Shoot Mass Market Paperback – 1974

I read the first chapter online somewhere and thought it was fantastic. I couldn't wait to get my hands on the book. Unfortunately, the novel did not live up to its promise, mainly because the protagonist is such an unsympathetic jerk--a caricature of a Clint Eastwood-style hero. I guess some people might be impressed by a sociopath who forces guns down women's throats, but I found him repulsive. By about page 100 I was starting to wish that Rex had been shot in the face rather than the guy on the other side of the river. Do yourself a favor and give this one a miss.

A rational army would run away.

~Charles de Secondat, baron de Montesquieu

"This is what happened"

Thus begins Shoot.

Is there any such thing as "tough-guy noir"? I've never heard of it, but if there were, then Shoot would certainly be one of its classic examples.

Written in the early 1970's the book is heavy with the social and political issues of the time that were causing such upheaval in the Unites States.

It's also a well-written and clever way to cash in on the interest in such stories that was generated by James Dickey's classic novel "Delieverance"
and the wildly popular 1971 movie that followed.

No shame there. There were many Deliverance inspired clones published during the seventies. Most of them were just dreck. "Shoot" is one of the better ones.

It's set somewhere in the mid-west. One weekend a group of long-time friends are out on their normal weekend hunting excursion. All are middle-aged men with a fondness for guns, hunting (i.e. killing) and all served in World War II and one of them in both WWII and Korea.

They encounter another group of hunters. Without warning one of the other hunters opens fire on the men, lightly wounding one of them. In turn Zeke ,one of the protagonists, returns fire killing one of the other hunters.

From there the story takes off. Rex Jeannette is the group's Alpha male and the narrator of the story. He's a successful businessman who enjoys the company of men, loves guns,competition and is a Philanderer. He is a so-so husband (though he does provide a comfortable physical exsistence), hates his oldest son, who is a Hippie and campus agitator (it's the early seventies), and not afraid of anything and has no patience for anyone who is.

Rex is the leader of the group. He knows it and he enjoys the role. It's obvious that Rex's highlight in his life was World War II. With no war to fight he tackles other activities with his natural aggression. With the inccident in the woods Rex sees an opportunity to fight a war again and he cajoles, coerces and leads his friends and others into going back into the woods.

The book is obviously a critique not only of the American Male, but of the Establishment (circa 1973), hunting, firearms/gun-owners, Republicans and the general condition of the enviroment in the United States in the early seventies. That is a lot of ground to cover in a slim 208 page novel,but Mr. Fairbairn pulls it off.

Now as a gunowner and generally conservative individual I probably should be outraged by this book, but I'm not. It's a fast read and an interesting read. The ending really isn't a surprise, but the leading up to it is very well done. (view spoiler)

What makes this novel interesting is how it portrays the men of the WWII generation. The so called "Greatest Generation".

Remember this book was written in the early seventies when that group was middle-aged and very much in charge. They weren't elderly grandfathers yet. They were at the top with kids and money. In the early seventies there was no gauzy sentimentality covering them. They were the bosses and there was a whole mess of problems happening in the United States at the time - as there always is. Being in charge means you get the flack when things go wrong. And in 1973 many things were going wrong.

Yes one can argue that it was pretty thankless on Fairbairn part to savage those who went to World War II and then returned and built an economy that almost everyone benefited from for many years. Those veterans ensured that he was able to live in a system that allowed him the freedom to write such a scathing critique (of them), but that is our system. Freedom doesn't mean that those who have divergent views are stifled and gagged. Otherwise why did we fight World War II in the first place?

I have spent my entire adult life (44 years old at the time of this review being written) in either the U.S. Army or law enforcement. I've known many men like Rex and I have a love hate relationship with them.

Sometimes the Rexs are very good at what they do and sometimes the Rexs of the world aren't very good at all. Regardless of how competent or incompetent they might be they do love being in charge and they seize the opportunity whenever they can. There is a belief that the Alph Male is naturally competent as well. That isn't always the case, but that's just my own little snide opinion sneaking in. I'm also honest enough to admit that somebody has to be in charge and I don't like being that person. As a result I have followed the Rexs of this wrold into some questionable situations myself. I'm not clean. I don't live in an Ivory Tower.

Anyway what I'm trying to to say is that Fairbairn does an excellent job of capturing the Alph Male in Rex. He also captures the other men and their willingess to follow him deeper into a bad situation. It's illogical and insane in a way, but Rex is in charge and they are his men. See the above quote by the baron de Montesquieu.

So all in all a good read. Somewhat implausible, but engrossing, suspenseful and a fast, but intelligent read. Reading it almost forty years after it was published the bite is gone. It's easier to view it from a more dispassionate perpsective and appreciate it for it's merits rather than be wound up by it's political/social viewpoints.

Like so many of the books that I have reviewed here "Shoot" is long out of print. Finding it will take some effort. I was sent my copy by one of my Goodread friends for which I am very appreciative. If you find it give it a try. If nothing else look at it as a counterweight to the hero worshipping that is now occurring of the World War II generation. Not that we shouldn't appreciate what they went through and what they did for us, but blind worship can also be as bad as contantly underminding those in charge.

Good hunting.

This novel was quite bizarre. It was quite unbelieveable, but was nonetheless riveting right to the last page. In fact I could not put it down for the last quarter. In this age of political correctness, I don't think this type of novel would be written now, but as a snapshot of the time it was written (the early '70's) it encapsulates the era very well. In essence it is about the frustrations of a small US town full of World
War II and Vietnam veterans. After facing hell on earth, these men find it extremely difficult to settle back into their mundane 9 to 5 lives that existed prior to conflict. They live for the weekends where they can take up arms and go hunting. Imagine the surprise of five ex World War II buddies who are winding up after a weekend of bonding and hunting to find themselves under fire from a similar hunting party across a river. This isn't countries at war, but neighbouring towns... From the first person view of Rex Jeannette, the encounter is clinically analysed, investigated and acted upon. While Rex is totally believeable as a man with a large ego who appears extremely intelligent, the paranoia he exhibits in reflecting on the incident leaves the reader in disbelief. However perhaps Rex was more insightful than we give him credit for... A very quick read, but one you won't forget.

What the book did right, the movie missed completely. The book got right into the action while the movie took forever to get started. Very fast moving novel (the lengthy descriptions of gun collections is understandable, since the story is told in the first person, by a gun nut). You'll find yourself believing that people like this exist (and they probably do).

Although somewhat outdated , this book caught my attention and held it right to the finish.The premise was quite interesting and its description of men and their relationships really get you thinking.