Portrait of a Young Man Drowning: A Novel (Old School Books) (Paperback)

by Charles Perry (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
One of the most powerful and disturbing novels I've read in years. -- Kay Boyle

Perry has written a fluent and graphic tale of tragic quality, all the more alarming for its being so firmly integrated with the everyday world. -- Times Literary Supplement

Product Description
This riveting tale of compulsion and murder bears comparison in its inexorability to Jim Thompson's The Killer Inside Me. Set in the world of Brooklyn gangsters and juvenile delinquents, Portrait of a Young Man Drowning reveals a character caught in a whirlpool of street crime and Oedipal passio n, driven by circumstances beyond his control into acts of self-destruction and twisted sexuality.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: W.W. Norton & Co. (July 17, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393314626
• ISBN-13: 978-0393314625
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #285,208 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Killer in Me, April 14, 2000

By A Customer

This is a fast-paced swirling vortex of a novel-I finished it in one night. The story concerns Harold Odom, a confused young man drowning in his own circumstances: Depression-era poverty, serious Oedipal/sexual confusion, a neurotic alcoholic mother, sensitivity and repressed rage, along with the Brooklyn mobsters who make him one of their own, with tragic results. Charles Perry manages to portray Harold's complex nature--his vulnerability and his violence--in a keen and convincing manner. The wise-guy dialogue is sharp and never hackneyed, and the stream-of-consciousness narration pulls you into the mind of Harold from beginning to end. The characters and settings are realistic yet electric, like film noir but with more of a troubled heart. A great read, through and through.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A classic pulp novel!, March 22, 2003

By	"violent_misdemeanor" (Jonestown, TX) - See all my reviews

I'm all most all the way through this novel and so far it is great! I had never heard of it until i watched the movie Six Ways To Sunday thats based on it. The book just blows me away, and it's sad that Charles Perry never got to write anything else. xXx

5.0 out of 5 stars A haunting but compelling novel, February 11, 2005

By	Cristina Mclaughlin "Cristina625" (USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Simply one of the best narratives I've ever read. The book follows the main character Harold from the time he is a child to his death. Harold is struggling with a myriad of problems from his family and the gang violence that rules his neighborhood.

At first of a victim of many atrocities Harold develops a warped perception of the world that surrounds him. He struggles to understand the actions of his peers and the adults that rule his life.

As stated in the other reviews it is a graphic novel with perverse sexual undertones that are disturbing. Harold's actions in the book are as reprehensible as they come, but you will find yourself still believing in the goodness of his character.

The title is fitting for the imagery that is given. Harold strives to stay afloat but we are aware of his inevitable destruction from the very beginning. This novel carries a definite warning of what can happen to children when they are bereft of guidance or nurturing.