Death Is A Lonely Business

Ray Bradbury’s Death Is A Lonely Business tastes like a drink that is made just the way you want it. It has the right combination of violence, emotions; most of them dark, a well-written narrative and a climax that deserves resounding applause.

The setting is in Venice, California, in 1949. The story is a first person narrative by the protagonist, a writer by profession, who never mentions his name. So we have to make do with a nickname given to him by one of his friends: The Crazy.

The beginning itself sucks you into a dark web, with The Crazy having a frightening encounter with a faceless man who tells him death is a lonely business. From then on, there is no looking back as, one after the other, people start dying under circumstances that can only be described as scary, as well as lonely. Strangely, the victims all appear to have died natural deaths, but The Crazy is convinced they’re actually murders.

Now he has to prove his beliefs all the time trying to prove himself innocent to a detective who is alternatively suspicious and friendly towards him. As it happens, it is The Crazy who stumbles upon the dead bodies every time.

In the course of his investigation, The Crazy encounters a number of bizarre characters, including an overweight ex-soprano who never lies down, an incompetent barber who mercilessly slaughters people’s hair and a former actress who likes to spend her nights swimming and days sleeping.

Eventually, The Crazy works his way towards a shocking revelation at the end, aided by Elmo Crumley, the detective, and Henry, a blind man who needs neither cane nor dog to guide him.

the language is damn good, the narrative gripping. definitely worth a read.

i'm rather short of time right now. so i'll end here.

Till Next Time,

Bearded Evil.