#699 in our old book database. Not rated.

I waffled on whether to give this four or five stars. The story and characters carry you along almost effortlessly, and the tension, or maybe 'drive' is a better word, of the writing is irresistible. What made me dock one star was the structure, I think. I think the structure belongs to a longer book. Not that this doesn't feel complete. It's very satisfying.

Roy Blount, Jr. is said to have provided the following blurb for the book: 'I put it down once to wipe off the sweat.' High praise indeed. That's what made me seek it out, at least. And if I didn't read so slowly, and if I didn't have a small child in the house, I, too, would have swallowed this book whole.

I'll definitely read more of Pete Dexter. I already have Spooner sitting on the shelf. ( )

Well, this book turned out to be nothing like I had expected from the Goodreads blurb. Race plays a part in Paris Trout’s crime only in the sense that the society was cruel to its black population, which made it easier to assault a black person and walk away, but Paris Trout was much more than a racist, he was a monster and a threat to humanity in any form. I did not think that the color of skin was the determining factor for Paris. I’m not even sure it was a factor, except in freeing him from any need to curtail his wrath because of social pressures. If Henry Ray had been a poor white boy who owed him money, he would have behaved in much the same way. Paris is a racist, but the society he lives in is worse, because it purports to be kind and just, and it turns its head the other way.

While no one could deny the sick perversity of Paris Trout, the thing that tore at me was the way he was shielded by the system, even when every single person who came in contact with him: prosecutors, judges, neighbors, employees, and his defense attorney, knew him for the savage demon that he was. Several of these leading citizens knew details of his brutal treatment of his wife, Hanna, and showed as little concern for her as they had shown for Rosie Sayers, the innocent black girl he had murdered.

Who and what Paris Trout is, is established in the opening moments of this novel. Who the others are takes longer in revealing itself, and is much more important. I couldn’t help thinking of that old cliche “all that is required for evil to flourish is that good men do nothing.” But, then, when evil flourishes, it refuses to contain itself to the parameters we think we set for it. It tends to spill out over the edges like an overfilled bathtub. It tends to reach out its tentacles and touch everyone and everything. Eventually, it touches us.

[b:Paris Trout|899813|Paris Trout|Pete Dexter|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1302028458s/899813.jpg|1155530] is not an easy read, but then stories about the evils of society seldom are. You cannot tell a tale about the dangers of tolerating evil without looking at some pretty horrendous things, just as you cannot make Paris Trout a respectable businessman by putting him in a suit and tie and inviting him to the Kiwanis Club dinners.

Take a very deep breath and then read this. ( )

Pete Dexter’s justly renowned Paris Trout traces the inexorable decline of its eponymous character, and the few citizens of Cotton Point, Georgia, whom he takes with him. Dexter delivers his grisly, unfortunate story in robust language, making clear his central characters’ lack of choice, or their delusions, or their destructive impulses. Dexter’s greatest achievement in this book is the inevitability if its climax, and yet he manages to surprise us anyway. Typical of Dexter, this book boasts plain, strong language, an unflinching gaze at human failing, a pace that never lets up, and the overall impression that we are in the hands of a master. It’s unforgettable.

It’s the 1950s, and Paris Trout is a local businessman who has been active in a small Georgia town for decades. He runs a small general store, deals in used cars, and lends money out at interest, serving the town’s Negro population as well as its white people. He manages his interests in an unorthodox manner, not being one to write anything down, including books of account. He retains all transactions and balances in his head, for he has a powerful, capacious mind.

He also has a deadly, unswerving focus on his own interests, and this focus leads him to nefarious activities, the worst of which results in the fatal shooting of a 14 year-old Negro girl in her home. His trial on this charge constitutes a good portion of the book, and is the central trigger for the acceleration of his downward spiral.

We only get to follow Paris’s reasoning, such as it is, at a remove. We are much closer to the other characters in the book, his wife Hanna, Harry Seagraves, his attorney, and Carl Bonner, a lawyer who arrives halfway through the narrative, and represents Hanna in divorce proceedings against Trout. The mental and emotion journeys these people take in the wake of Paris Trout’s deeds and misdeeds show Dexter’s superior ability with the human mind and heart.

Take this up. It’s an important work of American fiction from the last century, and it showcases the astonishing ability of its celebrated author.

https://bassoprofundo1.blogspot.com/2022/05/paris-trout-by-pete-dexter.html ( )

Paris Trout is a loathsome character. He shoots and kills a 14 year old black girl for no reason. Not a crime of passion, but more chillingly a crime of indifference. She’s simply in the way when he tries to collect his debt so he shoots her. Well-drawn novel villains often have some, if not redeeming qualities, at least qualities that make them seem more human. They love their children or their dog. Or they have some charming roguishness. Paris Trout has none of that. If he had a dog, he would beat it. He simply has no redeeming qualities. It is a testimony to Dexter’s writing skill, that even in all his loathsomeness, Paris Trout is still a compelling character.

However, if this were simply the story of a racist sociopath it would be hard to endure and probably not worth reading. Definitely not National Book Award worthy. But it is, of course, much more.

We see the story of Paris Trout unfold from not only his perspective, but from the point of view of the girl he killed, his lawyer, his wife, the prosecution and a host of supporting characters.

Dexter creates what feels like a very realistic feeling portrait of redneck Georgia in the early 1950s. It feels honest, not patronizing or apologetic. Paris Trout: A Novel, is at times an uncomfortable reading experience, but worthwhile. Highly recommended.
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