They Don't Dance Much (Lost American Fiction)

By James Ross and James Ross

Book Overview

Called by Raymond Chandler "a sleazy, corrupt but completely believable story of a North Carolina town," this tough, realis­tic novel exemplifies Depression literature in the United States.

Falling somewhere between the hard-as-nails writing of James M. Cain and the early stories of Ernest Hemingway, James Ross's novel was for sheer brutality and frankness of language considerably ahead of his reading public's taste for realism untinged with sentiment or profundity. In his brilliant Afterword to this new edition, George V. Higgins, author of the recent best-seller Cogan's Trade, pays tribute to Ross for his courage in telling his story truthfully, in all its ugliness.

The setting of They Don't Dance Much is a roadhouse on the outskirts of a North Carolina town on the border with South Carolina, complete with dance floor, res­taurant, gambling room, and cabins rented by the hour. In the events described, Smut Milligan, the proprietor, seeks money to keep operating and commits a brutal murder.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0809307146
• ISBN13: 9780809307142
• Release Date: March 1975
• Publisher: Southern Illinois University Press
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 1.23 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.3" x 1.3" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

SIMPLY THE BEST

A genuine masterpiece! I have read all the greats out there: Charles Bukowski, James M. Cain, Chandler, Hammet, Hemingway, Orwell, Jim Thompson, Clarence Cooper, Jr., Iceberg Slim, John and Dan Fante, Donald Goines, Joseph Conrad, B. Traven, Jack London, Albert Camus, Knut Hamsun...and this guy, James Ross, with his one and only book is right up there at the very top of the heap with the best of the best. You won't find better writing anywhere...and it's not so much the story even, but what he does with it. Ross uses a deceptively easy-going, simple style that sort of sneaks up on your psyche and leaves a mark long after you have finished his tale. A remarkable work; a certified classic in my humble opinion. Highly recommend it to anyone who likes a solid read.

A great and obscure piece of pulp fiction.

Raymond Chandler mentioned this novel (along with THIEVES LIKE US) in a letter in his collected letters, so I grabbed a copy, and I can only say that Chandler knew one when he saw one. This completely amoral tale of roadhouse denizens in the depression era South is wonderfully atmospheric and gets under your skin in an unforgettalbe way. Deadpan violence, stark atmoshpere, and characters worthy of a pulp Faulkner. Don't miss it if rural American noir is your genre.

Excellent writing and superb atmosphere

"They Don't Dance Much" was rescued from obscurity by Southern Illinois University's Lost Fiction Series. Author James Ross' style is similar to James M. Cain; this book resonates like a film noir screenplay. Judging from the popularity of the recent film "L.A. Confidential" someone in Hollywood should take notice. But "They Don't Dance Much" is more than a cheap thrill. It's true literature. Those fans of excellent writing out there need to take a look at this book. They won't be disappointed.