Spine # s907
“A party is a capsule lesson in the theories of Darwin. Those unsuited to the environment drop off first. What is left is the hard core, the tireless ones of vim and appetite who, given more elbow room, can duplicate the noise and confusion of a larger group. And they are no longer subject to the repressive effects of the potential disapproval of the sedate ones.”
John D. MacDonald, The Beach Girls
Stebbin’s Marina is a refuge for outcasts. From misfits to drunks, runaways to has-beens, and tough guys to losers. They all call D Dock home and eke out a living chartering their boats. When the Florida sun sets, they unwind, wiling away the hours by opening beer cans to the soothing rhythm of the waves. Their spot offers a sense of belonging. Trouble might drift in from time to time, but at least it’s not the bullshit of everyday life. These folks have built a community of sorts with their own code and respite from banal hassles.
Unfortunately these characters aren’t desperate, pathetic, or crazy enough to be interesting. The Beach Girls is a stand alone novel written five years before John D. MacDonald debuted his series star, Travis McGee, in The Deep Blue Good-By.
I hate to say it, because I love MacDonald, but this one is a dog. It’s more soapy than hardboiled and the violence that goes down will make you yawn. The point of the book is…well, I don’t know the point of the book. People get drunk on a dock then sleep around and find love. Sometimes they get in fights. One dude is running from his past and murder is a possibility. However, I’m reluctant to call The Beach Girls crime fiction. Noir? I suppose, but that’s a reach. It’s got boats and a couple goons, I’ll give it that. Which isn’t nothing, but it’s not much either.
There’s a theme of dropping out of society, which is a huge component of the McGee novels. Having been published in 1959, Beach Girls may have been a little ahead of its time in that regard. However, this one prescient moment is not enough to get it over the hump.
Each chapter offers a different character’s perspective which is creative, but messy. You’ve got to have one helluva plot to connect all those narratives together.
If you want to read a better offering that spotlights different characters throughout different chapters, please read The Kill-Off by Jim Thompson. It has a similar structure but with more paranoia, desperation, conniving, and criminal activity.
Thompson’s book is worth your time. The Beach Girls isn’t unless you’re a John D. MacDonald completionist.
C.D. Baxter’s Quick Review of The Beach Girls
Story – Boring
Cover Eye Candy – Not Bad; I prefer the covers from the later editions.
The eBook is currently available from The Murder Room
Gold Medal Book Blog 