Literature Review

«City of Dreams, the anti-polar

5 reading minutes

written by Mathieu Vuillerme · July 25, 2023 · 0 comment

«The City of Dreams,» the anti-crime novel

After a first volume The city in flames, Don Winslow returns this year with Visit City of dreams, a sort of long journey, this time inspired by The Aeneid by Virgil. Between wanderings and realizations, how good is this sequel to Danny Ryan's adventures?

Danny Ryan has nothing left. The war against the Italians has been lost, his wife is dead, as are most of his friends, and flight is the only option left for the defeated. Drifting all the way to Los Angeles, the small group finds the doors of Hollywood opening before them—a reinvented hell that may yet bring them all down.

Reading a novel by Don Winslow is always an experience. Pleasant at first, because you’re faced with a story that’s both complex and fluid—profound, yet simple. Then it becomes unsettling, because everything in the world of crime fiction seems bland once you put the book down, and you find yourself envying the ease with which the author constructs such a sprawling narrative, written in such elegant prose, without ever losing the reader.

In City of Dreams, that’s exactly how reading it feels. While the story picks up almost immediately where the previous volume left off, it also breaks away from it right away. There’s no longer any gang war in the strict sense here; most of the characters we meet in The burning city are quickly dispelled, and all liveliness is replaced by a kind of lethargy.

Aeneas Goes to Hollywood

As in The burning city, Don Winslow draws on Greco-Roman myths to build the backdrop for his plot. However, while the first book might have left some doubt as to the inspiration behind the character of Danny Ryan, it is clearly stated that this novel is based on The Aeneid from Virgil. Just like the hero, Danny was sidelined from the battles of the Trojan War and forced into exile after his wife’s death, before drifting all the way to the shores of Hell.

In City of Dreams, the realm of Hades is symbolized by Hollywood. Perhaps a bit too stereotypically, admittedly. A veritable dog-eat-dog world where the mafia, producers, and the mothers of child stars all vie for a piece of the pie and a shot at the jackpot—this is the fertile ground Don Winslow uses to take a swipe at the famous American Dream and those fleeting, hollow moments of fame. Nevertheless, while the exercise is entertaining, it may be a bit dated and, above all, causes the story to stall rather drastically. Indeed, once past the first part—which serves as a setup—the writing seems to grow ponderous and the narrative stagnates, ultimately concluding as a rather surprising sort of ’anti-thriller.«.

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While the thriller has no set forms or fixed elements, the second part of City of Dreams sets aside its main theme and many of its protagonists to focus, instead, on a mundane love story and two poorly developed characters. This narrative choice, coupled with the immediate dismissal of nearly all the plot threads left open in the previous volume, gives this novel a very strange feel. It’s a bit as if Michael Corleone from the Sponsor was going on a honeymoon abroad, and no one talked about his business for an hour of the movie.

The result is a book that’s always a pleasure to read, but one that leaves you wondering if it will lead anywhere. There’s also a certain tension established by the prologue, but its resolution pales in comparison to what Winslow has written in the past. Not to mention the joy of reuniting with endearing characters as their adventures continue.

Write to the author: mathieu.vuillerme@leregardlibre.com