I just finished reading "The Liar's Diary" by Patry Francis and WOW! Now, I've been wondering for a long while if men and women look at noir differently. This book was noir from beginning to end with every character clearly screwed no matter what they did. But I wonder if men would read this book and feel the same way. One look at the cover and they'd probably think this was just another woman's book, like I did when I first picked the book up.
And on one level, this is a woman's book because it deals with friendship and marriage, but the murder and the mystery surrounding it brings this story down to its noir roots and rocks your world as you read. And as you read, you suddenly realize that this book is the liar's diary and that you're in the hands of a very unreliable narrator. A very gripping and chilling read.
So, what about you? Do you think men and women see noir differently? Can women who write dark stories without swear words and explicit violence and sex still be considered noir writers by those who read noir? Or do you women out there who write noir feel the need to push the envelope and make your stories even darker than your male counterparts? And how about you guys, do you think women's noir is too different for your noir taste buds?
And a couple of links:
Clair Dickson is the newest interviewee up at Book Spot Central's Conversations with the Bookless series. http://www.bookspotcentral.com/2009/05/conversations-with-the-bookless-clair-dickson/ There's even an except from Clair's Bo Fexler novel included. Enjoy!
Sandra Ruttan has announced a new Spinetingler blog which will feature information about the ezine, awards, new issues and writing tips. http://blog.spinetinglermag.com/
2 comments:
Since men and women are from different planets, they certainly see everything, including noir, differently. And, to be brutally honest, any writer, male or female, who can conjure an atmosphere of noir and dread without the crutch of sex and swearing is something special. James M. Cain (male, to be sure) comes to mind but the writings of Megan Abbott also come to mind for their intoxicating and claustrophobic atmosphere. It's all part of the writerly skill. Too often, pushing the envelope equates to overkill when it comes to violence, sex, and swearing. The F-word loses it's punch when it's used every other word.
I like the noir that deals with basic human nature in the every day things of life. Maybe it's just my age, but some of the neo-noir feels like it's written simply for the shock value and nothing else. And maybe that's where the biggest difference is. Not so much men and women but the new writers in the genre trying to out-noir the old writers like Cain and Highsmith by cranking up the language and violence.
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