Bad Things Happen by Harry Dolan

I haven't read a Harry Dolan novel before.  I picked it out because I liked the sound of the author's name and the title had the ring of simplicity to it.


The novel opens with the protagonist buying materials to dig a grave and needing to deal with an engaging, personable cashier.  Standing at the bookshelf reading the first page or so, I thought it looked like it might be fun.


Bad Things Happen is a bit unusual in its perspective.  Although it appears to be largely subjective third person narration, it is very stripped down and does not disclose its narrator's internal monologue.  As an example, the protagonist is consistently referred to as "the man known as David Loogan" or "the man who calls himself David Loogan", but never thinks to himself of his real name or why he has assumed an alias.  I think it's intended as a way of building suspense, but it carries on a very long time in the book for (in my view) a relatively low stakes payoff.


The prose is supposed to be spare, the dialogue sharp and concise, and for the most part the novel achieves that.  I suspect the author's intention is to be reminiscent of Raymond Chandler or Elmore Leonard, but for me it felt a bit more like Choose Your Own Adventure.


Initially, as I thought that, I probably intended it as a criticism.  Choose Your Own Adventure novels were second person narrated, plot driven stories with lots of possible endings and very little characterization.  Thinking it through a bit further though, I think perhaps Mr. Dolan has made quite an effective adult version of Choose Your Own Adventure without the gimmick.


The lead character is so enigmatic, with no history or memory of where he is or why, the readers can put themselves in his shoes just like a Choose Your Own Adventure novel.  The removed narration, the lack of internal monologue become a proxy for a second person narration.  What if you agreed to help a friend dig a grave and the cashier at the counter wouldn't stop flirting with you?  What if your friend's story about the dead body seemed inconsistent with the physical facts of the scene?  What if you were having an affair with your friend's wife when he asks for your help?


In each case, you the reader don't get the chance to make the choice, but the narrative is sufficiently removed that it's inviting a degree of contemplation and consideration.  It's an interesting conceit, and one that can be fun when you get into it.  For the story itself, I didn't find the plot particularly compelling, and there were a few too many twists (though very consistent with Choose Your Own Adventure).  For myself, it always feels like cheating when the narrator doesn't allow himself to remember basic facts that would resolve the mystery or suspense much earlier than the author wants to have it resolved. 


I don't know if I'd read another Harry Dolan.  I think I'd need to be in the right frame of mind and, like the Choose Your Own Adventure series, would need to be excited about placing myself in the proposed adventure.