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شغل شما چقدر برایتان اهمیت دارد و برای حفظ آن حاضر هستید دست به چه کارهایی بزنید؟ این سؤال شاید در شرایط رفاه اجتماعی و اقتصادی مفهومی نداشته باشد و بی‌معنی باشد اما وست‌لیک در کتاب تبر شما را به شخصیتی معرفی می‌کند که برای به دست آوردن شغل دلخواهش حاضر است آدم هم بکشد. دانلد ای. وست‌لیک در کتاب تبر نشان می‌دهد چه طور ممکن است انسان در شرایط بد اقتصادی دست به کارهایی بزند که در حالت عادی هرگز از او تصور انجام آن برنمی‌آمد.
این کتاب در ژانر داستانی و ترسناک نوشته شده است. اما آنچه شخصیت اصلی این داستان را جذاب و متفاوت از سایر کتاب‌های این ژانر می‌کند این است که او دقیقا شبیه ماست. دانلد وست‌لیک چنان این داستان را ساخت و پرداخت کرده است که خواننده با شخصیت اصلی کاملاً همزادپنداری می‌کند. او به‌عنوان نان‌آور خانواده در تلاش است و خواننده را با خود وارد داستانی می‌کند که هر لحظه با خود آرزو و خدا خدا می‌کند که نکند کاراکتر اصلی در جریان جنایت‌هایش دستگیر شود.
این کتاب در ژانر داستانی و ترسناک نوشته شده است. اما آنچه شخصیت اصلی این داستان را جذاب و متفاوت از سایر کتاب‌های این ژانر می‌کند این است که او دقیقا شبیه ماست. دانلد وست‌لیک چنان این داستان را ساخت و پرداخت کرده است که خواننده با شخصیت اصلی کاملاً همزادپنداری می‌کند. او به‌عنوان نان‌آور خانواده در تلاش است و خواننده را با خود وارد داستانی می‌کند که هر لحظه با خود آرزو و خدا خدا می‌کند که نکند کاراکتر اصلی در جریان جنایت‌هایش دستگیر شود.
325 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
110 people are currently reading
2,643 people want to read
About the author
Donald E. Westlake
414 books908 followersDonald E. Westlake (1933-2008) was one of the most prolific and talented authors of American crime fiction. He began his career in the late 1950's, churning out novels for pulp houses—often writing as many as four novels a year under various pseudonyms such as Richard Stark—but soon began publishing under his own name. His most well-known characters were John Dortmunder, an unlucky thief, and Parker, a ruthless criminal. His writing earned him three Edgar Awards: the 1968 Best Novel award for God Save the Mark; the 1990 Best Short Story award for "Too Many Crooks"; and the 1991 Best Motion Picture Screenplay award for The Grifters. In addition, Westlake also earned a Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America in 1993.
Westlake's cinematic prose and brisk dialogue made his novels attractive to Hollywood, and several motion pictures were made from his books, with stars such as Lee Marvin and Mel Gibson. Westlake wrote several screenplays himself, receiving an Academy Award nomination for his adaptation of The Grifters, Jim Thompson's noir classic.
Some of the pseudonyms he used include
• Richard Stark
• Timothy J. Culver
• Tucker Coe
• Curt Clark
• J. Morgan Cunningham
• Judson Jack Carmichael
• D.E. Westlake
• Donald I. Vestlejk
• Don Westlake
Westlake's cinematic prose and brisk dialogue made his novels attractive to Hollywood, and several motion pictures were made from his books, with stars such as Lee Marvin and Mel Gibson. Westlake wrote several screenplays himself, receiving an Academy Award nomination for his adaptation of The Grifters, Jim Thompson's noir classic.
Some of the pseudonyms he used include
• Richard Stark
• Timothy J. Culver
• Tucker Coe
• Curt Clark
• J. Morgan Cunningham
• Judson Jack Carmichael
• D.E. Westlake
• Donald I. Vestlejk
• Don Westlake
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 246 reviews
June 3, 2020
When asked by a student what it takes to be enlightened, a great spiritual teacher replied: "You must want God as much as a drowning man wants air."
Once, as a teenager, swimming in the rough waves of the ocean, a panic-stricken white haired geezer grabbed my arm and cried out for help. In that instant I knew what it meant for someone to want air so badly he would have pulled me under so he could continue breathing.
The narrator of Westlake's tale, Burke Devore, is one such drowning man gasping for air. In Bruke's case, drowning is being over fifty and unemployed with a wife and kids. Air is a job.
