The Alcoholics [Paperback]

Jim Thompson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 4, 1993

Dr. Peter S. Murphy runs a clinic to cure alcoholics. But his charges believe that the only thing that will fix them is another drink. To this bitter struggle of wills, add an orderly who doubles as a quack practitioner, a nurse who is both alluring and ingeniously sadistic, and a misplaced patient whose main problem is his lack of a frontal lobe, and the result is one of Jim Thompson's most harrowingly funny yet deeply sympathetic novels.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Dr. Peter S. Murphy runs a clinic to cure alcoholics. But his charges believe that the only thing that will fix them is another drink. To this bitter struggle of wills, add an orderly who doubles as a quack practitioner, a nurse who is both alluring and ingeniously sadistic, and a misplaced patient whose main problem is his lack of a frontal lobe, and the result is one of Jim Thompson's most harrowingly funny yet deeply sympathetic novels.

About the Author

(1906 - 1977) James Meyers Thompson was born in Anadarko, Oklahoma. He began writing fiction at a very young age, selling his first story to True Detective when he was only fourteen. Thompson eventually wrote twenty-nine novels, all but three of which were published as paperback originals. Thompson also wrote two screenplays (for the Stanley Kubrick films “The Killing” and “Paths of Glory”). An outstanding crime writer, the world of his fiction is rife with violence and corruption. In examining the underbelly of human experience and American society in particular, Thompson’s work at its best is both philosophical and experimental. Several of his novels have been filmed by American and French directors, resulting in classic noir including The Killer Inside Me (1952), After Dark My Sweet (1955), and The Grifters (1963).

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Vintage (January 4, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679733132
• ISBN-13: 978-0679733133
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,030,860 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Very Disappointing, January 1, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Alcoholics (Paperback)

I'm a Thompson fan, so I was very surprised at how bad this book is. The plot is silly, but this is not a major problem, as plots were never Thompson's strong suit. Unfortunately, Thompson's strengths are not present here. The writing is consistently stilted, the characters are thin and sereotyped, the scene in which the doctor "cures" a twisted,sexually repressed woman by raping her is repulsive, and the doctor's motivations are never satisfactorily explained. The most peculiar aspect of the book is that the doctor seems to have no idea of how to help his patients stop drinking. It's not much wonder that Thompson was never able to quit drinking himself.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A less dark, more sympathetic Jim Thompson novel, June 5, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Alcoholics (Paperback)

Jim Thompson is one of the crime novel greats. Author of "The Killer Inside Me," "The Grifters" and many others (quite a few of which have been made into movies), Thompson celebrates the darker side of the petty criminal, the small town sherrif and the down on his luck con man.
Usually, that is. In this slim 1953 novel, Thompson turns his attention to alcoholism as a disease and its treatment. Ho-hum? No way. Thompson makes the hero sympathetic and his plight the source of palpable tension and discomfort. The reader really gets drawn into Thompson's portrayal of the depressing, bizarre world of the poor sap who just can't stop drinking, and doesn't know why.
Although the book was written over forty years ago, it's extremely modern in many ways. For example, it contains competent, capable black characters, something that's missing in much of modern fiction. Thompson's very recognition and acceptance of alcoholism, in 1953, is quite unusual; he talks about Alcoholics Anonymous before it was the well-known concept it is today.
In parts, this book reads like a denunciatory tract against demon liquor, written by an old-timer A.A. man. Then again, as I said, this was exploring new ground when Thomspon wrote it. And aside from those brief (but informative) passages, it was pretty good. Not Thompson's usual stuff, but variety is the spice of life, eh

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Subpar for Thompson., August 30, 2004

By 

Michael G. "mikefromrochester" (Rochester, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Alcoholics (Paperback)

The legendary Jim Thompson has a well deserved reputation as a great writer. Gripping, compelling and unforgettable, a number of his books rank with the very best of 20th century American fiction. The Alcoholics, I'm sorry to say, is not one of these books.
The narrative unfolds over a one day period on the grounds of El Healtho Sanatorium, a rehabilitative facility for alcoholics.
The plot itself is rather flimsy, so the book's success or failure rests firmly on the shoulders of its characters and the things they think, say and do.
By and large, Thompson has populated The Alcoholics with characters who are way over the top. Exaggerated caricatures of real life personality types. There's Dr. Murphy the suicidal psychiatrist, Miss Baker the sadistic RN, Rufus the overly zealous orderly and an assortment of strange alcoholic patients. Quite frankly, I found only Josephine the uneducated but highly capable cook to be of any interest at all.
Thompson's best work can be found in the realm of the noir. That is to say in those books where he takes real life and mercilessly exposes its hidden, dark underbelly. When he tries to create surreal characters and settings, as he does here, the end result is far less satisfying.