Books › The Day of the Locust
The Day of the Locust
First published 1983 · 256 pages
A feverish, apocalyptic descent into the rotting, desperate underbelly of Hollywood's golden age.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like standing under the blinding California sun until you start to hallucinate. It is a feverish, deeply cynical exploration of the American Dream's rotting edges, moving at a brisk, inevitable clip toward total chaos. The prose is sharp and unsparing, rendering its cast of desperate dreamers and hollowed-out hangers-on with a detached, almost clinical grotesquerie. You are immersed in an atmosphere that is simultaneously glamorous and sordid, where every laugh feels hollow and every ambition masks a violent emptiness. It builds from quiet, satirical observation into a suffocating, apocalyptic crescendo. This is a perfect read for those who love pitch-black satire and unflinching, atmospheric portraits of societal decay and the dark side of illusion.
- Mood
- feverish
- sordid
- apocalyptic
- claustrophobic
- Tone
- cynical
- satirical
- detached
- bleak
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- the illusion of the American Dream · alienation and mass culture · the grotesque nature of desire · mob mentality · the emptiness of glamour
- The writing
- Sharp, unsparing, and highly visual, painting grotesque caricatures with cold precision.
- The arc
- Begins with detached, cynical observation and descends into a nightmarish, apocalyptic frenzy.
- Who it's for
- Readers who enjoy dark, biting satire and unflinching explorations of human desperation and the ugly side of glamour.
Content notes
- mob violence
- sexual assault
- animal cruelty
- misogyny
About the book
Following the tale of Tod Hackett - a brilliant young artist who is brought to an LA studio as a set designer - 'The Day of the Locust' is an exposure of the sordid reality beneath the surface of Hollywood.
Description from Open Library.
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