Burke has spent his entire career as a polymer paper specialist. Its the 1990s, the post-Reagan years - he was downsized along with hundreds of other dedicated employees many months ago. The money is about to run out. Burke stands to lose his nice house in Connecticut, his car, his possessions, any remaining shred of respect from his family. As far as Burke is concerned, he stands to lose his life. No doubt about it, Burke Devore needs a job. Fast.
After trying to win a job these past months their way, the way society says you have to win a job, Burke realized the odds were stacked way too high against him, too many other equally qualified job hunters in his specialized field and too few companies looking to fill his position.
Burke Devore knows what he has to do. He goes up to the attic, locates the chest with the Luger pistol his father brought back from Germany as a souvenir after the war. He sets his plan in motion, a plan to pinpoint those other qualified job hunters competing for a polymer paper manager job, his job.
Can he really do it, kill off the competition? With his very life on the line, you bet he can.
American author Donald E. Westlake wrote The Ax at age sixty-five, with more than forty published novels to his credit. Mr. Westlake brings a true writer's wisdom to this work I judge an overlooked classic. Through the magic of entering the heart and mind of Burke Devore, the author makes credible the incredible, plausible the implausible, how an everyday kind of guy, a law abiding citizen can take drastic measures to reclaim his life.
You read The Ax with a combination of shock and fascination. Your jaw drops. Can this really be happening? It can. And the more pages you turn, the more you appreciate the tale's black humor. Wow! Donald E. Westlake. Why haven't I heard of this guy before?
And there's such an acid critique of society. Burke Devore reflects on capitalism's underbelly, how politicians, stockholders and the CEOs are the real enemy. The rich don’t care about a workforce toiling, bleeding sweat and sweating blood to keep their company in the black. Not one bit. What the rich at the top care about is maximizing profit. If merging with another company or moving their plant overseas can squeeze out the most profit, that’s what they’ll do. Thousands of men and women who have created a life around their job means nothing. Let them and their families eat cupcakes. Don't go away mad, gang, just go away.
Burke cracks a wry smile. Fortunate in years past for those blue collar types, steel worker, miners, factory workers - when automation hit and they could be replaced by machines, at least they were unionized. But nowadays when computers replace white collar middle managers like himself, no unions. Your education and professionalism, so the theory goes, gives you benefits enough. What a joke.
Stopping to fuel up his car, Burke considers another solution to his problem: banditry. Simply pop into a convenience store like this one with a Pakistani behind the counter, point the Lugar at his face and demand all the cash in the till. He could rob such a convenience store once a week until Social Security kicks in. Now that’s convenient!
No, that's not the solution. Burke knows the solution.
To find out how Burke will fair in his role as a methodical serial killer, I highly recommend reading The Ax. Middle America never had a more articulate spokesperson.
American author Donald E. Westlake, 1933 - 2008
November 10, 2023
شاید بتوان یکی از بزرگترین رنج هایی که در زندگی گریبانگیر انسان می شود را سختی و مصیبت از دست دادن کار دانست . در حقیقت این اندوه به اندازه ای زیاد است که برخی آنرا معادل از دست دادن والدین ، یا درد و رنج از دست دادن خانه دانسته اند.
از نگاه وست لیک هنگامی که شرایط صنعتی بحرانی شود ، مدیران میانی معمولا اولین گروه برای تعدیل یا اخراج هستند و از بخت بد آنها شانس چندانی هم برای پیدا کردن کار مشابه حرفه خود ندارند . به همین گونه آنان چون دستمزدی بیشتر از کارگران و کارمندان ساده و البته بسیار کمتر از مدیران ارشد دریافت می کنند به سطحی از رفاه و آرامش خو گرفته اند که با ازدست دادن حرفه خود ، بسیار بعید است دوباره به آن سطح رفاه بازگردند .
بورک دوور ضد قهرمان داستان یکی از همان هاست که پس از سال ها کار به عنوان مدیری میانی در صنعت کاغد تعدیل شده و پس از حضور در انبوه مصاحبه ها ، مصاحبه هایی که او مجبور است حد اعتدالی بین اعتماد به نفس و صمیمیت بی تکلف ، مرزی میان نزدیک شدن و چاپلوسی با مصاحبه کننده اش داشته باشد هم چنان پس از 18 ماه بی کار مانده ، چون از نگاه او تعداد قابل توجهی مدیر میانی هستند که دنبال کارهای انگشت شمار می گردند .
