The book does a good job of showing the life of a gang member in both the street and while in jail. The description of the legal system in Los Angeles is wonderful, this is especially true of the trial of the gang members. I found that the book was redundant, in places, and the the manner in which it was presented was a little dry. It read as documentary at times. At other times it felt like a was watching the old TV show: “Dragnet”
August 7, 2021
The System is a sinister and gritty legal thriller that offers a penetrating and shocking look at the US criminal justice system, and the consequences left behind should it fail. Told through a thought-provoking and frightening lens, this novel explores how the corruption of one man can ruin the lives of many. The reader is invited to watch the entire case unfold before their eyes, from the crime taking place, right up to the verdict being offered.
Each character brings a refreshing perspective to the story, each offering their own flaws and shortcomings. While there wasn't a character I didn't want to hear from, Dreamer was by far my favorite. He was painted in such a brilliant way, bringing about a sympathetic view to someone caught up in gang culture. I honestly would have enjoyed seeing the novel entirely from his viewpoint.
If you're looking for a crime novel that differs from the norm, then this one is worth checking out.
Each character brings a refreshing perspective to the story, each offering their own flaws and shortcomings. While there wasn't a character I didn't want to hear from, Dreamer was by far my favorite. He was painted in such a brilliant way, bringing about a sympathetic view to someone caught up in gang culture. I honestly would have enjoyed seeing the novel entirely from his viewpoint.
If you're looking for a crime novel that differs from the norm, then this one is worth checking out.
November 25, 2020
I’ve had two good goes at The System now, but I’m afraid I can’t get on with it and have bailed out.
I’m not sure quite why I’m struggling with it; I liked All Involved and this is in a similar style with closely related content and its examination of the US justice machine is important and timely. This time, though, I found the multiple points of view too fragmented to form a coherent narrative and some of the characters, like the bigoted, self-regarding, manipulative parole officer, rather overblown and verging on caricature.
Others have enjoyed this and I can see that it has merit, but it just didn’t engage me in the end and I won’t be going back to it.
(My thanks to Picador for an ARC via NetGalley.)
I’m not sure quite why I’m struggling with it; I liked All Involved and this is in a similar style with closely related content and its examination of the US justice machine is important and timely. This time, though, I found the multiple points of view too fragmented to form a coherent narrative and some of the characters, like the bigoted, self-regarding, manipulative parole officer, rather overblown and verging on caricature.
Others have enjoyed this and I can see that it has merit, but it just didn’t engage me in the end and I won’t be going back to it.
(My thanks to Picador for an ARC via NetGalley.)
July 11, 2020
A thought-provoking and frightening lens on LA gang culture, The System sees Ryan Gattis return to the subject matter of his excellent novel All Involved. Whilst All Involved took place during the mayhem* of the LA riots, The System occurs several months after the riots.
The focus is on the gang-ordered shooting of a drug dealer. Following this incident, we are walked through the 'system' - who takes the rap, how the authorities try to get the outcome they want, how personal ambition or lust can affect the lives of those involved. The book is obviously researched really well and it's fascinating but depressing to see just how broken this system is.
So why only 3 stars? Well, I found the book to be interesting but it never quite gripped me in the way All Involved did. I think I needed a little more on some of the key characters like Dreamer, Wizard and Dulce - I never quite felt like I knew them well enough or was fully invested in their stories. I think in part, the genre just isn't my favourite and I know there will be a lot of readers who will love this one - it's well written, gritty and perfect for those who like urban crime, police procedural or The Wire.
*As an aside, I learned from this book that 'Mayhem' is actually a crime in the US. :-)
The focus is on the gang-ordered shooting of a drug dealer. Following this incident, we are walked through the 'system' - who takes the rap, how the authorities try to get the outcome they want, how personal ambition or lust can affect the lives of those involved. The book is obviously researched really well and it's fascinating but depressing to see just how broken this system is.
So why only 3 stars? Well, I found the book to be interesting but it never quite gripped me in the way All Involved did. I think I needed a little more on some of the key characters like Dreamer, Wizard and Dulce - I never quite felt like I knew them well enough or was fully invested in their stories. I think in part, the genre just isn't my favourite and I know there will be a lot of readers who will love this one - it's well written, gritty and perfect for those who like urban crime, police procedural or The Wire.
*As an aside, I learned from this book that 'Mayhem' is actually a crime in the US. :-)
December 26, 2020
Our story opens on the streets of LA in 1993. They weren’t any nicer back then than now, and we’re not in the good part of town. Gangs rule their turf, and that turf is sacred to them. The penalties for crossing the lines are brutal. So when the “green light” goes out for Scrappy, a drug dealer, she knows she screwed up. Shots ring out in the night, and Scrappy falls, left for dead. Wizard and Dreamer are fingered for the hit. But Dreamer couldn’t have done it. He has an alibi: his girlfriend, Angela. She was breaking up with him at the very time Scrappy was shot. Wizard also knows Dreamer didn’t do it, but the word is out: Just face the charges like a man.
The gun somehow ended up in a dresser shared by Dreamer and Angela. But she kicked him out, and he never went back. So how did it get there? There’s an eyewitness. A sketchy little guy named Augie. He says he saw the shooting, and the prosecutor likes his story. The problem is, Augie is a user, and he has a troubled relationship with the truth. Give him a reason to change his story, and it could easily happen. Besides, the streets are very dangerous, and Augie doesn’t have much courage, but he does have a gnawing habit.
