Suicide

by Mark SaFranko

«The Suicide», publié par Honest Publishing au Royaume Uni, a été cité comme l'un des meilleurs romans de l'année 2014 par les librairies britanniques Foyles. L'intrigue se déroule à Hoboken et New York, en 2002, et met en scène un inspecteur de police, Brian Vincenti, en plein crise existentielle. Tiraillé entre son enquête sur la chute suspecte d'une jeune femme depuis l'un des immeubles d'un quartier gentrifié d'Hoboken et son impuissance à sauver son mariage, Vincenti navigue dans les rues d'Hoboken et de New York à la recherche, presque obsessionnelle, de réponses à ses questions dans un paysage urbain encore marqué par les récents attentats du 11 septembre 2001, toujours en arrière-plan. Sa quête de la vérité s'avère très vite dépasser le cadre de son enquête, et un pan de son passé tourmenté resurgit peu à peu aux limites de sa conscience. Le roman met également en scène un des tout premiers policiers fictionnels transgenres, Tom Flaherty/Ellen Smith, ancien collègue de Vincenti.

320 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2014

About the author

Mark SaFranko’s novels and stories have garnered rave reviews and a cult following, mainly in Europe. Hating Olivia was recently nominated for the Prix Littéraire Rive Gauche à Paris. In 2018 he was named the first Author in International Residence at the University of Lorraine in Nancy, France. His paintings have been exhibited in Europe, and he is also a musician. He divides his time between the United States and France.

Reviews

[Liam · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5*

[Mark Vanner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having been a Mark Safranko junkie for more than a decade, I had guiltily let this title idle on my 'To Read' shelf for way too long. I have adored and devoured Mark's previous works including the Zajack novels (HATING OLIVIA, LOUNGE LIZARD etc) which for me are some of the funniest, most addictive and heartbreakingly honest books I have ever read. Knowing that THE SUICIDE would be a very different book to the Max Zajack confessionals I had on some subconscious level put off reading this in the fear that it might not live up to what had come before. I couldn't have been more wrong!

This book is so much more than just another crime novel. It is dark, gritty, original and features the first trans gender ex-detective character that I've come across in a work of fiction. But it is the many human stories running like rivers through out the main plot that will both surprise you and keep you hooked. Although Safranko's style is often compared to other writers like Bukowski, Dan Fante or Henry Miller it seems to me that doing this doesn't give Mark his full dues. Mark Safranko really is his own beast. If your late to the party and enjoy your prose raw with no frills, you really should check Mark's back catalogue out. It's been said before, but Mark Safranko is one of the best writers writing today. Enjoy!

[Alex Kudera · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm pretty sure I read this in 2017 and just finished it again this morning. I can see why some consider The Suicide to be SaFranko's best published novel, although I might go with Hating Olivia or Nowhere Near Hollywood.

[David Noone · Rating 5 out of 5]

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