دوور هم در ابتدا فکر می کرده که دوران بیکاری فقط مانند یک مرخصی غیرقابل پیش بینی بوده و او به سرعت کاری دیگر با مزایایی مشابه در شرکتی دیگر خواهد یافت بی خبر از آنکه شرکت های اخراج کننده بیشتر از شرکت های استخدام کننده هستند ، حالا تعداد افراد جویای کار هر روز بیشتر شده و کارهای متناسب آنان کمتر و کمتر .
دانلد وست لیک با مهارت حسرت روزگاری که دوور کار می کرد را ترسیم کرده ، کاری که قرار بود زندگی واقعی او باشد اما مانند بازی بود که مدیران ارشد دوور نگون بخت را به آن برای زمانی مشخص راه داده بودند . تفاوت در همین است آنچه برای کسی همانند بازی است ممکن است که زندگی فردی دیگر باشد .
نویسنده فلسفه و اهمیت کار را با مهارت شرح داده ، افرادی که برای حفظ کار باید اصول خود را فراموش کنند ، انسان ها را بفروشند تا بتوانند زندگی خود را اداره کنند یا به قول نویسنده گلیم خود را از آب بیرون بکشند . اما شور بختانه کتاب وست لیک پس از شرح دادن اهمیت کار ، اُفت کرده و بیشتر وارد جزییات جنایت ها می شود که دست کم خواندن چگونگی کشته شدن افراد با جزییات فراوان در این دوران سرشار ازمرگ و سختی برای من دشوار بود .
در پایان داستان وست لیک ، روایت یک قاتل با هوش یا یک دیوانه خونریز نیست ، او تنها یک فرد معمولی ایست که برای بقا و زنده ماندن خود و خانواده خود می جنگد .
از نگاه وست لیک هنگامی که شرایط صنعتی بحرانی شود ، مدیران میانی معمولا اولین گروه برای تعدیل یا اخراج هستند و از بخت بد آنها شانس چندانی هم برای پیدا کردن کار مشابه حرفه خود ندارند . به همین گونه آنان چون دستمزدی بیشتر از کارگران و کارمندان ساده و البته بسیار کمتر از مدیران ارشد دریافت می کنند به سطحی از رفاه و آرامش خو گرفته اند که با ازدست دادن حرفه خود ، بسیار بعید است دوباره به آن سطح رفاه بازگردند .
بورک دوور ضد قهرمان داستان یکی از همان هاست که پس از سال ها کار به عنوان مدیری میانی در صنعت کاغد تعدیل شده و پس از حضور در انبوه مصاحبه ها ، مصاحبه هایی که او مجبور است حد اعتدالی بین اعتماد به نفس و صمیمیت بی تکلف ، مرزی میان نزدیک شدن و چاپلوسی با مصاحبه کننده اش داشته باشد هم چنان پس از 18 ماه بی کار مانده ، چون از نگاه او تعداد قابل توجهی مدیر میانی هستند که دنبال کارهای انگشت شمار می گردند .
دوور هم در ابتدا فکر می کرده که دوران بیکاری فقط مانند یک مرخصی غیرقابل پیش بینی بوده و او به سرعت کاری دیگر با مزایایی مشابه در شرکتی دیگر خواهد یافت بی خبر از آنکه شرکت های اخراج کننده بیشتر از شرکت های استخدام کننده هستند ، حالا تعداد افراد جویای کار هر روز بیشتر شده و کارهای متناسب آنان کمتر و کمتر .
دانلد وست لیک با مهارت حسرت روزگاری که دوور کار می کرد را ترسیم کرده ، کاری که قرار بود زندگی واقعی او باشد اما مانند بازی بود که مدیران ارشد دوور نگون بخت را به آن برای زمانی مشخص راه داده بودند . تفاوت در همین است آنچه برای کسی همانند بازی است ممکن است که زندگی فردی دیگر باشد .
نویسنده فلسفه و اهمیت کار را با مهارت شرح داده ، افرادی که برای حفظ کار باید اصول خود را فراموش کنند ، انسان ها را بفروشند تا بتوانند زندگی خود را اداره کنند یا به قول نویسنده گلیم خود را از آب بیرون بکشند . اما شور بختانه کتاب وست لیک پس از شرح دادن اهمیت کار ، اُفت کرده و بیشتر وارد جزییات جنایت ها می شود که دست کم خواندن چگونگی کشته شدن افراد با جزییات فراوان در این دوران سرشار ازمرگ و سختی برای من دشوار بود .
