- Paperback: 160 pages
- Publisher: No Exit Press; New Ed edition (30 Mar 2007)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1842431145
- ISBN-13: 978-1842431146
- Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 13 x 1.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 488,565 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Susannah Yager, The Telegraph, June 18th 2006
[Sallis’s] taut, pared down prose is distinctive and powerful. The result is a small masterpiece.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Maxim Jakubowski, The Guardian, June 17th 2006
Sallis's treatment is minimalist, stylish, and all the more evocative for it. Essential noir existentialism.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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First Sentence
Much later, as he sat with his back against an inside wall of a Motel 6 just north of Phoenix, watching the pool of blood lap toward him, Driver would wonder whether he had made a terrible mistake. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt
Much later, as he sat with his back against an inside wall of a Motel 6 just north of Phoenix, watching the pool of blood lap toward him, Driver would wonder whether he had made a terrible mistake. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I bought this in anticipation of the release of the film, starring Ryan Gosling. If it's anywhere near as good on screen, then we'll have a cinematic classic on our hands. Certainly as American noir fiction goes, this is among the most sophisticated and poetic that I've come across.
The main character, Driver, is an engagingly complex creation, with an opaque personal morality that never alienates the reader. In fact, throughout the book, Sallis maintains sympathy for Driver, without compromising on his unflinching descriptions of the character's actions. It is not only, however, the principal character, but also the supporting cast who make this such an incredible book. The fractured time-span of the novel means that characters are introduced, returned to, killed off or left behind in a seemingly random order that one comes to realise is reflecting Driver's thought process. The reader experiences Driver's reality, whether he is in it or remembering it, alongside him.
What really sets this apart is the prose style. 'Gritty' thrillers are ten-a-penny, it takes something of quite another order to to be able to write a book with this sort of content in such a lyrical style, romancing the seedy underbelly of LA, the backdrop to the movies that never makes it to the movies. Hopefully, when this does make it to the movies, it won't be sacrificed for glamour. Something tells me, from the buzz already surrounding the film, that it won't be.
The main character, Driver, is an engagingly complex creation, with an opaque personal morality that never alienates the reader. In fact, throughout the book, Sallis maintains sympathy for Driver, without compromising on his unflinching descriptions of the character's actions. It is not only, however, the principal character, but also the supporting cast who make this such an incredible book. The fractured time-span of the novel means that characters are introduced, returned to, killed off or left behind in a seemingly random order that one comes to realise is reflecting Driver's thought process. The reader experiences Driver's reality, whether he is in it or remembering it, alongside him.
What really sets this apart is the prose style. 'Gritty' thrillers are ten-a-penny, it takes something of quite another order to to be able to write a book with this sort of content in such a lyrical style, romancing the seedy underbelly of LA, the backdrop to the movies that never makes it to the movies. Hopefully, when this does make it to the movies, it won't be sacrificed for glamour. Something tells me, from the buzz already surrounding the film, that it won't be.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
"He existed a step or two to one side of the common world, largely out of sight, all but invisible."
10 Sep 2006
Format:Hardcover
Driver, the damaged main character of this minimalist noir novel, works as a stunt man by day and as the driver of getaway cars at night. Purely pragmatic, he has no real dreams and no long-term goals, the result of his violent childhood, which was not a childhood at all. No one gets close to him, though he occasionally shows signs that he has some feelings for other damaged creatures. When it comes to his work, however, he is all business--"I don't know anyone, I don't carry weapons. I drive."
Opening dramatically with Driver leaning against a wall in a Motel 6 room, his arm wounded so badly it is useless, with three dead bodies around him, the novel repeats these images like a bizarre refrain, as the background for this scene and the action which follows it are revealed. In terse prose, as efficient in conveying information as Driver is in killing those who threaten him, Sallis follows Driver as he moves between Los Angeles and Phoenix, doing jobs. Episodes from his life hit the reader with the force of gunfire and in random order, connected not by transitions but through the character and violent background of Driver as his life unfolds. Scenes from Driver's film assignments overlap with scenes from his real life, sometimes inspiring Driver to reminisce or to try to look forward to see how and why he ended up where he is.
