Last Exit To Brooklyn

5 out of 5 Stars
I find it extremely difficult to write about Hubert Selby Jr.'s books, let alone 'review' them. He is one of the few authors who I find so honest, so original, so heart breaking, so grotesque, and so 'anti mainstream'. Which is ironic now in 2009 -- the world has changed, people have changed, NYC has changed, society has become so divided between extreme liberals and extreme conservatives. I guess 'Last Exit To Brooklyn' will probably become 'trendy' soon, among Brooklyn hipsters, angsty 20 somethings, college students, and recent NYC implants. But one of the things I find so absolutely astonishing about 'Last Exit To Brooklyn' is that Selby wrote it (semi autobiographically) in 1964.
This book (or what is actually a poignant collection of short stories that tie together) made me empathize, sympathize, cry, laugh, cringe, and become transported to what I always assumed was 'life' in NYC in the 50s (unlike 'Revolutionary Road' where I felt no compassion to any of the characters).
Selby's characters are not always easy to like. Rapists, drug addicts, alcoholics, prostitutes...but through his writing he is able to (if only for a page or two) find a way for the reader to connect to and understand.
I guess what strikes me the most about this novel is that while it was written almost 50 years ago, very little has changed. And thank you, Mr. Selby, for documenting reality and not being afraid show the truth.