در پایان داستان وست لیک ، روایت یک قاتل با هوش یا یک دیوانه خونریز نیست ، او تنها یک فرد معمولی ایست که برای بقا و زنده ماندن خود و خانواده خود می جنگد .
May 14, 2012
Burke Devore, line manager at a paper mill, gets laid off and is unemployed for two years. Then one day he gets the idea of a lifetime: start killing the people he's competing for job with...
Wow. This thing is a damn masterpiece. Westlake takes an ordinary Joe in a situation we can all relate to in these uncertain economic times, and sends him on a killing spree. What separates Burke Devore from other killers on the paperback racks is that he's almost just like us.
The way Westlake tells the story of Burke Devore makes him a sympathetic character. He's not a cold blooded killer, just a guy driven to desperate measures to feed his family and save his marriage. While he's doing reprehensible things, you still wind up rooting for him and hoping he doesn't get caught.
If you're looking for some suspense, look no further.
Wow. This thing is a damn masterpiece. Westlake takes an ordinary Joe in a situation we can all relate to in these uncertain economic times, and sends him on a killing spree. What separates Burke Devore from other killers on the paperback racks is that he's almost just like us.
The way Westlake tells the story of Burke Devore makes him a sympathetic character. He's not a cold blooded killer, just a guy driven to desperate measures to feed his family and save his marriage. While he's doing reprehensible things, you still wind up rooting for him and hoping he doesn't get caught.
If you're looking for some suspense, look no further.
March 19, 2010
Wanted: Middle management for the oversight of an assembly line in an industrial paper factory. College degree and experience a must. Homicidal maniacs welcome to apply.
Burke Devore was a typical middle-aged guy with a steady job, a wife and two college aged kids. However, when he gets laid off, he spends two years looking for new employment and realizes that there are far too many people with more education and experience looking for similar work.
After Burke reads an article in a trade journal about a factory doing the kind of work he specialized in along with an interview of a manager there, he realizes that it’s exactly the kind of job he’s suited for. Broke and desperate, Burke comes up with a unique solution. He’ll kill the manager and apply for his job. But with so many unemployed in his industry, there’s bound to be a better candidate. So Burke places a phony ad in a trade journal, collects the resumes of the people who would apply for the job, selects the ones who would be the most competition and sets out to eliminate the six people he’s identified. Burke knows it will take a terrible toll on him, but he’s determined to get that job.
The late Donald Westlake wrote this in 1997, but his publishers really missed an opportunity during the last economic bust to reissue this book with great fanfare because it’s even more poignant now.
I’ve noted before that I’m amazed at how Westlake was always able to shift gears between his comic writing in books like his Dortmunder series and the hard boiled Parker crime novels he wrote as Richard Stark. This is another facet of his writing. The concept seems almost darkly funny at first, and this could have been played for black humor easily.
But Westlake wrote a taunt and tragic tale of an ordinary guy committing horrific crimes, and he makes the point that it’s more than just economics driving Burke. His identity is wrapped up in his job, and he has come to conclusion that he’s acting in self-defense to preserve himself and his family. I also liked how Westlake portrayed Burke going through various kinds of emotions related to his murders. Sometimes he’s overwhelmed with guilt. Sometimes he gets incredibly angry at the people in his way. Sometimes he has nothing but contempt for his victims for not being as willing as he is to do what it takes.
The whole book is pretty chilling, and Burke comes across as a character that you’ll both sympathize with and fear.
Burke Devore was a typical middle-aged guy with a steady job, a wife and two college aged kids. However, when he gets laid off, he spends two years looking for new employment and realizes that there are far too many people with more education and experience looking for similar work.
After Burke reads an article in a trade journal about a factory doing the kind of work he specialized in along with an interview of a manager there, he realizes that it’s exactly the kind of job he’s suited for. Broke and desperate, Burke comes up with a unique solution. He’ll kill the manager and apply for his job. But with so many unemployed in his industry, there’s bound to be a better candidate. So Burke places a phony ad in a trade journal, collects the resumes of the people who would apply for the job, selects the ones who would be the most competition and sets out to eliminate the six people he’s identified. Burke knows it will take a terrible toll on him, but he’s determined to get that job.
The late Donald Westlake wrote this in 1997, but his publishers really missed an opportunity during the last economic bust to reissue this book with great fanfare because it’s even more poignant now.
