SIRENS by Joseph Knox Book Review

337 pages of oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap.

I held my breath every time I turned a page of SIRENS. It's a debut novel - this British dude, Joseph Knox's first book. He kills it. He kills it, plates it, and serves it to a dinner party of lovably despicable characters.

It's not perfect. I'll be honest, it's a little racy for me. Sex is portrayed super weird, no one's happy, there's blood and bodies and truly evil baddies.

But that is a footnote. It's lovely, too. Full of deep feeling, creativity, and an insight into human motivations. The main detective drunkard, Aiden Waits ("for no man") is a heartbreaker. He knows all, sees all; knows nothing, gets fleeced. It's noir for sure, just like the dust-jacket repeats. I read the Maltese Falcon and it wasn't my thing. SIRENS had me from "They'd never trust me in the daylight again." I couldn't stop reading.

You know when you're reading a book and you realize it's been hours? Or when you realize you don't want it to be over? SIRENS is like that. The most surprising thing for me is that I was surprised. I like detective lit. I like crime dramas (most of the time). I'm not big on gore and sadism but I like a good mystery. So in that vein, I've read Hammett, Doyle, Christie, Poe, Chesterton, and I've liked them all. But maybe if I rank these crime-writers will Knox, then you'll figure out my sensibilities.

Starting with the best, progressing to my least-favorites:

1. Doyle
2. Chesterton
3. Christie
4. Hammett (above Poe just because of his hair-to-mustache style)
5. Poe

As we see his new novels, if I add Knox in with those greats, I'll say he's going to be #3. 

He's more engaging than Christie for me - The Murder of Roger Ackroyd did not make me want to read another Christie novel. The style and structure in SIRENS made me want to read it all over again when I finished last night. I wanted to keep going the whole time; I genuinely didn't have a moment where I wanted to close the book. 

However, I put him below Doyle and Chesterton for a real reason. Sherlock will not be unseated. 

(small spoiler warning here - skip down if you don't want it), 

For one, Sherlock has Watson. He has a buddy, someone that admires him, someone that cares for him. Aiden Waits has no one and wants no one, unless they can provide him with something (like Hennessy). Sure, he's a sympathetic character, but he's not an empathetic character. I can't feel what a drunk, high, over-feeling sociopath would do because I'm not one. I can feel sorry for him, and that's what I spent the novel doing: feeling sorry for Aiden Waits. I loved the experience actually, but I didn't love it as much as being jealous of Sherlock and Watson's adventures. 

Chesterton gets a rise on the list for Father Brown. He's so cheerful! He's so goofy and self-aware. That style always appeals to me as an individual. I know some people love darkness and love the gritty charge that comes with crime-drama stuff. That's why a lot of people like reading mysteries. It's not why I like reading mysteries.

Actually, I think the one thing holding this book back and the reason I didn't give it five stars was the grit & grime. Remember how I said sex was portrayed weird? I don't know if any character in this book enjoys the experience. Certainly none of them has straightforward, unconfusing sex - it's a one night stand with no explanation of the one-night-stand rule, or a sexual abuse situation, or a performer named "the Bug" that has super weird drug habits and is disturbing on almost every level. 

As if the darkness of the work was the driving force behind the movement of the pen, Knox goes for broke with the uncomfortable stuff. And for me, that makes a less enjoyable read. Maybe even less believable. It'll keep this work to being a cult-classic instead of a international best-seller, because it's not highly recommendable. I'm not encouraging just anyone to read it, because it's not for all readers. If you're a sensitive reader, you need not apply.

If you like sad themes, you'll love SIRENS. If you can tolerate sad themes, you'll at least like SIRENS. If you can't handle or won't handle topics like sex, drugs, and abuse, then don't read SIRENS. It's a fantastic story. I was guessing the whole way through, but it'll turn your stomach.

I gave this story a very good rating on Goodreads, because I believe it is a very good story. That doesn't mean everything, but I don't want anyone to leave this review thinking they've had their mind made up about SIRENS or, more importantly, Joseph Knox. He's going to gain a following and he's going to be a name you see in Barnes & Nobles everywhere. He'll probably be featured and interviewed and there will be cultish movies like "Fight Club" or something similar from his novels. My only hope is that he cleans it up a little. His second novel (also about our friend, Aiden Waits), The Smiling Man, is due to come out March 8. I plan to read it - I'll let you know how it goes.