Having read
four of his books now and one of them twice I think it’s safe to say that I’ve
become a fan of Raymond Embrack. It’s always such a pleasant surprise to
discover a writer who really makes me sit up and pay attention to what he’s
doing and Raymond Embrack certainly does that. Why do I like his writing so
much? I think it’s because he has that Swing For The Fences quality I always
enjoy reading. Each and every one of his books I’ve read so far reads as if
he’s afraid he’ll never write another one again and so they’re stuffed with off
the wall characters, wild ideas and wilder concepts. Add to that playful dialog married to
descriptive passages and labyrinthine plot twists that I do think he gets
carried away with at times. But we’ll
get into that later on. Right now let’s get into the plot of EL MOROCCO.
It’s the
swingin’ hepcat 1960’s and Guy Roman is a hot up-and-coming comic working
Atlantic City. He’s not quite big time yet but he’s on his way. Until he gets
derailed by New Jersey wiseguy wannabe Jackie Rockafero who blatantly hijacks
Guy’s comedy routine as he thinks it would be fun to trade leg-breaking and
loan sharking to be a stand-up comic. Naturally Guy takes exception to this.
Jackie offers Guy gold or lead. Guy takes lead and winds up left for dead in a
filthy A.C. alley alongside the ridiculously gorgeous showgirl Tess Revere who
has also pissed off Jackie in a way I would not dare dream of revealing here.
Once he
recovers, Guy, along with the brain damaged but still recovering Tess heads to
Los Angeles where Jackie has become a comedic megastar. Guy’s intention is to
not only take back his act but to make Jackie Rockafero sorry he was ever born.
The conflict between them escalates into a major war that before it’s over
involves the Hollywood film industry, celebrity gangster Mickey Cohen, crooked
gossip columnists, high powered agents who are little more than scam artists
and the West Coast Mafia a.k.a. The L.A. Set.
One of the
things that makes EL MOROCCO so much
fun to read is Raymond Embrack’s affinity for the language, attitudes and feel
for the 1960’s. His characters all have a wonderfully smart-ass way of talking
and yet he manages to not have them all sound the same. Everybody’s a smart-ass
in their own way, if you know what I mean. And the characters and tone of the
book are totally authentic to the time period. So those of you who are actively
PC should be warned. The people in EL
MOROCCO talk, act and think like people who lived in the 1960’s talked,
acted and thought and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m actually more
comfortable with that than with books that are supposed to be set in the
1930’s, 40’s, ‘50’s or ‘60’s but are peopled with characters from the ‘00’s.
What else
can I say to recommend the book? Raymond’s way of writing is one where he’s
clearly having fun with language and with words. He obviously enjoys the way
he’s telling the story in the language and style and rhythm of the dialog and
description. It’s really enjoyable to read his prose as it sings and swings
with the patois of 1960’s hipster jive talk.
What’s my
only quibble with the book? Remember earlier when I mentioned that Raymond gets
carried away with plot twists? The plot twists at the conclusion of EL MOROCCO come so fast and there are
so many of them that I felt he was pushing it and I was wondering if he was
deliberately trying to see how many plot twists he could throw in there before they
collapsed under their own weight. But that’s okay. Above all, I like and admire
Raymond Embrack for his sheer audacity and willingness to take the chance of
going too far with his bizarre plots and outrageous characters. It’s always
more fun to read a writer who isn’t afraid to Go There instead of one that
offers up easily digestible prose that is no more exciting to read than
recycled oatmeal is fun to eat. He’s an extremely entertaining writer and if
you’re going to start reading him, EL
MOROCCO is a great place to start.
File Size:
313 KB
Print
Length: 174 pages
Sold by:
Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language:
English
ASIN:
B009625IDC
Another book for the "2 Read" pile.
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