People say that this or that work is ‘towering’ all the
time. I have always felt this work was. Mailer, now deceased, was a colorful
figure in more ways than one, and he liked to write long novels. I think not
all novels or films deserve or merit being long, but some do. The Executioner’s
Song is about an American man that is convicted of a capital crime and would
like to, against what most people would choose, accept his death, his destiny.
Its based on the real life case of Gary Gilmore, and is called A True Life
novel, I suppose something like In Cold Blood, which I have never read. I feel
that Norman Mailer has a talent and confidence to go far into the story and
show the nuance of thought in the systems we live in and also in the characters’
minds. The book is engrossing from beginning to end. I get the feeling that Mailer is interested, genuinely, in his subject matter. Its not always the case. Some books show up and are obviously just trying to be salacious or reap monetary rewards and readership. This book is long, but instead of lagging or
clogging, it brings the reader deeper and deeper into the story and there is a
sense of urgency about it all. The book does a fine job of relaying cosmic
themes through a modern and otherwise secular group of events. I would not
hesitate to recommend this book. It can be read by readers interested in crime,
in America, in literature, in real life tales told with creativity, and in good
writing and stories in general.
RATING 8.5/10
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