It is in the New York of 1882, at the crossroads of David Copperfield of Dickens and Count of Monte Cristo by Dumas, that Michael McDowell (1950-1999) portrays the plot and the people of Golden needles. Alto editions, which published last year Blackwater, his captivating gothic series in six volumes, does it again with this powerful novel about class struggle, about (in)power games and their tragic results, about these men and women who are wolves to their fellow men. We follow two families, the Stallworths and the Shanks. The first are judge, lawyer, pastor. The latter, criminals… In fact, criminals, with roots well anchored in this gangrenous corner of the city that is the Black Triangle. The first want to “clean up” there. The seconds will respond with revenge. Relentless, calculated revenge, thrilling with life and death. The result is a harsh and bitter social novel written more than 40 years ago, on which a soap opera wind blows. He pushes. He’s upset. It can be read in one go.
To watch on video