A respected white citizen of Cotton Point, Georgia, Paris Trout is a shopkeeper, a money-lender, and a murderer of blacks. And his friends, family and foes do not realize the danger they face in a man who simply will not see his own guilt.#Penguin.
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In this novel of social drama, a casual murder in the small Georgia town of Cotton Point just after World War II and the resulting court case cleave open the ugly divisions of race and class. The man accused of shooting a black girl, a storekeeper named Paris Trout, has no great feeling of guilt, nor fear that the system will fail to work his way. Trout becomes an embarrassment to the polite white society that prefers to hold itself high above such primitive prejudice. But the trial does not allow any hiding from the stark reality of social and racial tensions. Dexter, a former newspaper columnist, is also the author of Deadwood and God's Pocket. Paris Trout won the 1988 National Book Award.
From Publishers Weekly
In what PW described as "an expertly crafted and bleakly fascinating tale of social conflict and madness in the deep South," the eponymous protagonist of this National Book Award-winning novel murders a black child while collecting a debt and is astounded that he is prosecuted for the crime. 50,000 first printing .
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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In the spring of that year an epidemic of rabies broke out in Ether County, Georgia. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
By Sesho
Format:Paperback
Paris Trout is about a murder of a young black girl, the utter of absence of morals in the killer, and the hypocrisy of a white town which almost doesn't want justice to be done to him. Set in an inbred town in Georgia, Paris Trout is a shopkeeper who has his hands in a lots of other business, such as loan sharking and auto sales. He sells a car to a young black man, Henry McNutt, vastly escalating the sale by adding "insurance" to it. After Henry becomes involved in a car wreck, he comes to Trout demanding that it be fixed because the accident was covered by his insurance. In the following dispute, Henry leaves the car and says he's not going to pay on the car anymore. After repeated warnings to pay, Paris Trout shows up at the McNutt residence with a former cop that had been kicked off the force for abusing black citizens. Not finding Henry there, they proceed to get involved in a situation with his mother and her children. Guns are drawn by Paris and the ex-officer and Henry's mother and a young girl living with the family are shot. The rest of the novel is about the aftermath of the killing, in which Paris believes he was justified because he was owed money.
Harry Seagraves, a lawyer who recognizes Paris' guilt, but feels he is obligated to the decadent aristocracy of the town, decides to take over Paris' defense. Everyone in the town knows Paris is guilty, but are reluctant to see a white man go down for the killing of a black girl. The question is, will the town overcome its inherent racism and see justice done? Ward Townes, an honest county attorney takes over the prosecution.
This was a good novel. It really exposes what many people already knew about certain parts of the South. You basically had some good people who knew about injustices being done to the blacks but were so ingrained with racial biases that they couldn't see blacks as equals. A murder could be bought and paid for and even lynchings could be done and noone searched that hard for the killers. This book reminded me of Crime and Punishment, in that even people without consciences can be haunted and driven mad by their crime. I did feel the closing parts of the book were not executed very well. This book won the National Book Award and should appeal to anyone that enjoys all the lawyer shows on TV at the moment like Law and Order.
By madcarrot
Format:Paperback
The tale is nasty, but the writing is good. I read this book very quickly - I was pulled in by the characters and their actions. Paris Trout is scary; those who do little to stop him are also scary. I don't like how Dexter treats the women in his books - horrific is the word that comes to mind. Definitely worth reading if you are in the mood for something very dark.
By C M Magee
Format:Paperback
Paris Trout centers around a character of the same name. Though he is clearly a psychopath, he has money and is a business man, so his violent nature is ignored by the citizens of his small town, Cotton Point, Georgia. The book opens with an attack by Trout on a local black family. The town's white population does not want to be seen siding with a black family against a white man, so, from then on they turn a blind eye towards Trout and allow him to bully the legal system. Also involved in this hard boiled drama are Trout's wife Hanna and Harry Seagraves, Trout's good-guy lawyer. The book is framed as the story of a very bad man terrorizing a sleepy town, but the amazing thing about it is the way Dexter slowly turns the tables until it becomes clear that the complacency of the townspeople is a far greater sin than the murderousness of someone who lives among them. Though it reads like genre fiction with gripping suspense and at times remarkable violence, the subtle play on the psychology of a small town elevates the book to a remarkable literary novel. Although, I should say, if this book were not as deep and were merely a legal thriller, I would still have found it to be fantastic based on the strength of Dexter's writing. A great book.
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3.7 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
truly evil
This book is about a truly evil person- PARIS TROUT- and the collection of misfit's and sad people he affect's. Read more
Published on July 27 2003 by T. Corbett
1.0 out of 5 stars
Awfully disturbing
Sorry, but while Paris Trout may have been well written, realistic characterization, etc., I must say it had one of the most gruesome scenes of cruelty I've ever had the misfortune... Read more
Published on Aug 20 2002 by Amy Bussler
2.0 out of 5 stars
Surprising disappointment.
I have to agree with the reviewer from Yuba City. After finishing this novel I was also surprised that it had won the National Book Award. Read more
Published on Jan 3 2002
2.0 out of 5 stars
'88 must have been a lean year for works of Fiction
I'm not sure what the competition was in 1988, but I find it hard to believe that Pete Dexter's "Paris Trout" was the best the American literary community had produced... Read more
Published on Aug 27 2001 by M. Swinney
5.0 out of 5 stars
--
Paris Trout is a finely wrought and masterfully crafted book. Mr. Dexter leads us, knowingly, to places that we don't want to visit. This book is as raw as it gets. Read more
Published on Feb 18 2000 by Lee C. Houck
5.0 out of 5 stars
Follow Dexter if you dare!
In the mood for a nice little murder story? Well, don't look here. This tale of murder is as bad as they come; there is no subtlety, no ironically cute plot twists. Read more
Published on Jan 22 2000 by marge
5.0 out of 5 stars
A chilling tale of racism, murder and hypocracy
There is no question that Dexter is a wonderful wordsmith. He knows how to arrange language for the effects he wants. Read more
Published on Jan 4 2000 by Doug Vaughn
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Thrilling Read
Paris Trout is a man who sees his life deteriorate after murdering a young black girl in the South. The book swells with suspense, characterization, believable dialogue, and yes,... Read more
Published on Dec 25 1999
5.0 out of 5 stars
A gripping, thought-provoking page turner
One of the best contemporary American fiction books I've read in a while. Powerful and suspenseful ... Read more
Published on July 13 1999 by J. F Malysiak
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Talented Writer, A Disturbing Tale
Pete Dexter is clearly a gifted writer, and his talents are on full display in Paris Trout. His character development is rich and complex, and the reader gets to know each of the... Read more
Published on Dec 6 1998 by shtarkness@aol.com
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