(1946) Nightmare Alley
1946-01-01
The sad life of a carnival magician and hustler, Stanley. From his humble beginnings in the big tent, to his time as a mentalist, to being a scammer, and getting scammed in turn.
This is very much a story-focused book. The prose does a good job at carrying the story forwards, but doesn't shine on its own, apart from a few moments. At the end, the frenetic energy of the main character is portrayed quite well through the words on the page. Not that this is a weakness of the book, per se, just that the novel isn't attempting to be something literary through prose alone.
That said, the details around the carnival itself, and the details of the act were well researched, and the exposition was very engaging. I would have liked to see more focus on the carnival itself, which was a very unique and interesting setting, that faded into the background earlier than I would have liked.
On the other hand, the novel does try to act as a kind of parable. There's a practical message against betrayal. Our protagonist betrays his friends, wife, and morals, and finds himself punished for it. In some sense, this is the most classic parable of all: that of immoral actions bringing about terrible consequences. The execution and setting are quite original though.
The ending is also brilliant, and really ties the moral message together.