Like many people, I bought "If I Did It" because I support the Goldman family's efforts to get some sort of justice. The man who murdered Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown went free. But, by being awarded the "If I Did It" manuscript in a bankruptcy case involving Simpson's corporation, the Goldmans have finally been able to collect, to a small extent, on the judgment they were awarded in Simpson's civil trial. The more money the Goldmans make on this book, the more money they will have "taken" from Simpson.
The book begins with an introduction in which "the Goldman Family" explain how they came to be awarded the rights to "If I Did It" by the bankruptcy court and why they decided to publish it. As they point out, they (like me) would much rather see Simpson in jail, serving the life sentence he should have received. But since that is now impossible, they must settle for the next best thing -- doing whatever is legally permissible to punish Simpson by seizing his assets.
The book's ghostwriter, Pablo Fenjves, also provides an introduction, where he describes his involvement in the book project and his interviews of Simpson. Fenjves's intro actually contained what was, for me, the most chilling part of the book: When Simpson's narrative reached the moment of the actual murders, he looked at Fenjves and said, "I don't know what the hell you want from me . . . I'm not going to tell you that I sliced my ex-wife's neck and watched her eyes roll up into her head." Somehow, that strikes me as more of a confession than anything else in the book.
The "If I Did It" memoir itself takes up 196 pages. The first five chapters -- 115 pages -- deal with Simpson's relationship with Nicole Brown: how they met and dated, how she finally persuaded him to marry her, their good years, their separation, and their failed attempt at a reconciliation. This part of the book is somewhat dull, but it does serve to flesh out a motive for murder. It becomes apparent that Simpson resented Nicole for pestering him, coming between him and their two children, and making it difficult for him to have a serious relationship with Paula Barbieri. As Simpson puts it at one point (p. 120), "[I]t seemed like every day it took a little more energy, and Nicole was sapping a lot of my goddamn energy."
Chapters 6, 7, and 8 (about 80 pages) are what will hold the most interest for most readers. Here, Simpson describes the night of the murders, the first interrogation by police, and the freeway "chase" when he threatened to kill himself. The description of the murders -- which is presented as "hypothetical" (p. 123) -- includes a mysterious companion referred to as "Charlie." Fenjves's theory, explained in his intro, is that Charlie was invented by Simpson to enable him to gain some psychological distance when recounting the crime. The murder description also includes a blackout that some reviewers have complained about. But it's not a big deal: all the blackout covers are the stabbings themselves; it does not keep us from learning how Simpson went to Nicole's home, what he saw and said there, and how he and "Charlie" made their getaway.
The book concludes with a brief afterword by Dominick Dunne, in which he talks mainly about how he came to know the Goldmans during Simpson's criminal trial.
"If I Did It" is probably unique in the history of crime and publishing. It gives us the best view we're probably ever going to get into Simpson's mind and the chain of thoughts and emotions that led to the murders. For the first time, I feel that I really understand the case.
