Angels: Denis Johnson

I very rarely review on here, but that this book isn't more widely acclaimed is scandalous. Harold Bloom's 'the Western Canon' included 3 Johnson titles (his 3 best at time of publication, namely this one, Fiskadoro and Jesus' Son), compared to one from the much more lauded authors such as John Updike.He rightly described the penultimate chapter as one of the most extraordinary pieces of writing in modern literature.I realise you might consider this some weak appeal to authority, but I just can't emphasise enough how magnificent an achievement Angels is.I used to buy 1st edition UK paperback copies and the Faber hardback reissue for a quid or two back in the 90s. I'm now reduced to one battered old paperback as no-one I've lent it to has agreed to return it. If it was any other book I'd have been annoyed, to say the least, but I totally empathise. Don't deny yourself the experience. Vastly superior than the likes of the glib Raymond Carver he would occasionally be compared to, much of this is closer to Hubert Selby country.Of his later books, I also hugely recommend the novella Train Dreams, his book of journalism Seek, and the collection of 2 plays, Shoppers Carried by Escalators into the Flames.

I'm glad to see so many other positive reviews here. I'm really impressed by this book - I don't usually read fiction (no big policy decision, just always have a backlog of non-fiction to get thru). I can't remember how I first came across Denis Johnson, and had a false start with "Jesus' Son", which I didn't get into but will give another try now.It's a really atmospheric, claustrophobic story of Jamie and her two children and Bill, with his dysfunctional family, all like the lowlifes of Tom Waits' songs. The writing really reminds me of Hubert Selby at his best, except with the New York atmosphere replaced by something more Southern Gothic. A lot of the narrative is very much deep down in the detail of Jamie and Bill struggling thru life, drunk and speeding, and the various hustlers and squalid scenes they have to live with. But every so often, the clouds part - as it were - and there are passages of really lyrical, beautiful writing, where the author steps back from the squalor and takes a longer, more forgiving view of his characters and the games that they play. This kind of change of tone is very hard to pull off and is what makes me want to read more of Denis Johnson's work. It isn't always an easy read - the mid-book descriptions of Jamie's mental meltdown are suitably freeform and chaotic - and the switches in narrative/character focus can be tricky at times too, but it's well worth the effort.

IF you are considering whether to or not.........DO !!It made me laugh out loud and get some 'looks' on the train. In England, if you laugh on the train people will look at you funny. So, it helps if you have a book in your hands!! This is the one to have. So black and poignant and brilliantly written! Awesome in parts. The beginning feels like REAL life - like the other Denis Johnson I've read, Jesus' Son - then the middle section which is into David Lynch territory, then the last half which is getting back to very harsh reality which is where I'm up to now with it. Cant wait to get on my commuter train and carry on reading !! Very highly recommended. Brits cant write like this! (I'm British - I wish I could !). If you like Harry Crews et al - you'll dig this book.

A really original slice of the underbelly of white trash America.You never know what to expect next, or from which of the characters.Very good, and I will certainly look out for more from this author.

Superb novel by an amazing writer who doesn't get the exposure & kudos in the UK that he does in the States. Bleak, downbeat, etc. but beautifully written & totally engaging from first page to last. Like John Banville, worth reading for the sentences alone.