Title: Dark Passage
Author: David Goodis
Genre: Fiction/ Crime Noir
About the Book...
Vincent Parry was locked up in San Quentin after being falsely accused of his wife's death. It's not long before he hatches a plan to escape, though, and with the help of a woman named Irene Jansen he begins to attempt to integrate himself back into society without being caught. Little does he know that this bring him right back into the web that got him into trouble in the first place and lead him to discover what really happened to his wife.
This book was made into a movie in 1947 staring Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, and Agnes Moorehead.
What I Think...
If you've seen the movie and like it, then you won't be disappointed with the book as they did a fairly decent job adapting it for screen.
Unlike a lot of other crime novels of the time, this one is pretty low key when it comes to content, which was a nice change of pace. I like that in this one how most of the focus is on Parry trying to figure out how to resume his life without being caught rather than trying to seek revenge. There are parts of it that are predictable (though this might just be me having seen the movie three times that makes it more so--it's my favorite Bogart and Bacall film).
One thing that stands out that isn't captured in the movie is Goodis's use of color to define the characters, in particular to the two primary female characters, with Irene always being described in relation to more subtle colors and Madge, whose testimony put him behind bars, being described in more fiery colors. This touch really adds to the novel as a whole, in my opinion, and helps set the scene for certain passages.
To Sum It All Up...
A great book that will be a pleasure to read for fans of the movie and if you're in the mood for a look at the darker side of humanity. ♥️
