Wide Awake For The Big Sleep - 'The Big Sleep' - Raymond Chandler Book Review

A mystery novel with more twists and turns than a side winder snake slithering through the desert, Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep not only introduced the world to the iconic private investigator Philip Marlowe, but to the author himself whose influence still resonates and grows today.

Set in the desolate California of the late 1930s, the book transports the reader to the cynical world Marlowe occupies, where assault, murder and double crossing is expected and welcomed by the characters concealed within the novel's pages.

The story begins with Marlowe strolling up the path of an impressive private residence, gated and isolated from the outside world in the hilltops of California. Inside he meets the rich, wheelchair-bound General Sternwood, who gives Marlowe the job of dealing with a blackmailer whose money-hungry talons have latched onto the General's teenage daughter, Carmen Sternwood. What at first seems like an open-and-shut case proves to be one riddled with complexity which sees Marlowe thrust into a seedy world of bubbling intrigue, thickening plot and drug-fuelled pornography. Nothing is as it seems.

The Big Sleep's most captivating quality is its protagonist, Marlowe, whose world-weary demeanour and lightning-quick wit keep the reader enthralled, amused and bewildered. He appeared at a time when Dashiell Hammett's Sam Spade was regarded as the archetypical private eye in the literary world, but Marlowe's introduction changed the genre's landscape forever. Despite his tough-guy persona, the turning of every page peels back layer after layer of false pretence to slowly reveal a man who, despite his obvious disappointment with the world his line of business provides him insight into, still somehow holds out hope for the people he encounters. His morality is his most endearing feature, unwilling to succumb to the debauchery surrounding him.

Chandler's poetic writing style and unflinching social commentary bring a gritty realism to the novel. His observations are sometimes harsh and reveal a less than glamorous side to California which its residents at the time found insulting and was the source of much criticism. But no one can disagree that the words Chandler puts to paper are not heartfelt and full of feeling, for or against the 'Golden State'.

For a fantastic crime mystery there really is no better novel than The Big Sleep. It is the only way to begin reading Chandler, with memorable quotes and scenarios which you will remember for years to come. The novels Chandler wrote following his debut are also must-reads, but none of them can reproduce the freshness The Big Sleep injected into the crime genre upon its release.

Raw and powerful, Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep has lost none of its original appeal and is still influencing modern crime writers today. Read it immediately, with a thorough, private eye.

10/10