Ayo Onatade is an avid reader of crime and mystery fiction. She has been writing reviews, interviews and articles on the subject for the last 12 years; with an eclectic taste from historical to hardboiled, short stories and noir films
James Ellroy has been described as ferocious, frustrating, unique, enigmatic, infuriating and ingenious. For me, Ellroy’s work may be frustrating to read at times, but he always engages – and for that - I have profound admiration for he is an author that should never be ignored.
In this significant biography of James Ellroy, Steven Powell gives us a glimpse into the author's traumatic life; one that long-time fans have been clamouring for. But a warning for the curious, for within its revelations, there is darkness.
Written sequentially, one can however dip in-and-out of the chapters randomly without losing the sense of flow, or perspective.
Powell has written previous works on James Ellroy, namely James Ellroy: Demon Dog of Crime Fiction and Conversations with James Ellroy. This volume, however is a biography and one that is unflinching in detailing the life of one of the living greats of crime fiction.
Written in a style of scholarly exploration, it lays bare Ellroy's life tackling difficult subject matter in an in-depth character study about the man and his writing.
Powell augments the terms that many describe Ellroy [ferocious, frustrating, unique, enigmatic, infuriating and ingenious] revealing a truly outrageous, persona – one forged from darkness.
As biographies go, this one is quite a ride.
Highly recommended.
