Book Review: Crooked Little Vein

Warren Ellis' novel, Crooked Little Vein, lives up to what fans of his work as a comics writer have come to expect. It is engaging and clever. It is filled with the grotesque and the wonderful. While the content can be hard to read, the prose is easy. It's a thoughtful novel that challenges the divisions between mainstream culture and fringe culture. The journey of the novel takes the reader across the United States and through the less acknowledged parts of American culture.

The plot of the novel seems incidental to what the focus is. It's a catalyst only. It brings our characters together and gives them the means to have their adventure. Ultimately the lost second constitution of the United States, bound in the skin of an alien who tormented Benjamin Franklin during his travels in France, is not important. The novel is about culture. What makes mainstream culture is the chief question of the novel. Private Detective Mike McGill and his assistant Trix argue over this question again and again. If it's on TV or on the internet how can it really be underground? Anyone can discover it. Anyone can join. The notion that what is generally referred to as being fringe culture is actually at the heart of the modern American Mainstream is an interesting argument that the two pursue during their journey across the country.

The novel also handles the inevitable judgments made about fringe culture. Mike is an excellent surrogate for the reader. Mike is a magnet for the bizarre and he's not thrilled about that. This helps us as readers better stomach the oddities he encounters while in search of the lost constitution. Mike's repulsion to, for example, testicular saline injection mirrors the likely horror a typical reader would have, allowing for the scene to be comical rather than unnerving. This helps with accepting what's being presented. Most of the fringe that Mike and Trix encounter is not treated like a sort of dirty sub-culture populated by sick individuals but thoughtfully presented. Trix gleefully approaches most of the situations while Mike is more often than not repulsed. The reactions of the two allow us to view multiple points of view on what is presented rather than nudging us towards one in particular.

The one minor complaint I have about the novel is the main characters, Mike and Trix, feel a little flat. While not cookie-cutters they do tend towards certain stereotypes that at times feel like a shortcut to solid characterization. This is only a minor complaint as Mike's flatness helps our ability to relate to him and, in certain ways, put ourselves in his shoes throughout the story. Also, despite this seeming flatness, the relationship that develops between Mike and Trix feels very real. The conflict and uncertainty of the relationship and that the relationship creates is familiar. It's grounding in a lot of ways and arguably a metaphor for the reconciling of the points of view each character represents.

Crooked Little Vein is not for those with weak stomachs. The novel is a stream of one bizarre event after another and, as any fan of his comic book works would expect, Mr. Ellis does not hold back with his prose. His descriptions are grotesque and beautiful and very very vivid. Even the more disgusting parts had me gleefully turning the page. Mr. Ellis' prose is excellent, it's descriptive without belaboring the point and has an ease to it that makes re-reading a joy. Like much of his work in the comic book field, I want to re-read this book. The joy in Ellis' writing is not getting to the end. It's not finding out about what happens, it's about the journey. This is a journey I intend to take again.