‘Matchstick
Men’ turns up the heat
By Sonya Smith
On-line Forty-Niner
Sometimes
reading a novel does not sound like all
that much fun after a long day at school,
but reading about two con artists and their
tricks in the “Matchstick Men” can be a
nice transition from the traditional textbook
drone.
 This
novel by Eric Garcia depicts the trickery
pulled by two con men, Frankie, an aspiring
James Dean and successful con artist, and
Roy, a neurotic , obsessive-compulsive partner
in Frankie’s crimes.
This over 200-page novel at first glance
would seem like a long read, but once you
pick up this novel the snappy yet carefree
dialogue grabs out at you and will not let
go.
And if this comic aspect to thievery reminiscent
of “The Odd Couple” and “Bandits” is not
enough, the character Roy soon discovers
that he is a dad to a 14-year-old girl from
his past marriage, and that she wants to
learn the tricks of her dad’s trade.
After his daughter pulls her first scam,
Roy recalls the first scam he pulled, “The
lure of easy money. First time he
ever pulled a game, it was the twenties,
and it was all a spiral since then.”
Going Hollywood this summer with the likes
of Nicholas Cage, Oscar nominee for best
actor in “Adaptation,” playing the character
Roy, Sam Rockwell, from “The Green Mile”
and “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind,” playing
Frankie, and Ridley Scott, director of “Gladiator,”
“Hannibal” and “Black Hawk Down,” directing,
this is sure to be a big hit at the box
office.
After hearing about such a movie being made
about the novel, some people may wonder
why they should bother reading the book.
In most cases this is true as usually movies
can capture better images for the audience
than a book can, but this book gives amazing
attention to detail that a movie cannot
deliver.
“They’re in Roy’s Chevy Caprice, just past
ten years old. It’s black, with windows
tinted down to the legal limits and a dark
gray interior. The wax job is rubbing out,
but the vinyl is taut and the floor mats
are spotless,” reads Garcia’s detailed description
of Roy’s car. Now that is an image of a
car that projects depth that a movie simply
cannot match.
According to Jynne Martin from Random House,
director Ridley Scott said of the ending
of the novel, “I got to a point where I
cried out ‘Oh, no.’ They fooled me.”
After finishing the novel, I too felt like
Ridley Scott as I felt like I had been watching
an episode of “Law and Order” where with
15 minutes to go in the show, whatever you
thought was going to happen is thrown out
the window.”
This not-so well-known author may find his
next novel “Hot and Sweaty Rex,” the third
book in his series about a dinosaur detective,
to be awaited longingly by an ever-growing
fan club.
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