Next, we go inside the prison with Wizard and Dreamer. Wizard has been there before, despite his young age. But this is all new to Dreamer. Don’t worry, Wizard has his back. At least for a while. Things happen, though, and soon Wizard is swept off to another facility, leaving his homey on his own. Dreamer’s rage grows, knowing he shouldn’t be there. He’s not part of a gang, and he didn’t do what they’ve accused him of. He could end up stuck inside for years. His attorney pleads with him to separate his case from Wizard’s, but Dreamer has his instructions. He can’t; he just can’t. As much as the lawyer tries to understand, he doesn’t. No one does who hasn’t lived inside. He can only do his best for his client and hope it is enough.
Meanwhile, on the outside, an up-and-comer dubbed Little, who’s known for his smarts, is tasked with finding out how the gun got inside Dreamer’s dresser. Little wants to prove himself and help his friend, and he knows ways to get information that most street people wouldn’t use. Getting results and getting them to the lawyer can be tricky, and maybe a touch unethical if not downright illegal, but it’s a chance the players are willing to take. The system almost forces it.
Finally, we watch the trial play out, from who wants who on the jury to the edgy tricks each side pulls, to the daily drama of the witness testimony, a few courtroom surprises and the cumulative effect on the outcome. There are winners and losers. For some, better luck next time.
These streets have their own set of rules, and they aren’t any rules you or I would ever understand. The people living on these streets do things the way they do in order to make it day to day. Sure, some of it is for ego, power and show, but for Dreamer, it’s survival. The cops, parole officers, prosecutors and defense attorneys all see how it works, and although in no way do they condone it, at least they recognize that it’s a protective shell around the street existence.
THE SYSTEM presents a story with incredibly real characters; while it’s mostly tough to sympathize with them, sometimes it's also easy to do so. Author Ryan Gattis shows readers a whole alien world right in the midst of Los Angeles, and it’s eye-opening. It’s authentic. It’s frightening. This book will shake you up.
Reviewed by Kate Ayers
The gun somehow ended up in a dresser shared by Dreamer and Angela. But she kicked him out, and he never went back. So how did it get there? There’s an eyewitness. A sketchy little guy named Augie. He says he saw the shooting, and the prosecutor likes his story. The problem is, Augie is a user, and he has a troubled relationship with the truth. Give him a reason to change his story, and it could easily happen. Besides, the streets are very dangerous, and Augie doesn’t have much courage, but he does have a gnawing habit.
Next, we go inside the prison with Wizard and Dreamer. Wizard has been there before, despite his young age. But this is all new to Dreamer. Don’t worry, Wizard has his back. At least for a while. Things happen, though, and soon Wizard is swept off to another facility, leaving his homey on his own. Dreamer’s rage grows, knowing he shouldn’t be there. He’s not part of a gang, and he didn’t do what they’ve accused him of. He could end up stuck inside for years. His attorney pleads with him to separate his case from Wizard’s, but Dreamer has his instructions. He can’t; he just can’t. As much as the lawyer tries to understand, he doesn’t. No one does who hasn’t lived inside. He can only do his best for his client and hope it is enough.
Meanwhile, on the outside, an up-and-comer dubbed Little, who’s known for his smarts, is tasked with finding out how the gun got inside Dreamer’s dresser. Little wants to prove himself and help his friend, and he knows ways to get information that most street people wouldn’t use. Getting results and getting them to the lawyer can be tricky, and maybe a touch unethical if not downright illegal, but it’s a chance the players are willing to take. The system almost forces it.
Finally, we watch the trial play out, from who wants who on the jury to the edgy tricks each side pulls, to the daily drama of the witness testimony, a few courtroom surprises and the cumulative effect on the outcome. There are winners and losers. For some, better luck next time.
These streets have their own set of rules, and they aren’t any rules you or I would ever understand. The people living on these streets do things the way they do in order to make it day to day. Sure, some of it is for ego, power and show, but for Dreamer, it’s survival. The cops, parole officers, prosecutors and defense attorneys all see how it works, and although in no way do they condone it, at least they recognize that it’s a protective shell around the street existence.
THE SYSTEM presents a story with incredibly real characters; while it’s mostly tough to sympathize with them, sometimes it's also easy to do so. Author Ryan Gattis shows readers a whole alien world right in the midst of Los Angeles, and it’s eye-opening. It’s authentic. It’s frightening. This book will shake you up.
Reviewed by Kate Ayers
December 26, 2020
Okay, so Ryan Gattis has returned to the early-90's LA gang turf that served him so well in "All Involved," my favorite crime novel of the last decade. But what worked then works now, plus, I don't see a lot of other writers exploring this particular setting, which he depicts as central to the average American's understanding of crime and race, so he might as well claim it as his own.
And okay, so there's not a lot of suspense in this book, and there wasn't a single twist. You'll notice, however, it's called "The System," and systems exist to prevent unexpected outcomes. There's conflict, of course, between the criminal justice system and the criminal system, and if Mr. Gattis isn't the first novelist to see a moral equivalency between the two, he's one of the best.
