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“There is no trap so deadly as the trap you set for yourself.” - Raymond Chandler
Set in the times when the crime rate in Los Angeles, California was super high and the Private Investigator culture was on the rise, Raymond Chandler’s ‘The Big Sleep’ is a novel about crime, corruption, lies and murder.
The book is an exemplary example of the detective fiction genre and is also an engrossing read. Philip Marlowe, the protagonist and the PI in question represents the plight of these gentlemen caught between doing good and doing right.
Introduction
Book’s name - The Big Sleep
Author’s name - Raymond Chandler
Genre - Hard-boiled Detective Fiction
Language - English
Synopsis - Spoiler Alert!
Philip Marlowe is a private investigator who is hired by General Sternwood to get out of a blackmail that he faces which concerns his younger daughter Carmen and some nude images of her.
As Marlowe proceeds with the case, he finds himself to be overly involved with the Sternwood sisters and standing at crossroads when he finds out that there have actually been not one but two murders.
More murders happen, more crimes are committed and Marlowe becomes more and more trapped into this trap of corruption and lies. Will he ever get out? Read more to find out.
About the Author
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Born on July 23rd, 1888, Raymond Thornton Chandler was an American-British novelist and screenwriter. Affected by the Great Depression in 1932, Chandler became a detective fiction writer at the age of forty-four. Chandler’s first short story ‘Blackmailers Don’t Shoot’ was published in a pulp magazine called the Black Mask in 1933.
Raymond Chandler was one of the most influential writers of the American Popular Literature and was the one who established the genre of hard-boiled detective fiction. Apart from his short stories, Chandler published seven novels in his lifetime, almost all of which have been made into motion pictures. He died on March 26, 1959.
About the Book
The book starts with a dreary October morning and we are introduced to our protagonist detective Philip Marlowe, who is preparing to give the rich General Sternwood. On his visit to the Sternwood mansion, Marlowe discovers that the General is being blackmailed by a Geiger relating to some inappropriate images of the younger Sternwood daughter and the General wants Marlowe to take care of it.
In the first chapter itself we are introduced to the second plot of the novel which is the disappearance of Rusty Regan who is the husband of Vivian Sternwood and a former boot-legged. Regan has presumably run away with Mona Grant.
Marlowe takes an initial interest in the Regan matter but ten decides to handle the case with Geiger first. Marlowe discovers that Geiger runs a pornographic business from his bookstore for rare books. Later in the day, Marlowe finds Geiger dead and Carmen in a compromised position at Geiger’s house.
The next morning the news of the Sternwood’s chauffeur, Owen Taylor’s death spreads and Marlowe also finds out that Vivian is being blackmailed with nude photos of Carmen, which are traced back to Joe Brody. But before Marlowe is able to turn Brody in, the latter is killed by Carol Lundgren, who kills him assuming that Brody had killed Geiger.
In his attempt to uncover the plot related to Rusty Regan, Marlowe comes across some shocking truths about how Carmen was actually the one who had killed Rusty because he refused to sleep with her.
Fighting for his own life, he somehow manages to avoid Carmen’s attack. The twist in the plot actually comes when we see that Marlowe does not turn Carmen in but advises Vivian to provide her with the help that Carmen needs.
He then thinks about how death or “the big sleep” is the only escape from the depravity and corruption of life. Warner Bros made ‘The Big Sleep’ into a movie in 1946 starring Humphrey Bogart as Philip Marlowe, who was immensely appreciated for his role.
Themes Involved
Perhaps the most prominent theme in the novel is that of corruption, wealth and power. Marlowe is an honest PI who finally makes kind of a corrupt decision when he decides to let Carmen go. He accepts to hide Carmen’s lies and even lies for her.
The second theme that recurs in the novel is that of masculinity and not just plain but a kind of a toxic masculinity. Our protagonist Philip Marlowe, upholds a solid set of criteria for masculinity and refuses to be okay with Geiger’s homosexuality.
Famous Quotes
“Dead men are heavier than broken hearts.”
“It seemed like a nice neighbourhood to have bad habits in.”
“As honest as you can expect a man to be in a world where it’s going out of style.”
“You can have a hangover from other things than alcohol. I had one from women.”
The Bottom Line
Raymond Chandler’s ‘The Big Sleep’ is a classic example of hard-boiled detective fiction and it takes you on a supremely interesting journey, unraveling various plots and revealing multiple secrets along the way.
It is a must read for anyone who enjoys watching detective shows or movies and enjoys reading a good old detective fiction novel. I recommend this book one hundred percent.
My ratings for the book - 4 on 5
Get the book at Amazon - The Big Sleep
Written By - Sakshi Singh
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