I’ve noted before that I’m amazed at how Westlake was always able to shift gears between his comic writing in books like his Dortmunder series and the hard boiled Parker crime novels he wrote as Richard Stark. This is another facet of his writing. The concept seems almost darkly funny at first, and this could have been played for black humor easily.
But Westlake wrote a taunt and tragic tale of an ordinary guy committing horrific crimes, and he makes the point that it’s more than just economics driving Burke. His identity is wrapped up in his job, and he has come to conclusion that he’s acting in self-defense to preserve himself and his family. I also liked how Westlake portrayed Burke going through various kinds of emotions related to his murders. Sometimes he’s overwhelmed with guilt. Sometimes he gets incredibly angry at the people in his way. Sometimes he has nothing but contempt for his victims for not being as willing as he is to do what it takes.
The whole book is pretty chilling, and Burke comes across as a character that you’ll both sympathize with and fear.
August 2, 2015
The Ax starts strong with a great plot that is irresistible and tailor-made for a modern noir tale. Burke Devore has been laid off from his job as a manager at a paper manufacturer and has been jobless for two years. In a desperate attempt to land a job, he gathers together resumes of men that could be seen as his competition, and proceeds to take the steps that would guarantee his resume would be at the top of the pile: killing his competition one by one.
The novel put you right into the mind of Burke, a man in a situation that we can all relate to in this modern job market. I could especially relate to him, being a freelance worker and having to deal with competition everyday. I was with him all the way. I related to his desperate need to take action, I felt his frustrations every time his plans met another obstacle, cheered for him every time he cleverly got his way out of trouble, and morbidly enough, I wanted to see him succeed.
"What it comes down to is, the CEOs, and the stockholders who put them there, are the enemy, but they are not the problem. They are society's problem, but they are not my personal problem.I was struck by how believable the entire situation was. This type of story could have easily succumbed to convenient plot-points and fantastical feats of ability by the protagonist. But I never felt a false note in the entire novel. Another risk is that the developments could have easily gotten repetitive. But incredibly, the book is still intensely readable and well-paced, with each murder-attempt feeling fresh and suspenseful.
These six resumés. These are my personal problem."
The novel put you right into the mind of Burke, a man in a situation that we can all relate to in this modern job market. I could especially relate to him, being a freelance worker and having to deal with competition everyday. I was with him all the way. I related to his desperate need to take action, I felt his frustrations every time his plans met another obstacle, cheered for him every time he cleverly got his way out of trouble, and morbidly enough, I wanted to see him succeed.
June 11, 2022
وقتی رفتم سراغ این کتاب هیچ انتظاری ازش نداشتم، صرفا چون هدیه بود و خیلی وقت بود که توی کتابخونم قرار داشت خوندمش. ده بیست درصد اول کند بود و عجیب، بعد داستان روی غلطک افتاد و دیگه نمیشد کتابو زمین گذاشت.
داستان در مورد مردیه که توی سالهای آخر قرن بیست از کار بیکار شده و برای به دست آوردن شغل جدید حاضره دست به هر کاری بزنه، حتی از میان برداشتن رقباش توی صنعتی که مهارت داره.
داستان در مورد یه مرد معمولیه که شروع به کشتن رقباش میکنه، و با هر قتل خودشو به هدفی که داره نزدیک‌تر میبینه.
این آدم با مشکلات مختلفی رو به رو میشه اما چون چشماش رو به آینده‌ست و هدف خاصی داره، خونسرد میمونه و راهشو ادامه میده.
من آخر کتاب رو دوست نداشتم، اما مسیر داستان و اتفاقاتش تاثیر خاصی رو خواننده میذاره.
اینکه سختی و مشکلات جامعه از یه جایی به بعد آدم رو کرخت میکنن، و فرد به هر قیمتی که شده میخواد بالای سطح آب بمونه.
داستان در مورد مردیه که توی سالهای آخر قرن بیست از کار بیکار شده و برای به دست آوردن شغل جدید حاضره دست به هر کاری بزنه، حتی از میان برداشتن رقباش توی صنعتی که مهارت داره.
داستان در مورد یه مرد معمولیه که شروع به کشتن رقباش میکنه، و با هر قتل خودشو به هدفی که داره نزدیک‌تر میبینه.
این آدم با مشکلات مختلفی رو به رو میشه اما چون چشماش رو به آینده‌ست و هدف خاصی داره، خونسرد میمونه و راهشو ادامه میده.