And okay, so there may be too many characters with too many perspectives, which makes a simple story - drug dealer gets shot, her attacker goes on trial - long and complicated. Bad news: criminal justice is allegedly for our protection, not our entertainment. That we're convinced of the latter is a serious impediment to reform, as repeated allusions to the Menendez trial throughout "The System" indicate. Now, that's not to say that Mr. Gattis isn't capable of a few cute tricks, as a little sojourn to the "Small World" ride at Disneyland indicates. (On top of the play on words, the ride features tiny people dancing back and forth in their own little axes, trapped in a system -- well played, Mr. Gattis.)
So it's the kind of crime novel that doesn't have you flipping through the pages toward the thrilling confusion, it's the kind of crime novel that has you reluctant to turn the pages because some terrible things are about to happen to some very real people. And that's an achievement.
And okay, so there's not a lot of suspense in this book, and there wasn't a single twist. You'll notice, however, it's called "The System," and systems exist to prevent unexpected outcomes. There's conflict, of course, between the criminal justice system and the criminal system, and if Mr. Gattis isn't the first novelist to see a moral equivalency between the two, he's one of the best.
And okay, so there may be too many characters with too many perspectives, which makes a simple story - drug dealer gets shot, her attacker goes on trial - long and complicated. Bad news: criminal justice is allegedly for our protection, not our entertainment. That we're convinced of the latter is a serious impediment to reform, as repeated allusions to the Menendez trial throughout "The System" indicate. Now, that's not to say that Mr. Gattis isn't capable of a few cute tricks, as a little sojourn to the "Small World" ride at Disneyland indicates. (On top of the play on words, the ride features tiny people dancing back and forth in their own little axes, trapped in a system -- well played, Mr. Gattis.)
So it's the kind of crime novel that doesn't have you flipping through the pages toward the thrilling confusion, it's the kind of crime novel that has you reluctant to turn the pages because some terrible things are about to happen to some very real people. And that's an achievement.
January 20, 2021
I've had two goes at this and can't get going with it. I love the idea of taking a single crime and following it through the justice system. But maybe Gattis has been too ambitious with his approach. There are so many different characters that it's hard to build any momentum. And his narrative is detailed and ultra-realistic to a fault - it's almost so convincing that it becomes boring. I just couldn't find anyone to root for or connect with. Some people will love it but not one for me.
June 13, 2021
4.5 STARS This is a pretty good read. A hard look at gangs, policing and the legal system. The story line is compelling and the characters are certainly believable and interesting. Certainly not likeable for the most part but most definitely accurate with regards to the rolls that they are assigned. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading Ryan Gattis's next book.
On the sixth of December 1993, a drug dealer called Scrappy is shot and left for dead on her mother’s lawn in South Central Los Angeles. A heroin addict witnesses the shooting, and seizes the moment to steal Scrappy’s drugs, as well as the handgun that was dropped at the scene. When he’s busted, he names local gang members Wizard and Dreamer as the shooters.
There’s only one problem: one of them is guilty; the other, innocent
On the sixth of December 1993, a drug dealer called Scrappy is shot and left for dead on her mother’s lawn in South Central Los Angeles. A heroin addict witnesses the shooting, and seizes the moment to steal Scrappy’s drugs, as well as the handgun that was dropped at the scene. When he’s busted, he names local gang members Wizard and Dreamer as the shooters.
There’s only one problem: one of them is guilty; the other, innocent
December 16, 2020
Wow. Okay, I gave it five stars. Maybe should be just a tad shy of that but this book is so authentic it warrants a very high rating. We're in greater LA, not to good part of town. Angela is breaking up with Jacob, which seems like a bad thing at the time but turns out to be really helpful. See, Scrappy, a drug dealer from another gang, gets shot at just about the same time, but Jacob gets fingered for it. We, the readers, go along with him to prison, to court, to meetings with his lawyer. We're inside his head as he weighs how he's gonna survive. We also go along with Wizard, the other guy picked up for the shooting. We learn the dynamics between the muscle in the gang and the kids who just want to make it. We learn the prosecutor's strategy, and the defense. The witnesses -- mostly street thugs, prostitutes and addicts -- well, we listen to them too. There's so much going on here, so much to learn about how these people got where they are and why they do what they do. It's heartbreaking at the same time it will piss you off. But it's one heck of a read.
April 2, 2022
A winner from Ryan Gattis, who clearly interviewed people who'd been in jails, gangs and prisons with minute descriptions, sometimes too detailed, of these places! My one bone to pick was the motivation for setting up Dreamer - would a parole agent set up someone for murder just because he liked the guy's girlfriend? It seemed a bit of stretch, although the author tried to make it more plausible by saying the agent had 15 complaints against him, including one woman. Still, I sped through the book, told in Gattis's easy prose and signature format of short chapters from all characters involved with date and time stamps - I skipped over those, not really needed in my opinion, especially time of day. Highly recommended for those who enjoy literary crime fiction,
January 16, 2025
Well written in a style that led me to try to figure out if this was based on an actual account or if it is completely fiction. While it doesn't seem to be based on an actual event, you feel as if you are reading from the perspective of the people as if they were real, mainly because the dialogue for each is completely unique and stays consistent throughout. A few things didn't ring quite true to life - the case changes a bit conveniently, the people are a bit one-dimensional, and the ending is a bit predictable. Even so, it is unfortunately a likely insight into the real system.
