Review: Bleak, depressing, but scaringly realistic
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 19, 2014
Scrapyard Blues is a drama set in a decaying working class industrial England in the late twentieth century. Jack Smith plays base in an R&B; band, and works in a scrap metal yard as an operator of some form of shredding device, and is convicted of the murder of an ex-girl-friend based on essentially one piece of evidence: a finger with a diamond ring is found in his jacket pocket, the jacket having been in his "locker", the quotation marks being because it has no lock. The story, written in the first person and jumping around in time, follows Smith through prison, his eventual release, and his efforts then to find his daughter and to find who the murderer actually was.The story paints a bleak picture of the English judicial system and the efforts of the police to find who did the crime, as opposed to who is the easiest to nab. Without wishing to spoil it, for the police there are two reasons why that finger could be there and they discount one when they jump to a conclusion. Actually, there is a very valid third reason. Then, their collection of evidence is perfunctory. Life in prison is not easy, but Smith has it easier because he is protected by Gertrude, a cross-dressing psychopathic killer who claims he wants guitar lessons. Nobody interferes with Gertrude's wishes and lives. Smith has to serve the whole sentence because he refused to show the appropriate politically correct remorse, which, of course, he does not because he did not commit the crime. Then, when Smith is released, he blunders around, seemingly getting nowhere, and the picture of rehabilitation remains almost as bleak as if he were still in prison. The characters are well-drawn, except maybe Smith towards the end of the story. There is an action scene that I found somewhat unconvincing in places (I cannot explain without spoiling) so it is not really a thriller or a crime story. However, the picture of a slice of the lower end of British society is compelling, and as long as you want something with a bit of substance in your reading, I strongly recommend this.