من آخر کتاب رو دوست نداشتم، اما مسیر داستان و اتفاقاتش تاثیر خاصی رو خواننده میذاره.
اینکه سختی و مشکلات جامعه از یه جایی به بعد آدم رو کرخت میکنن، و فرد به هر قیمتی که شده میخواد بالای سطح آب بمونه.
February 2, 2019
رمان تبر را بخوانید. روایتگر بخش بزرگی از سرنوشت مشترک ما است، مایی که همیشه ساکن این "وسط مسط ها" بوده ایم. مایی که همیشه زیر سایه شوم ناامنی شغلی با هول و هراس تعدیل نیرو و جست و جوی کار گلاویز بوده ایم. ما که به هزاران پرسش احمقانه ی مصاحبه های کاری پاسخ داده ایم و مجبور بوده ایم بابت هر لحظه خود به هر آدم بی کله و احمقی جواب پس بدهیم. برای ما که ناچارا بخش بزرگی از خودمان را با "شغل" تعریف کرده ایم و فارغ از اراجیف موفقیت و رستگاری شخصی، بدون آن احتمالا نمی توانیم حتی شلوارمان را هم بالا بکشیم، چه برسد به این که از پس اجاره خانه و درمان و هزار کوفت زهرمار دیگر بر بیاییم. تبر روایتگر هراسی است که می تواند همه ی ما را روزی به یک آدمکش بی تفاوت تبدیل کند. انگیزه قتل، این بار نه یاس فلسفی، نه ماجرای عشقی و نه یک عصیان اخلاقی است، اتفاقا همه چیز منطقی و در چارچوب اخلاق رخ می دهد؛ اخلاق سرمایه داری و منطق سود و زیان.
از خواندن تبر منتظر یک شاهکار فرمیک ادبی با توصیفات طولانی و دقیق نباشید . سیر داستان خطی است و پیچیدگی خاصی ندارد. آنچه که تبر را به اثری مورد توجه تبدیل می کند ، همین سادگی ، بی تفاوتی و منطق راوی است. همه چیز مشخص و هدف ، وسیله را توجیه می کند.
از خواندن تبر منتظر یک شاهکار فرمیک ادبی با توصیفات طولانی و دقیق نباشید . سیر داستان خطی است و پیچیدگی خاصی ندارد. آنچه که تبر را به اثری مورد توجه تبدیل می کند ، همین سادگی ، بی تفاوتی و منطق راوی است. همه چیز مشخص و هدف ، وسیله را توجیه می کند.
August 1, 2022
عالی بود! یکی از بهترین داستان‌های جنایی که نویسنده قلمشو با نمک طنز هم آغشته کرده 😍
تبر بیش از هر رمان جنایی دیگری سعی در نشان دادن زندگی‌ای دارد که مردم واقعی درگیرش هستند. برای بیشتر ما، زندگی درباره‌ی یک سرقت بزرگ یا جنایات احساسی نیست. برای شمار زیادی از ما، زندگیِ معمولی همان گلیم خود را از آب کشیدن است. شاید جنایت اصلاً وارد زندگی ما نشود، اما وست‌لیک از آن استفاده می‌کند تا سوال‌های اساسی را پیش بکشد. 《 حاضریم برای رسیدن به خواسته‌ها و نیازهایمان دست به چه کارهایی بزنیم؟ 》 《 برای عادی باقی ماندن، حاضریم پشت پا به کدام هنجارها بزنیم؟》
تبر بیش از هر رمان جنایی دیگری سعی در نشان دادن زندگی‌ای دارد که مردم واقعی درگیرش هستند. برای بیشتر ما، زندگی درباره‌ی یک سرقت بزرگ یا جنایات احساسی نیست. برای شمار زیادی از ما، زندگیِ معمولی همان گلیم خود را از آب کشیدن است. شاید جنایت اصلاً وارد زندگی ما نشود، اما وست‌لیک از آن استفاده می‌کند تا سوال‌های اساسی را پیش بکشد. 《 حاضریم برای رسیدن به خواسته‌ها و نیازهایمان دست به چه کارهایی بزنیم؟ 》 《 برای عادی باقی ماندن، حاضریم پشت پا به کدام هنجارها بزنیم؟》
March 1, 2013
1.
My dad told me a story about something he used to do. Back in the dark ages, when people didn't use the internet they relied on other means for doing things that we now do with just a few keystrokes.