November 13, 2021
FS: “In the United States, the term criminal justice system refers to the institutions through which an accused offender must pass - until the accusations are either dismissed or proven, and punishment is assessed and completed.”
LS: “It faces upriver and stands on one leg in the water - still and tall - a triumphant hunter.”
LS: “It faces upriver and stands on one leg in the water - still and tall - a triumphant hunter.”
December 25, 2022
Man, this book is an event. The best fiction novel I have read this year and yet it reads so much like non fiction. This is Richard Price’s Clockers mixed in with his show The Night Of mixed in with The Wire, and mixed in with John Grishams and Michael Connelly’s legal thrillers. I absolutely loved this book and think it is a masterpiece. Truly took my breath away.
April 18, 2021
Strikes me as a docufiction. Rings true from start to finish. I could have done with some more fiction fiction. Real life crime and doing the time.
December 17, 2021
I lost many hours of sleep to consume this in one sitting!!!
November 15, 2020
The System is an engaging multiple POV read, focused on the aftermath of a gang ordered shooting in Lynwood in '93.
We follow the victim, a witness, the shooter, a number of police officers and gang members, and the lawyers trying the case. Each character has their own unique voice, perspective, and reasoning and you feel consequences tightening on the characters with each passing chapter.
It reminds me a bit of The Wire, on a smaller scale, because every character is shades of grey morality-wise.
I was a bit disappointed in the conclusion, as it was largely "happy" and didn't seem to fit with the tone of the rest of the story.
I will definitely recommend this book on its release.
Thank you to the publisher, via Edelweiss, for providing me with an arc for review.
We follow the victim, a witness, the shooter, a number of police officers and gang members, and the lawyers trying the case. Each character has their own unique voice, perspective, and reasoning and you feel consequences tightening on the characters with each passing chapter.
It reminds me a bit of The Wire, on a smaller scale, because every character is shades of grey morality-wise.
I was a bit disappointed in the conclusion, as it was largely "happy" and didn't seem to fit with the tone of the rest of the story.
I will definitely recommend this book on its release.
Thank you to the publisher, via Edelweiss, for providing me with an arc for review.
May 8, 2021
Gritty. LA. And the scope broadened to include my slice of the system, horrifically broken as it is. I could read dozens of books like this.
December 12, 2020
Ryan Gattis is a great author who really embeds you in his stories. Different points of view are explored and exploited creating a tapestry of meaning and culture. For me, this book just had a little too much going on to be great. It is fascinating, but forced.
I received an eARC through NetGalley.
I received an eARC through NetGalley.
June 13, 2023
So here we are again, immerged in the Los Angeles gangs, the problems of and the troubles with the police. This is a book that makes one think of 'All involved' because it tells about the gangs, but has a completely different approach.
This book reads like a novel, but in fact falls somewhere between a documentary and a novel, because it is so detailed.
There has been a murder, but a (racist!) policeman takes advantage of the situation to hide the murder weapon with someone who has nothing to do with the murder. Will justice do what it must do? Otherwist this person will be guilty as an accomplice to a murder committed with this weapon, due to the fault of a policeman.
'The system' refers to several systems that the reader gets to know.
- The gang system, tough, violent, and not to be argued with. But also, how young people are recruited or get entangled into gangs, or how and why they want to join them themselves. And also, is it possible to get out of a gang, or at least not stay soaked in it when you've just got a bit wet?
- The police system. Like everywhere else, there are good policemen. But there are also racists. And those who abuse their badge, who love the power their position gives them. Towards women, for example. Or black people.
- The legal system. How do you prove your innocence when a policeman has abused his power? The lawyers, their relationships with each other, hatred or benevolence, careerism, ambition. Court-appointed lawyers, assigned by the bar. The luck or misfortune of a prisoner in finding a good or bad lawyer. Is it by chance or are there other elements they don't know (or suppose) why the lawyer assigned to them is not a good one? The question is left open.
- The prison system where gang members are locked up. A system that, as the author says, is like being encased in concrete, and every day the concrete gets a little harder. How the jailers behave, what it feels like to be in prison, what it's like to be a prisoner, especially when there is a gang around you. The things that happen there. The communication between gang members, ilegal communication between different prisons and with the outside world. It was a good surprise to read about these prisons, even Saint Quentin was mentioned and played a little role.
- The trial, another system apart, a system where a lawyer has to speak in a certain way, where a witness can only answer questions and can't say anything else, the manipulations that are tried, everything. We even read about the how and why of jury selection.
Structure : a choral novel
The book is made up of short chapters, and each time we get someone else's point of view, a member of the gang or someone who isn't, a member of the police or the judicial system, someone speaks and we get to know their thoughts and feelings. That is why the book stays human all the way.
The style
I liked the style of the popular language spoken in this environment. It's very fluid. However, in this same environment, they all have the same voice, the same vocabulary, so you don't know who is speaking when you read it. You have to read the titles, where the name of the speaker is noted. And that name isn't so simple, all the characters have several names, you have to work it out. But it doesn't take long before you get used to it.
And since this book falls somewhere between a documentary and a real novel (it is a real novel, but with a lot of information), it sometimes moves a little slowly. I didn't mind. I really enjoyed reading it.
