Terroir and Noir in Literature - Vol. 1, No. 9 (2024)

I have a confession to make: I read many kinds of books: scientific, science-fiction, non-fiction, historical fiction, autobiographies, biographies, travel, comedy, satirical, classics, graphic novels, comic books, and etc. Sometimes. Sometimes…I need and get the hunger for a well-written, stylish, dark, tense, thriller work of fiction that emphasizes some edgy characters in situ. Thus…space, setting, position, situation, background, backdrop, milieu, environs, habitat, place, location, spot, locale, context, frame, area, neighborhood, locus, district, and region. The terroir making the craft of writing a select vintage - with its own unique flavor and character.

Many writers stick to a favorite or known locale and generate stories and structure the plot (or sub-plots) into that setting. For example, William Faulkner created his own fictional county in Mississippi, Yoknapatawpha County, in which to set nearly all of his novels and numerous short stories. Yoknapatawpha was inspired by and based on Lafayette County in Oxford, Mississippi, with which Faulkner was familiar. This example of setting can also be connected to several of John Grisham’s novels in Mississippi as well. With Grisham there is a focus on legal thrillers in specific locations in the Southern U.S. (e.g., New Orleans, LA., and Biloxi, MS.)

We can go out west and think of Tony Hillerman focusing on southwestern U.S. and in New Mexico with the Navajo Tribal Police Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee.

Or back to the south with James Lee Burke in southern Louisiana and New Orleans. Or head back to the west coast with Michael Connelly writing great fiction novels related to crime, detective work, and legal thrillers in Los Angeles, CA. Or back to the other coast in Florida with Carl Hiaasen - crime thrillers (and comic-satire) in the state of Florida.

The authors noted above have a large dedicated fan base and following. I also look forward to the new novels that are forthcoming from these authors. But sometimes there are new discoveries and new authors that craft a great story in a setting that just locks the reader in with authenticity and a style of writing that is hard-boiled and the dialogue peppered with local dialect and imagery.

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Dear reader, please note I am drifting into the noir genre with this posting and this may not be your preferred cup of tea. In fact, the following is more like a shot glass of Lobo Sierra Tequila from Jalisco, Mexico.

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I start with Daniel Woodrell - who has written nine novels, most of them set in the Missouri Ozarks. Woodrell coined the phrase "country noir" to describe his 1996 novel Give Us a Kiss. Reviewers have frequently since used the term to categorize his writing. His book Winter’s Bone was made into the film (2010) Winter’s Bone starring Jennifer Lawrence. I thought Give Us A Kiss was like a copperhead holding a stick of dynamite in its mouth and just crawled up under your rocking chair on the front porch while you sip sweet tea and try to aim with your pellet rifle at feral hogs lookin’ to get in your collard greens and cantaloupe patch. This was great writing and you are in it…

Then there is S. A. Cosby who focuses on his stories in rural Virginia and fits into the southern noir style. I have read both of these books below and they represent some of the best fiction books in this genre. S. A. Cosby can write knife-sharp dialogue and his flawed characters go through some tough situations - and there is violence to be had - and redemption usually does not go as planned. S. A. Cosby weaves in the topics that go to the heart of conflict and challenge: prejudice, racism, family squabbles, and powder-keg filled plots ready to go - at any moment. Whatever S. A. Crosby will write next - I’m on it.

See Also

DEC-sent predictions?

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Finally, there is this new voice - this powerful writing style that kicked my backside and sent me flying down Alligator Alley like a launched nuke with four wheels belonging to a 1971 Plymouth GTX with a Hemi engine, a 426 hp V-8 and 490 ft lbs of torque. And the setting is south Florida and culture is Miami-Cuban with the dense and wild Everglades as backdrop. The book is Blood in the Cut by Alejandro Nodarse.

I liked the overall effect of the setting and Nodarse captured the vibes of prodigal son (just out of prison) returning to the chaos of his mother’s death, his father’s business (butcher shop) about ready to go under, and dealing with a new competitor that just moved in, and shady dealings with criminals swirling at every turn. The writing is effective and taut. A warning to some readers: the graphic descriptions of many scenes in a butcher shop, the proliferation of knives, and then the blood that follows is intense. This is idiosyncratic but I could not help make a leap in my own mind back to the film, Gangs of New York (2002), and William "Bill the Butcher" Cutting (and knives, and more knives) - and that setting in the Five Points area - and the tension and conflict.

In addition, there is ample description of wild animals (from the Everglades) being used as meat - which in many cases is illegal - but then there is the criminal enterprise built around that for consumer demand and profiteering. So again, there are edgy topics woven throughout, but again - this is fiction - yet consider the setting. My point: when I lived in southern Louisiana - the cuisine - Cajun Sauce Piquante was the foundation for all sorts of wild game to be cooked in and eaten: including gator, snake, and then I could on - but probably better that I leave it there. The realistic description was part of the novel’s allure and a strength; rather than a gratuitous distraction.

If you look closer at the cover of the book - you will see a review by S. A. Cosby, which was one of the factors in buying this book and sharing the review with you. When the author (S. A. Cosby) you like to read - opens the door - to another author (Alejandro Nodarse) with similar style…that helps with decision making. And I look forward to the next novel from Nodarse. By the way, many readers have submitted reviews at a few other sites, and claim that the audiobook version of this book - is outstanding as well.

And now this: Terroir and Noir. With this literary review, I try to weave in other related content/materials that tap into the theme. And this song first came to my attention in True Detective (Season 1) and it set the mood…and the stage…for the visual series. It is: The Handsome Family, “Far From Any Road” (Main Title Theme from True Detective) - below is the Official Lyric Video on YouTube. It is optional and only if you wish, but you will get the sense of the notion of terroir and noir. The lyrics (textual) convey the message along with the visuals. Words into paragraph into a book can produce that feeling - especially noir fiction. And have we (as readers) reached a point of neo-noir or post-noir ? I do not know. I only know that with the darkness - there can be that hint - of hope - of some “light” light at the end. And related to another review posting here (Vol. 1, No. 6) - perhaps even a second chance?

I thought of settings - place - and the author Cormac McCarthy as the video played:

Bonus:

New publication and on my shelf - waiting. Holy City by Henry Wise (2024).