Customer Reviews

Violencia!: A Musical Novel

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Paul Gurney, Bruce Jay Friedman's protagonist in his comic novel Violencia, torn by his recent divorce and suffering from a mid-life crisis of sorts quits his day job as clerk for the New York Homicide department and editor of a homicide newsletter. While adrift in his search for himself and a new job, Paul is recruited to write a musical play about a homicide department. Norman Welles, a composer who has read Gurney's newsletter feels he will be the perfect author of such a play. Gurney lets himself be convinced and he is off on his quest for fame and fortune along Broadway.

Gurney who is a novice, fits easily into the role of although he is rudderless and easily mislead. He quickly finds himself surrounded by strange and interesting characters, and quite at home with them. There is Norman Welles a composer who seems to think that an opening number for a homicide movie should be a light romantic number which is about Paris in the off-season. Gurney's personal hero is director Clement Hartog who comes with the extra baggage of a mother who must be in each of his plays. Essie Hartog, Clement's mother an aging star who performs all of her roles on stilts will play the detective bureau chief. Then there is the unlucky producer Undertag who has never had a successful Broadway play. It makes perfect sense that Gurney will fit right in with them.

The descriptions of the behind the scenes work on the play are intriguing. Of special interest is the passages about the songs which Welles had ineptly prepared for the musical. Odd scenes as restaurant odors offending playgoers, dancers on stilts and telegrams from the dead add to the humor of the novel.

Friedman has a talent for creating strange characters, and amusing situations while providing commentary on philosophy and life. Paul Gurney, who begins working on the play directionless and insecure seems to gain perspective and confidence working on a project which seems doomed from the start. This is not a novel of great depth nor was it meant to be. It certainly is an amusing way to spend an afternoon. I have only one question, where is the CD?