Because it is possible to read this book. Despite the very hard, violent and intensely sad subject, the author managed to write a book that is also full of human warmth, understanding and a great deal of humour. It's a beautiful book, and even though I was able to read it easily without feeling sad, afterwards you know just how heartbreaking it is. Not onlly the gangs, the police abuse and all the rest, not only in L.A. To see humanity sending itself towards its own destruction, even though it's looking for happiness, is heartbreaking.
This book reads like a novel, but in fact falls somewhere between a documentary and a novel, because it is so detailed.
There has been a murder, but a (racist!) policeman takes advantage of the situation to hide the murder weapon with someone who has nothing to do with the murder. Will justice do what it must do? Otherwist this person will be guilty as an accomplice to a murder committed with this weapon, due to the fault of a policeman.
'The system' refers to several systems that the reader gets to know.
- The gang system, tough, violent, and not to be argued with. But also, how young people are recruited or get entangled into gangs, or how and why they want to join them themselves. And also, is it possible to get out of a gang, or at least not stay soaked in it when you've just got a bit wet?
- The police system. Like everywhere else, there are good policemen. But there are also racists. And those who abuse their badge, who love the power their position gives them. Towards women, for example. Or black people.
- The legal system. How do you prove your innocence when a policeman has abused his power? The lawyers, their relationships with each other, hatred or benevolence, careerism, ambition. Court-appointed lawyers, assigned by the bar. The luck or misfortune of a prisoner in finding a good or bad lawyer. Is it by chance or are there other elements they don't know (or suppose) why the lawyer assigned to them is not a good one? The question is left open.
- The prison system where gang members are locked up. A system that, as the author says, is like being encased in concrete, and every day the concrete gets a little harder. How the jailers behave, what it feels like to be in prison, what it's like to be a prisoner, especially when there is a gang around you. The things that happen there. The communication between gang members, ilegal communication between different prisons and with the outside world. It was a good surprise to read about these prisons, even Saint Quentin was mentioned and played a little role.
- The trial, another system apart, a system where a lawyer has to speak in a certain way, where a witness can only answer questions and can't say anything else, the manipulations that are tried, everything. We even read about the how and why of jury selection.
Structure : a choral novel
The book is made up of short chapters, and each time we get someone else's point of view, a member of the gang or someone who isn't, a member of the police or the judicial system, someone speaks and we get to know their thoughts and feelings. That is why the book stays human all the way.
The style
I liked the style of the popular language spoken in this environment. It's very fluid. However, in this same environment, they all have the same voice, the same vocabulary, so you don't know who is speaking when you read it. You have to read the titles, where the name of the speaker is noted. And that name isn't so simple, all the characters have several names, you have to work it out. But it doesn't take long before you get used to it.
And since this book falls somewhere between a documentary and a real novel (it is a real novel, but with a lot of information), it sometimes moves a little slowly. I didn't mind. I really enjoyed reading it.
Because it is possible to read this book. Despite the very hard, violent and intensely sad subject, the author managed to write a book that is also full of human warmth, understanding and a great deal of humour. It's a beautiful book, and even though I was able to read it easily without feeling sad, afterwards you know just how heartbreaking it is. Not onlly the gangs, the police abuse and all the rest, not only in L.A. To see humanity sending itself towards its own destruction, even though it's looking for happiness, is heartbreaking.
Omar Tavira, aka Wizard
Le 8 décembre 1993
12h22
A l'arrière de la voiture des flics, je suis à droite. Dreamer, à gauche. Ils m'ont bien serré les menottes. Tellement que le méal me scie la peau, mais je peux pas broncher. Ma main gauche s'engourdit, mais on ne bouge pas quand le Noir appelle le central. Suspects arrêtés. On arrive. Je me pensche vers le siège devant moi pour enlever le poids sur mes poignets, mais ça me fait tellement mal au cou que je reviens en arrière.
(des policiers observent un enfant de dix ans qui les observe, l'enfant n'a pas de chaussures)
- Apprenti gangsta, je dis.
- Je vous garantis qu'on va l'embarquer d'ici quelques années, Mirkovich confirme.
Louis se couvre la bouche avec le poing et rote avant de dire: 'Vous ne trouvez pas que les guetteurs sont de plus en plus jeunes ? Si c'est pas du conditionnemnt, ça.'
J'allais dir 'inné', mais Mirkovich dit : 'De la survie.'
Ils s'interrogent sur mes intentions. Un bon flic suspecte tout le monde, tout le temps.(...)
Louis lève un sourcil. 'Cet intérêt que vous lui portez, c'est pas parce qu'elle ferait un bon dessert, dites-moi ?
Ma bouche dit: 'Je fais juste de mon mieux.'
Mais le clin d'oeil que j'ajoute à la fin approuve : 'Absolument'.
Jacob Safulu, aka Dreamer
Je vais voir Little parce que Wizard m'a dit de le faire, et je passe par les petites rues pour aller chez sa 'mama'. Sur tout le trajet, j'ai envie de vomir. Je veux pas aller en prison. Mais s'ils viennent me chercher, c'est pas comme si j'avais le choix. Le pire, c'est que ça serait pour un truc que j'ai pas fait. Aurement, je comprendrais au moins. Mais là, je me retrouve en plein dedans. C'est ma chambre, alors c'est forcément moi. La presque arme du crime, et c'est forcément moi. La connerie de Wizard, c'est pour ma gueule. Je veux hurler que ça sorte. Je veux gerber. Quelque chose. N'importe quoi. Mais je peux pas.
