A Drink Before the War
Encyclopedia
A Drink Before the War is the Shamus Award
-winning debut novel
by Dennis Lehane
and was published in 1994. It is the first book in a series focusing on private investigators Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro.
of the BBC comedy series Fawlty Towers
where hotel owner Basil Fawlty (John Cleese
) asks his German guests "Now, would you like to eat first, or would you like a drink before the war?" There is also a song of the same name released by Sinéad O'Connor
in 1987.
The ensuing investigation takes the detectives from swanky Boston hotels to housing projects in the poorest ghettos of Dorchester. Kenzie wrestles with problems of race, class, urban violence, corruption, abuse, and love. A gang war erupts between Socia and his son Roland, who has taken his own gang independent, culminating in the bloodiest night of gang violence in Boston history. A street terrorism bill that would have curbed the violence is suspiciously stalled before coming to a vote. All these events are connected to the photographs, and as they pursue the evidence, Kenzie and Gennaro find themselves hunted by both sides.
Eventually the detectives find the photos, and learn that Socia prostituted his young son with Angeline, Roland, to Paulson years ago, ironically leading the boy to become a stone-cold killer. Roland gains the upper hand in the war, and Socia demands the pictures back, hoping to blackmail Roland and save himself. At a meeting with Socia, Kenzie loses control and kills him. Releasing a photo to the press with Roland's face obscured, Paulson is disgraced, and a victorious Roland agrees not to come after Kenzie and Gennaro.
Shamus Award
The Shamus Award is awarded by the Private Eye Writers of America for the best detective fiction genre novels and short stories of the year....
-winning debut novel
Debut novel
A debut novel is the first novel an author publishes. Debut novels are the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to publish in the future...
by Dennis Lehane
Dennis Lehane
Dennis Lehane is an American author. He has written several award-winning novels, including A Drink Before the War and the New York Times bestseller Mystic River, which was later made into an Academy Award-winning film. Another novel, Gone, Baby, Gone, was also adapted into an Academy...
and was published in 1994. It is the first book in a series focusing on private investigators Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro.
Plot introduction
Private Investigators Kenzie and Gennaro are tasked to retrieve missing documents by a trio of politicians. The trail leads them into the midst of a gang war and reveals an act of child abuse. Kenzie struggles with memories of his own past while Gennaro deals with her abusive marriage.Explanation of the novel's title
The title refers to the gang war that is central to the plot. It is from a line of dialogue for the character Devin taken from page 181 of the book. The line originally appeared in a 1975 episodeThe Germans
"The Germans" is the sixth episode of the BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers. It is remembered for its line "Don't mention the war" and Cleese's silly walk when he is impersonating Adolf Hitler.-Plot:...
of the BBC comedy series Fawlty Towers
Fawlty Towers
Fawlty Towers is a British sitcom produced by BBC Television and first broadcast on BBC2 in 1975. Twelve television program episodes were produced . The show was written by John Cleese and his then wife Connie Booth, both of whom played major characters...
where hotel owner Basil Fawlty (John Cleese
John Cleese
John Marwood Cleese is an English actor, comedian, writer, and film producer. He achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and performer on The Frost Report...
) asks his German guests "Now, would you like to eat first, or would you like a drink before the war?" There is also a song of the same name released by Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor is an Irish singer-songwriter. She rose to fame in the late 1980s with her debut album The Lion and the Cobra and achieved worldwide success in 1990 with a cover of the song "Nothing Compares 2 U"....
in 1987.
Plot summary
Boston private detectives Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro receive a job from three state politicians, Sterling Mulkern, Jim Vurnan and Brian Paulson, to recover documents from a former cleaning lady, Jenna Angeline. Tracking Ms. Angeline to her sister's house outside Boston, they learn she has hidden the documents in a safe deposit box in a bank back in the city. Kenzie escorts Angeline to the bank, where she gives him one photo before being gunned down by Curtis Moore, a street enforcer for notorious gangster and pimp Marion Socia. The photo shows Socia with Paulson, who has stripped down to his socks and underwear. Angeline had only hidden one photo in the safe deposit box, and it is up to Kenzie and Gennaro to find the rest.The ensuing investigation takes the detectives from swanky Boston hotels to housing projects in the poorest ghettos of Dorchester. Kenzie wrestles with problems of race, class, urban violence, corruption, abuse, and love. A gang war erupts between Socia and his son Roland, who has taken his own gang independent, culminating in the bloodiest night of gang violence in Boston history. A street terrorism bill that would have curbed the violence is suspiciously stalled before coming to a vote. All these events are connected to the photographs, and as they pursue the evidence, Kenzie and Gennaro find themselves hunted by both sides.
Eventually the detectives find the photos, and learn that Socia prostituted his young son with Angeline, Roland, to Paulson years ago, ironically leading the boy to become a stone-cold killer. Roland gains the upper hand in the war, and Socia demands the pictures back, hoping to blackmail Roland and save himself. At a meeting with Socia, Kenzie loses control and kills him. Releasing a photo to the press with Roland's face obscured, Paulson is disgraced, and a victorious Roland agrees not to come after Kenzie and Gennaro.
Characters
- Patrick Kenzie: A Boston based private detective from Dorchester. Kenzie works with his lifelong friend Angie Gennaro from an office in a neighborhood church.
- Angela Gennaro: A tough, street-wise detective who grew up with Kenzie. Angie is in an abusive marriage with Phil, a former friend of Kenzie's.
- Bubba Rugowski: Local gunrunner, sociopath, and urban terrorist, Rugowski provides added muscle for the detectives.
- Devin Amronklin: A detective on the Anti-Gang task force, he is intent on ending the war by any means necessary.
- Richie Colgan: A black journalist at a local paper and longtime friend of Patrick, he has made his career reporting on local politicians.
- Marion Socia: Leader of the Ravens street gang and a crack dealer and former pimp.
- Jenna Angeline: Cleaning lady who worked for Senator Paulson, married to Marion Socia and mother of Roland.
- Roland: Leader of the Angel Avengers gang, fighting a war with his father Socia.
- Sterling Mulkern, Jim Vurnan, and Brian Paulson: Trio of Massachusetts state politicians who hire Kenzie to hunt down Jenna Angeline.
Major themes
Themes of the novel include racial and class warfare and the effect of blue collar bitterness in father figures.Literary significance and reception
The New York Times described the book as somewhat cliched but praised the honest approach to racial and class warfare. They also felt that the seriousness of the novel's themes made a jarring contrast with the flippancy of the detective characters.Awards and nominations
Dennis Lehane received a Shamus award for best first detective novel for the book.External links
- A Drink Before the War at dennislehanebooks.com