Waiting for the End of the World

by Madison Smartt Bell

A New York City photographer working at Bellevue falls in with a gang of terrorists and is witness to a series of violent, inexplicable events.

Genres: Fiction, Novels

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Madison Smartt Bell is a critically acclaimed writer of more than a dozen novels and story collections, as well as numerous essays and reviews for publications such as Harper’s and the New York Times Book Review. His books have been finalists for both the National Book Award and the PEN/Faulkner Award, among other honors. Bell has also taught at distinguished creative writing programs including the Iowa Writer’s Workshop, Johns Hopkins, and Goucher College. His work is notable for its sweeping historical and philosophical scope matched with a remarkable sensitivity to the individual voices of characters on the margins of society.

Reviews

[DoctorM]

Well, it has a killer Coen Bros. opening scene, and it is, as one reviewer here said, the finest novel ever written about Situationist domestic terrorism and spontaneous human combustion. Set in NYC in the early '80s, when spontaneous human combustion was, well...both necessary and a key artistic statement. And it has flashbacks to May '68 in Paris. What more could you want?

[John]

Quite possibly the best novel ever written about domestic terrorism and spontaneous human combustion.

[Jörg]

Nowadays, writing a novel about an act of terrorism in the city of New York with potentially thousands of dead people wouldn't be considered a good idea. Probably no publisher would take on such a book. But this is exactly what Smartt Bell wrote about - in 1985.

I came across this book when I found a copy of it in the bargain bin in the early 90s. I remember really enjoying it back then but other than that I had no memories of it and I never heard about the author again. Reason enough to give it a re-read.

On the outside, Waiting for the End of the World seems to be a thriller. An odd one with the potential terrorist Larkin being the main character but still written in a fashion that puts tension and events in the front seat. With Larkin, we meet a nihilistic character who is on his way to nirvana. He is not an active part of a terrorist cell but he declared his willingness to launch an atom bomb under Times Square which this cell is constructing. Things change though when he grants refuge to a young boy misused by his father in satanistic rituals.

There are other oddities as well. In long passages, we learn about the lifes of each of the four terrorists. We follow the satanist in a couple of chapters. Russian orthodox beliefs of Larkin and his best buddy get addressed. Last but not least, the cacophonic dark side of New York plays a role as important as the main character. Smartt Bell asks his readers to suspend disbelief when he repeatedly writes about cases of spontaneous human combustion. But this unique mixture is what distinguishes this book from an ordinary thriller and transform it into successful entertainment with a twist.

[jon p]

nice little used book shop find

second part of this reminded me of the second part of americana in it's quick but also reflective movement through a characters life but in this case bringing in a kaleidoscopic feeling as it brought four lives together sprialling into them meeting and informing the later conflict (also like americana)

adored larkin as a character and his development, especially from the lonely, nihilistic drifter you're introduced to then through his schizo-affective manic attitude to russian orthodoxy and the apocalypse and finally as a man who does care, something which is clear from the first few chapters in retrospect but needs to be revealed to the reader

[Michael]

Four men conspire to detonate a nuclear device under Times Square. Cases of spontaneous combustion increase in number. One man, half-crazy and seemingly detached from the world, befriends an abused, tortured young boy.

It's hard for me to say what I got out of this novel; I didn't even see the slipstream connection until partway through when, well, things felt a little strange. It was definitely interesting, but also very depressing, and not depressing in the sort of way that I usually appreciate.

[Beth Shields-Szostak]

1st edition

[Joe Stamber]

I wasn't quite sure what to make of this all the way through, and by the end I wasn't any wiser. The cast are a diverse bunch of individuals and the principal character is a chap called Larkin, perhaps the oddest of them all. To start with, Larkin seems to be a guy who lives in a run down loft and wanders about aimlessly. But it turns out he is a photographer, kidnapper (all in a good cause), stray cat guardian, terrorist, tramp and even a conduit for the devil. The story is disjointed and meanders about a muddled central plot. The author is obviously a decent writer, as there are some clever scenes, but as a whole it didn't work for me.

[Gina]

I read this at least 15 years ago, so my memories are vague. It made a great impression on me (and seeing Catherine's addition of Lowboy is what made me think of it) and it made me go on an MSB kick. A wonderful writer - and one of the best things about his early work is that you get an fascinating view of pre-Giuliani New York. Williamsburg before hipsters, the old dangerousness, etc.

[Shawn Nuzzo]

Apt title for a book set in 1982 NYC. Beautiful line I still remember about a glass bottle being thrown and shattering on the rail of a Circle Line tourist ferry: It wasn't an act of vandalism, it was just the Devil saying hello.

[Masked]

do not read this book if you already feel uneasy riding subways and living in the city. i read it before planes started flying into buildings. it will drag out any hidden paranoia you've been secretly harboring.

[Matt]

I love lots of stuff about this book -- pacing, details, the cover -- but I don't think there's any way to declare it much of a great book. Still, will be pilfering bits of its aesthetic for awhile, I think.

[Gabe Labovitz]

It got a little phantasmagorical, which I wasn't necessarily expecting, although I should have realized it. The characters were fairly well-drawn and interesting. I found this while looking for a different book by the same author, which wasn't on the library shelf (though they said it would be).

[Vin]

This would make a great graphic novel.

[Lee Nichols]

This is a story about man’s search for meaning, one that I find very appropriate in times of fragile mental health.

[Jonathan Norton]

Excellent.
https://discontinuednotes.com/2023/01...

[Chris]

Not the best place to start with Madison Smartt Bell, whose later books are quite brilliant.

This is a little rambling and doesn't quite hit the spot. Maybe a slow burn though.

[Michelle]

just not keeping my attention

[Paul Wilner]

Great writer

[William Hill]

Crap - - - - pure crap. No plot - depressing characters and too many of them. Can't believe I wasted my time on this.

[Prince]

:)

[Corey]

I may be biased, as the author is a professor of mine, but this is an impressive book. A shame it's out of print (at least to the best of my knowledge).