February 22, 2021
Ryan Gattis came to prominence with his 2015 novel All Involved, an exploration of the 1992 Los Angeles Riots from a range of points of view. Gattis returns to that time in his latest novel The System, set a year later and with a different angle. As Gattis makes clear in the opening, his intention is to explore the American justice system from the crime through arrest, detention and the court system. Again, he does this through a range of points of view. But this is more than just an exploration of that system, it is a meditation on its self-perpetuating nature, how greater adherence to “the system” makes the system worse.
Even before the prologue, Gattis sets out his intent – to explore a single crime – “those accused of it, those who witnessed it, the law enforcement who investigated it, the lawyers who prosecuted and defended it and those left behind on the outside”. It is Los Angeles 1993, a year in which, again as Gattis sets out, 15% of the US jail population were housed in California. And power has shifted to the point where prison gangs were able to direct activity on the streets. The crime that forms the centre of this narrative is an example of this activity. A small time drug dealer is shot by members of a rival gang, on orders from high ranking members in jail. The shooting is witnessed by Augie, a drug addict looking to score, who also takes the gun which was dropped the scene. Augie’s parole officer Petrillo, finds the gun, hears the story and realises that if he plants the gun he can use it not only to arrest the shooter, known as Wizard, but can also frame his housemate Jacob Safulu, known as Dreamer. Petrillo has personal reasons for wanting to frame Dreamer as he has plans to make a move on Dreamer’s teenage girlfriend (and Wizard’s sister), Angela. Soon Dreamer and Wizard are in prison and the wheels of justice are turning.
Through the rest of the book, and through a range of other characters, including the prosecutor and Dreamer’s defence attorney (who used to work as a prosecutor), Gattis exposes the US justice system. Dreamer, who has never been to prison before, relies on Wizard to protect him and quickly adjusts to the attitude needed to survive life on the inside. Meanwhile on the outside, their friend Jeovanni Matta, known as Little, who has kept himself out of gang business finds himself coming into his own as a gang leader as he tries to find out who the police informant is and how the gun ended up in Dreamer’s bedroom.
The System is forensic in its exploration of the issues but what it also shows is no matter how impartial everyone pretends to be, the whole show is running on personal agendas. Petrillo is using the situation to date Angela, prosecutor Kristina Mirkovich used to be married to one of the arresting police officers and desperately wants to win her first big gang case, Dreamer’s defence attorney Nick Park left the DA’s office after Mirkovich told him she would not date a colleague but then would not date him anyway so wants to take her down. Meanwhile, in prison, Wizard is cementing his reputation and Dreamer is learning to fight to survive:
This jail shit is a hundred times crazier than the streets. It’s like all the rough blocks in every bad hood got all the bad dudes shook out of them and they landed here. All squashed together in tiny spaces. That shit is never going to go good. It’s how I’ve been learning about people. Seeing them. How they really are when you bust the human part of them down to nothing and they’re just about doing whatever to survive…
Gattis effectively uses his chorus of voices to move the reader through the justice system. From crime, to arrest, to arraignment, to the trial and beyond. Casting a keen eye on the mechanics of the system without ever losing sight of the humans who sit behind it. And it is that human element which ensures that nothing is black and white, and that no matter how impartial the system purports to be, there will always be cracks. And while the action is set almost thirty years ago, there is no reason to think the situation has improved in any way since then. If anything it is likely to be worse.
Even before the prologue, Gattis sets out his intent – to explore a single crime – “those accused of it, those who witnessed it, the law enforcement who investigated it, the lawyers who prosecuted and defended it and those left behind on the outside”. It is Los Angeles 1993, a year in which, again as Gattis sets out, 15% of the US jail population were housed in California. And power has shifted to the point where prison gangs were able to direct activity on the streets. The crime that forms the centre of this narrative is an example of this activity. A small time drug dealer is shot by members of a rival gang, on orders from high ranking members in jail. The shooting is witnessed by Augie, a drug addict looking to score, who also takes the gun which was dropped the scene. Augie’s parole officer Petrillo, finds the gun, hears the story and realises that if he plants the gun he can use it not only to arrest the shooter, known as Wizard, but can also frame his housemate Jacob Safulu, known as Dreamer. Petrillo has personal reasons for wanting to frame Dreamer as he has plans to make a move on Dreamer’s teenage girlfriend (and Wizard’s sister), Angela. Soon Dreamer and Wizard are in prison and the wheels of justice are turning.
Through the rest of the book, and through a range of other characters, including the prosecutor and Dreamer’s defence attorney (who used to work as a prosecutor), Gattis exposes the US justice system. Dreamer, who has never been to prison before, relies on Wizard to protect him and quickly adjusts to the attitude needed to survive life on the inside. Meanwhile on the outside, their friend Jeovanni Matta, known as Little, who has kept himself out of gang business finds himself coming into his own as a gang leader as he tries to find out who the police informant is and how the gun ended up in Dreamer’s bedroom.
