Hank Thompsons has two extraordinary talents: playing baseball and drinking. But he can't play baseball due to a career-ending injury and he can't drink due to having a kidney removed. What's a schmuck to do when he's suddenly being chased around New York City by gangsters?

Heard about this because it's being made into a movie by Darren Aronofsky, which will either pique your interest or strike terror into your heart. My reaction lands somewhere in-between.

There's not a lot to chew on here, honestly. The prose is spare and hardboiled. The thematic depth is barely enough to dip your toe in. But Huston does a good job ratcheting the plot up, down, and all around. Things go from bad to worse to insane very quickly.

And dammit, I liked Hank. He's a good narrator, completely outclassed and hopelessly unlucky until he decides to become an active participant in determining his fate. At one point, I found myself genuinely emotionally invested, following an emotional exchange between him and fellow loser Russ.

In short, probably not worth reading unless you just grab a book while waiting for a pot of water to boil. (If only there was a term for that...) Interested to see what Aronofsky does with the material.