Actions speak louder than words here, but the dialogue, when it occurs, is memorable and dramatic. Scenes in which Driver tries to visit his estranged mother and later his foster family are intensely moving because they emphasize an emotional connection which is otherwise lacking in his life. He is intelligent, and he keeps trying to communicate with people through words, though the circumstances of his life are almost entirely violent. He has no dreams, forced to believe instead in a brutal reality--he is Borges, the writer/realist, not Don Quixote, the tilter at windmills, he notes. "I don't think [however], our lives are thrust upon us," he explains in one conversation. "What it feels like to me is, they're forever seeping up under our feet."
A dramatic, thoughtful, and powerfully moving examination of the life of someone who has few choices, this novel transcends its darkness and violence to show the continuing desire for connection even among life's most violent people. Mary Whipple
Opening dramatically with Driver leaning against a wall in a Motel 6 room, his arm wounded so badly it is useless, with three dead bodies around him, the novel repeats these images like a bizarre refrain, as the background for this scene and the action which follows it are revealed. In terse prose, as efficient in conveying information as Driver is in killing those who threaten him, Sallis follows Driver as he moves between Los Angeles and Phoenix, doing jobs. Episodes from his life hit the reader with the force of gunfire and in random order, connected not by transitions but through the character and violent background of Driver as his life unfolds. Scenes from Driver's film assignments overlap with scenes from his real life, sometimes inspiring Driver to reminisce or to try to look forward to see how and why he ended up where he is.
Actions speak louder than words here, but the dialogue, when it occurs, is memorable and dramatic. Scenes in which Driver tries to visit his estranged mother and later his foster family are intensely moving because they emphasize an emotional connection which is otherwise lacking in his life. He is intelligent, and he keeps trying to communicate with people through words, though the circumstances of his life are almost entirely violent. He has no dreams, forced to believe instead in a brutal reality--he is Borges, the writer/realist, not Don Quixote, the tilter at windmills, he notes. "I don't think [however], our lives are thrust upon us," he explains in one conversation. "What it feels like to me is, they're forever seeping up under our feet."
A dramatic, thoughtful, and powerfully moving examination of the life of someone who has few choices, this novel transcends its darkness and violence to show the continuing desire for connection even among life's most violent people. Mary Whipple
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The literary equivalent of being mauled by a rabid chihauha, this brief but fanged story is compelling. The choppy prose and non-linear style take a little getting used to, but once you adapt, this is a breathless, viseral ride that still manages to be a terrific character piece. It's easy to see exactly how and why they made an action movie out of it -- Driver is a classic outlaw updated for modern Hollywood. Simple but not necessarily straight forward, this stays with you far longer than the surface indicates it has any right to.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A good read
After seeing the movie "Drive", and being a noir fan, I wanted to read the novella by Sallis. I loved the film and was interested to see how the two compared - for me the film won. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Ms. E. L. Preston
Fantastic film
Love this film, wasn't sure what to expect when I went to see it at the cinema, was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't at all fast and furious despite the fact I like those... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Pen Name
Moody short novel about LA criminal scene
James Sallis has written an atmospheric short novel about the underbelly of American society, based around a nameless but omnipotent "Driver". Read more
Published 2 months ago by haunted
OK but could have been better
I don't usually read crime thrillers but after seeing the excellent movie adaptation of this book I thought I should make an exception. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Code Hero
Save your money...
... and do yourself a favour- buy one of Richard Stark's books instead. It doesn't matter which one; with Stark you've got about 20 to choose from, all featuring the brilliant... Read more
Published 3 months ago by HunterDThompson
Good but not AMAZING
Right, this book was pretty good. It should have been amazing, but it wasn't. It was good. A good book. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Joe L
A fast ride.
I'll keep this short, as it is a quick read after all.
The story revolves around the Driver, who is a stunt driver in films, and also works as a getaway driver. Read more
The story revolves around the Driver, who is a stunt driver in films, and also works as a getaway driver. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Roger Cave
Concise & compelling crime-fiction
Driver is a nameless stunt-driver renowned for his professionalism and his ability to well, drive. He doesn't plan the jobs, take part or use weapons, he just drives. Read more
Published 6 months ago by J. Morris
Noir as a Chevy's sump oil
"One thing he could do, though, was drive. And he drove like a son of a bitch."
James Sallis's short novel is American noir, super-hardboiled. Read more
James Sallis's short novel is American noir, super-hardboiled. Read more
Published 7 months ago by annwiddecombe
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