I realize that you are dead, but I really need to write you this letter.
What. The. Fuck?
What's with the fishing? How many times does one author really need to use that particular metaphor before the author has used it to exhaustion? Clearly, you feel compelled to hash and rehash this particular symbolism. Old Man and the Sea was enough. Truly.
I suppose the racial commentary would be considered authentic and not really representative of your own views, but I lost count of the rampant derogatory comments in To Have and Have Not. While Harry Morgan quite honestly was a morally corrupt and ethically bankrupt character, his racism turned my stomach. While frequent reference to "Chinks" and "niggers" reveals what kind of man he is, it left me repulsed and without care when he finally met his unavoidable fate. Even his poverty and his family and his need to have more than to have not could not persuade me to give even the remotest of fucks for him.
As for the reference to war, yeah. I get it. I understand war fucks people up. Was it really inherent or necessary in this story though? It seemed out of place and like you threw in references to the war just for the sake of including it like some bizarre signature that a serial killer might leave at a crime scene. I'm not referring to the Cuban rebellion mind you. That had a place in the story since it was integral to the setting and shaping of the character's worldview. However, your name is on the title page. No need to insert other war references as some "Nudge-nudge, wink-wink: I wrote this" when the references don't really add to the plot.
Furthermore, you clearly need to spend more time with women. I don't know, but were those page(s) long commentary inside the women's heads supposed to be insightful or in some way to show your ability to uncover the elusive female psyche? Ugh! Barf! Wretch! The females in this book and how your characters treat them is abhorrent. Are you capable of writing an interesting or sympathetic female character or do you prefer outright misogyny? Do you yourself view women as nothing more than whores to be beaten and cast aside with a shot of mind altering medication? One point I will concede: this book would be a delightful dissertation if done with the feminist perspective.
I am guessing that these characters quite possibly are real people, or rather, mash-ups of people you had occasion to observe over time while sitting in taverns and cafes. For that, I applaud you. I've done that exercise of eavesdropping and observing people interact when they think no one is watching. It can be a useful tool in the writing process. Did someone you met really drink straight vermouth...more than once? Blech.
Anyway, this is my gut reaction upon having finished To Have or Have Not. I must say having read some of your short fiction and now two of your novels, I think your gift is titles. You create excellent titles for your works. The works themselves though, I'd rather have not.
Sincerely,
Me
PS:
I find this terribly ironic.
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