For example, if you're in the construction industry today, and you are a salesman you can log on to a website and see all the projects that are being worked on, being bid on and use that website to place your own bid to do work.
Back then they had clunky big blue books that served this purpose.
I'm not sure when this story takes place. It was in the eighties, since we were living in Tenafly at the time. But my dad had various sales jobs during this time. What I'm saying is I don't know exactly what my dad was selling at the time and if I did it wouldn't matter much to you anyway because it's just concrete, some sort of concrete something or other that goes on floors.
Apparently, my dad would take out ads sometimes for fictitious future construction projects in these clunky big blue books, or in some similarly unwieldy print resource (it boggles my mind to even think that at one point I had even done research for college papers using something like the Readers Guide to Periodicals). Then he'd wait for his competition, people who sold similar products to what he sold to submit bids so that he could see what prices they were offering and then he could adjust his own price accordingly.
Apparently, a few times confused salesmen showed up at our house, thinking they were going to be doing a cold call at a business only to find a little suburban home with two cars in the drive way, a basketball hope and a shit ton of toy guns scattered all over the yard.
I never knew this until last year.
2.
This novel is like that story (but much more engaging, interesting and better written).
The novel centers around a man who a couple of years earlier had been laid off from a paper company.
Times are tough.
He's not alone in the mid-90's downsizing.
He was good at his job, but not spectacular. He is competent and would be a great addition to a company, but he has no knack for resume writing. He doesn't now how to smooze his way through interviews.
He's had no luck.
So he makes up a fake company name and places an ad in a widely read paper manufacturing trade journal for what he thinks of as the job he is ideally suited for, with his experience and all of that. And then he waits for the resumes from other unemployed hopefuls to roll in, so he can see who his real competition is.
And then kill all of the people who look better on paper, who have more experience, who he would hire instead of himself if he were looking to really fill this fictitious position.
Because he also has in mind an actual position at with a near by paper company, a position he would be perfect for if only something were to happen to the person who holds the job now.
Of course he must go, too.
3.
Reading this I kept thinking, how has this plot not been done before?
Maybe it has and I don't know about the book. It's possible since there are millions of them.
4.
The book follows our hero as he goes from being a mild mannered unemployed middle class everyman to being a serial killer.
It's pretty fun, kind of painful (in the awkwardness and sometimes gruesomeness of the situations, not in the writing) to read at times, and it does sort of drag for a bit towards the start of the second half, but it's a good mixture of the comedic aspects of Westlake's work with the darker side of his Stark persona.
This isn't necessarily the first Westlake novel I'd recommend to someone, but it's worth reading, and might appeal to people who aren't all that interested in reading his more crime oriented novels (like murder isn't a crime? (well you know what I mean, the heist sort of novels)), or who want to read something in the same vein of Thomas Berger's non-early books.
My dad told me a story about something he used to do. Back in the dark ages, when people didn't use the internet they relied on other means for doing things that we now do with just a few keystrokes.
For example, if you're in the construction industry today, and you are a salesman you can log on to a website and see all the projects that are being worked on, being bid on and use that website to place your own bid to do work.
Back then they had clunky big blue books that served this purpose.
I'm not sure when this story takes place. It was in the eighties, since we were living in Tenafly at the time. But my dad had various sales jobs during this time. What I'm saying is I don't know exactly what my dad was selling at the time and if I did it wouldn't matter much to you anyway because it's just concrete, some sort of concrete something or other that goes on floors.
Apparently, my dad would take out ads sometimes for fictitious future construction projects in these clunky big blue books, or in some similarly unwieldy print resource (it boggles my mind to even think that at one point I had even done research for college papers using something like the Readers Guide to Periodicals). Then he'd wait for his competition, people who sold similar products to what he sold to submit bids so that he could see what prices they were offering and then he could adjust his own price accordingly.
Apparently, a few times confused salesmen showed up at our house, thinking they were going to be doing a cold call at a business only to find a little suburban home with two cars in the drive way, a basketball hope and a shit ton of toy guns scattered all over the yard.
I never knew this until last year.
2.
This novel is like that story (but much more engaging, interesting and better written).
The novel centers around a man who a couple of years earlier had been laid off from a paper company.
Times are tough.
He's not alone in the mid-90's downsizing.
He was good at his job, but not spectacular. He is competent and would be a great addition to a company, but he has no knack for resume writing. He doesn't now how to smooze his way through interviews.
He's had no luck.