The System is forensic in its exploration of the issues but what it also shows is no matter how impartial everyone pretends to be, the whole show is running on personal agendas. Petrillo is using the situation to date Angela, prosecutor Kristina Mirkovich used to be married to one of the arresting police officers and desperately wants to win her first big gang case, Dreamer’s defence attorney Nick Park left the DA’s office after Mirkovich told him she would not date a colleague but then would not date him anyway so wants to take her down. Meanwhile, in prison, Wizard is cementing his reputation and Dreamer is learning to fight to survive:
This jail shit is a hundred times crazier than the streets. It’s like all the rough blocks in every bad hood got all the bad dudes shook out of them and they landed here. All squashed together in tiny spaces. That shit is never going to go good. It’s how I’ve been learning about people. Seeing them. How they really are when you bust the human part of them down to nothing and they’re just about doing whatever to survive…
Gattis effectively uses his chorus of voices to move the reader through the justice system. From crime, to arrest, to arraignment, to the trial and beyond. Casting a keen eye on the mechanics of the system without ever losing sight of the humans who sit behind it. And it is that human element which ensures that nothing is black and white, and that no matter how impartial the system purports to be, there will always be cracks. And while the action is set almost thirty years ago, there is no reason to think the situation has improved in any way since then. If anything it is likely to be worse.
February 10, 2021
Ryan Gattis returns with another great novel full of humanity, and the ethos/pathos of Los Angelos around the time of the LA Riots of 1992. In many ways, "The System" could be seen as a sequel to his wonderful "All Involved" (which is one of my favorite books). It's not a direct sequel in the way "A Clash of Kings" follows "A Game of Thrones", but more like the way that S.E. Hinton's "That Was Then, This Is Now" follows "The Outsiders".
For "The System" Gattis takes us back to LA at the end of 1992 / beginning of 1993. The book focus mainly on two gang members / friends whose street names are Wizard and Dreamer. They're very different characters, yet sadly, Gattis doesn't do the best job of giving each of these characters a seperate voice if you will, or at least not for about the first half of the book. He does for other characters, the characters of Scrappy and Little / Dolce are VERY well written, giving them each their own style and discernible motivations. The book is divided into a little over a hundred brief chapters with each chapter being told from the perspective of about ten different characters. It's easy to tell without even looking at the chapter's heading when the perspective switches to that of Augie or Angela, but Wizard and Dreamer aren't as distinct at first. By the end of the book, Gattis has that corrected as Dreamer becomes a much more defined character. In hindsight now as I write this, I begin to wonder if maybe Gattis has done this on purpose? The book begins with Wizard very much calling the shots, and Dreamer going along with those decisions. By the end of the book, as Dreamer becomes both a more distinct character he also garners a more distinct voice. If so, touche Mr Gattis.
Much like Gattis' "All Involved" and "Safe", there's a message here. Several, infact. Loyalty. Family. The Rules. Many different examples of "The System", both in terms of the legal system among a few others. And, of course, hope. Gattis write about LA in all it's beauty and ugliness. He's writing about its violence, racial tension, gangs, and crooked cops but underneath all that dirt is the city's many cultures and the pride in all that diversity. Though I didn't enjoy "The System" quite as much as I did "All Involved" there is no doubt in my mind that the stories Gattis has to tell about Los Angelos are well worth reading.
For "The System" Gattis takes us back to LA at the end of 1992 / beginning of 1993. The book focus mainly on two gang members / friends whose street names are Wizard and Dreamer. They're very different characters, yet sadly, Gattis doesn't do the best job of giving each of these characters a seperate voice if you will, or at least not for about the first half of the book. He does for other characters, the characters of Scrappy and Little / Dolce are VERY well written, giving them each their own style and discernible motivations. The book is divided into a little over a hundred brief chapters with each chapter being told from the perspective of about ten different characters. It's easy to tell without even looking at the chapter's heading when the perspective switches to that of Augie or Angela, but Wizard and Dreamer aren't as distinct at first. By the end of the book, Gattis has that corrected as Dreamer becomes a much more defined character. In hindsight now as I write this, I begin to wonder if maybe Gattis has done this on purpose? The book begins with Wizard very much calling the shots, and Dreamer going along with those decisions. By the end of the book, as Dreamer becomes both a more distinct character he also garners a more distinct voice. If so, touche Mr Gattis.
Much like Gattis' "All Involved" and "Safe", there's a message here. Several, infact. Loyalty. Family. The Rules. Many different examples of "The System", both in terms of the legal system among a few others. And, of course, hope. Gattis write about LA in all it's beauty and ugliness. He's writing about its violence, racial tension, gangs, and crooked cops but underneath all that dirt is the city's many cultures and the pride in all that diversity. Though I didn't enjoy "The System" quite as much as I did "All Involved" there is no doubt in my mind that the stories Gattis has to tell about Los Angelos are well worth reading.
July 17, 2020
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The System is the latest novel from Ryan Gattis, and follows a number of characters who are linked in various ways to the commission of a crime. The book follows from every stage of the American criminal justice system, from a drug dealer being shot, to the arrest of the alleged culprits, following their journey through the system, up to the outcome of their trials. The book is set in Los Angeles in the aftermath of the Rodney King riots, which adds layers of additional tension to the story, which includes characters from law enforcement, lawyers, parole officers and the people who fall subject to the criminal justice system, regardless of whether or not they are actually guilty.
