The Dispossessed

by Don Carpenter

Don Carpenter's new novel is set in a lovely small town. The village residents live in an uneasy truce with the longhairs, street philosophers, drifters, runaways, and others of simple heart who make the streets of the town their home and haven: the crazies provide color and amusement, but they also lend an air of unpredictability, uncertainty, and instability--they present a visible challenge to the decidedly middle-class values of the townspeople.

The center of this quiet village is The Depot, a coffee shop and gathering spot for locals and travellers alike. The commuters assemble in the morning for coffee and in the evening for wine while they unravel the mysteries of the late twentieth century. The street people emerge from the woods each day to sun themselves in town, watching the action and hanging out. The police play their regular chess game, keeping the clean and the unclean in their appropriate places. Everything is very, very normal. Until a murder is committed. And then a second. Rumors of rape and mutilation spread. Daily affairs and affairs of the heart are disrupted. A quiet frenzy envelops the whole community--commuter or bum, no one is safe.

The town fathers and their police focus on their most visible "enemies," the people of the street, as suspects: without the disarray their presence provides this never would have happened. Order is suddenly much more attractive than justice.

Don Carpenter weaves a riveting tale of darkness and evil unfortunately as current as this morning's paper. His ear for dialogue captures a cast of characters as real as the evening news. A story of our time by one of America's finest writers.

178 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

Don Carpenter was an American writer, best known as the author of Hard Rain Falling. He wrote numerous novels, novellas, short stories and screenplays over the course of a 22-year career that took him from a childhood in Berkeley and the Pacific Northwest to the corridors of power and ego in Hollywood. A close observer of human frailty, his writing depicted marginal characters like pool sharks, prisoners and drug dealers, as well as movie moguls and struggling actors. Although lauded by critics and fellow writers alike, Carpenter's novels and stories never reached a mass audience and he supported himself with extensive work for Hollywood. Facing a mounting series of debilitating illnesses, Don Carpenter committed suicide in 1995.

Reviews

[Eddie Watkins · Rating 2 out of 5]

It did get more interesting once the serial killer theme kicked into (low) gear, but otherwise for Carpenter (or anyone for that matter) this is a very thin, flat novel. What I found most interesting was that the writing itself - the words, the sentences, and all his changes of tonal direction - is still very accomplished and enjoyable; but Carpenter excels at rich characterization, however off-handed at times, and these characters were simply 2-D and lifeless. Is it a case of a master going through the motions? I might guess so, but the fact that the novel is dedicated to Lew Welch – “On brazen wing” – leads me to think that Carpenter thought highly of the novel, as Welch was an old friend of his and a legendary poet, and I’m sure he wouldn’t knowingly drop a stinker on his legacy. I don’t know, maybe this tale of a small northern California town populated by crazies and eccentrics and drop-outs is an inside story best appreciated by Carpenter’s friends.

[Fred · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great writing. Captures small town California would make a great film.

[Andrew C · Rating 3 out of 5]

"This is police brutality," said Fahima, as if identifying a species of bird.

[PhattandyPDX · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really like Don Carpenter, but this book dragged and didn’t go anywhere.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just discovered Don Carpenter through a review of his first book, "Hard Rain Falling" which recently was re-issued. I haven't found that yet, but did locate a used copy of "The Dispossessed" in my local bookstore in the Literature, rather than Fiction, section. The writing is deceptively simple and doesn't get in the way of the story.

A good read.