I found this book a bit slow to start, but I’m so glad I stuck with it! I really enjoyed it, and I thought it was interesting to experience all the facets of the criminal justice system from all different people who would work in it and be subject to its actions and outcomes. The main focus are characters called Wizard, who is a gang member and the person who shot the drug dealer called Scrappy, and his friend Dreamer, who is not a fully affiliated gang member, but is accused of being present when Scrappy is shot. I thought this was a great frame for this story, as you know that Wizard is definitely guilty and deserves to be put on trial for the shooting, but equally, you know that Dreamer is definitely innocent, so it demonstrates how difficult it may be to avoid the consequences of a situation like this, that you may be involved in through no fault of your own. Planted evidence, and a conspiracy of accusation can result in innocent parties being drawn into the system, and once in the process, you may have to participate in actions that keep you there, in order to survive.
I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone. The character are believable and interesting, and the circumstances are realistic. It’s well written and well paced, and it’s great to be able to follow a large number of different characters and see how their motivations can influence and change the potential outcomes.
The System is the latest novel from Ryan Gattis, and follows a number of characters who are linked in various ways to the commission of a crime. The book follows from every stage of the American criminal justice system, from a drug dealer being shot, to the arrest of the alleged culprits, following their journey through the system, up to the outcome of their trials. The book is set in Los Angeles in the aftermath of the Rodney King riots, which adds layers of additional tension to the story, which includes characters from law enforcement, lawyers, parole officers and the people who fall subject to the criminal justice system, regardless of whether or not they are actually guilty.
I found this book a bit slow to start, but I’m so glad I stuck with it! I really enjoyed it, and I thought it was interesting to experience all the facets of the criminal justice system from all different people who would work in it and be subject to its actions and outcomes. The main focus are characters called Wizard, who is a gang member and the person who shot the drug dealer called Scrappy, and his friend Dreamer, who is not a fully affiliated gang member, but is accused of being present when Scrappy is shot. I thought this was a great frame for this story, as you know that Wizard is definitely guilty and deserves to be put on trial for the shooting, but equally, you know that Dreamer is definitely innocent, so it demonstrates how difficult it may be to avoid the consequences of a situation like this, that you may be involved in through no fault of your own. Planted evidence, and a conspiracy of accusation can result in innocent parties being drawn into the system, and once in the process, you may have to participate in actions that keep you there, in order to survive.
I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone. The character are believable and interesting, and the circumstances are realistic. It’s well written and well paced, and it’s great to be able to follow a large number of different characters and see how their motivations can influence and change the potential outcomes.
December 19, 2020
Phew what a journey that was! A dark and compelling snapshot of gang culture and the American criminal justice system, which can be both good and corrupt, following a gang shooting.
The book is written in a very interesting way of multiple first party narratives so we really get to know what the characters are thinking and feeling. From the gang members to the parole officers, police officers, lawyers ... there must be around 15 characters we hear from to tell the story.
It begins with a crime ordered by a gang from within a prison for a dealer, Scrappy, to be shot.
‘Dreamer’ is in the process of being dumped by his girlfriend but he doesn’t realise this will actually benefit him immensely in the long run.
Augie who has just gained his latest fix from his dealer witnesses her shooting. His quick action in putting a tourniquet on her leg saves her life. He pockets the gun to sell later. And also take all the drugs she has hidden on her before the police arrive.
Unfortunately for him his new parole officer,Petrillo, visits his home and finding him high and therefore in contravention of his parole terms, searches his home. He finds the gun. Augie knows this will mean a long prison sentence so in a bid to avoid prison he tells Petrillo what he saw. The corrupt Petrillo uses this info for his own end, persuading Augie to lie about what he saw. Petrillo wants Dreamer’s girlfriend for himself and this seems like the perfect way to remove him from her life.
Gangs look after their own so how will this play out?
Gatiss writes some excellent scenes as we are carried along with the accused, the witnesses, the law enforcement officers, the lawyers and those gang members left on the outside to work out what actually happened that night.
I admit I struggled a bit to get into the book as it did not grip me immediately but the background info is essential to understand the story.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publishers Picador for an advance copy of this book to read and review.
The book is written in a very interesting way of multiple first party narratives so we really get to know what the characters are thinking and feeling. From the gang members to the parole officers, police officers, lawyers ... there must be around 15 characters we hear from to tell the story.
It begins with a crime ordered by a gang from within a prison for a dealer, Scrappy, to be shot.
‘Dreamer’ is in the process of being dumped by his girlfriend but he doesn’t realise this will actually benefit him immensely in the long run.
Augie who has just gained his latest fix from his dealer witnesses her shooting. His quick action in putting a tourniquet on her leg saves her life. He pockets the gun to sell later. And also take all the drugs she has hidden on her before the police arrive.
Unfortunately for him his new parole officer,Petrillo, visits his home and finding him high and therefore in contravention of his parole terms, searches his home. He finds the gun. Augie knows this will mean a long prison sentence so in a bid to avoid prison he tells Petrillo what he saw. The corrupt Petrillo uses this info for his own end, persuading Augie to lie about what he saw. Petrillo wants Dreamer’s girlfriend for himself and this seems like the perfect way to remove him from her life.
Gangs look after their own so how will this play out?
Gatiss writes some excellent scenes as we are carried along with the accused, the witnesses, the law enforcement officers, the lawyers and those gang members left on the outside to work out what actually happened that night.
I admit I struggled a bit to get into the book as it did not grip me immediately but the background info is essential to understand the story.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publishers Picador for an advance copy of this book to read and review.
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