So he makes up a fake company name and places an ad in a widely read paper manufacturing trade journal for what he thinks of as the job he is ideally suited for, with his experience and all of that. And then he waits for the resumes from other unemployed hopefuls to roll in, so he can see who his real competition is.
And then kill all of the people who look better on paper, who have more experience, who he would hire instead of himself if he were looking to really fill this fictitious position.
Because he also has in mind an actual position at with a near by paper company, a position he would be perfect for if only something were to happen to the person who holds the job now.
Of course he must go, too.
3.
Reading this I kept thinking, how has this plot not been done before?
Maybe it has and I don't know about the book. It's possible since there are millions of them.
4.
The book follows our hero as he goes from being a mild mannered unemployed middle class everyman to being a serial killer.
It's pretty fun, kind of painful (in the awkwardness and sometimes gruesomeness of the situations, not in the writing) to read at times, and it does sort of drag for a bit towards the start of the second half, but it's a good mixture of the comedic aspects of Westlake's work with the darker side of his Stark persona.
This isn't necessarily the first Westlake novel I'd recommend to someone, but it's worth reading, and might appeal to people who aren't all that interested in reading his more crime oriented novels (like murder isn't a crime? (well you know what I mean, the heist sort of novels)), or who want to read something in the same vein of Thomas Berger's non-early books.
December 15, 2024
نمی دانم تا به حال شده اعمال و رفتار کسی یا شخصیتی با علم به اینکه این رفتارها و اعمال شنیع و بد است را نکوهش نکنید و بالعکس، بعضا بستایید؟؟ برک دوِر برای من چنین شخصیتی بود. هرچقد سعی کردم از او متنفر باشم نتوانستم. همانگونه که نویسنده هم خواستار بیان آن شد، خودِ شخص در این مسیر سوق داده می شود، او برای رسیدن به هدفش و آسایش همسر و فرزندان اجبار می شود تا در این راه قدم بگذارد.
چیزی که خواننده را دچار شک و تردید نسبت به ذات برک دووِر می کند، خونسردی و نبود هیچ گونه عذاب وجدان و رحم و مروت هنگام قتل هایش است. حتما می دانید که در قتل ها، کسانی که به صورت یا اجزای صورت مقتول شلیک یا آن را مورد اصابت قرار می دهند از بیرحم ترین قاتلین هستند. کاری که دووِر در کمال خونسردی و گاها با اتفاقاتی طنز این اعمال را مرتکب می شود.
دووِر رفته رفته حرفه ای تر می شود، همه چیز را می سنجد و اتفاقات همگی به نفع او در حال روی دادن است.
در جایی از کتاب وست لیک می گوید زندگی برای قشر متوسط به مراتب سخت تر از قشر مرفه و قشر مفلوک و تهیدست است، جامعه متوسط نه با زندگی دارای رفاه خو گرفته و نه با نداری و بی چیزی، سوق او به هر کدام از این جوامع تاثیرات سوء ی در پی خواهد داشت. دووِر از همین جامعه متوسط است. او حال در پی تعدیل نیروی شرکت ها پس از بیست سال و با گذشت بیش از پنجاه سال از عمرش بیکار شده، پس اندازش رو به اتمام است، بیمه درمانش قطع شده و حال این بیکاری مشکلات عدیده ای را چه در درون و چه در بیرون به او و خوانواده اش وارد می آورد.
چاره چیست؟ به هرجا که رجوع می کند و رزومه ارائه می دهد رد می شود. دووِر مشکل را مدیران و حاکمان و سیاست های اشتباه اقتصادی نمی داند، به زعم او این دیگر انسانهایی که شرایط پذیرش و عملکردی بهتر از او را دراند مقصر می داند و حال سعی در حذف آنان می کند.
این طبیعت آدمی است که خیزشی برای تغییرات عمده و انقلابی بر ندارد و سعی در محو کردن صورت مسئله دارد. و اینکه انسان برای رسیدن به خواسته اش تا کجا پیش می رود؟ تا کشتن مردی پنجاه ساله دارای هسر و فرزند و بیکار و مفلوک به مانند خود، تفاوت او با ما ور چیست؟ مگر شرایط او هم مانند دووِر نیست؟ پس چرا آنان دست به جنایت و حذف رقبایشان نزدند؟
آیا هدف وسیله را توجیه می کند؟
کتاب بسیار پرکشش است هرچند که تعلیق خیلی در آن نقشی ندارد ولی نویسنده با چیره دستی توانسته مدام اضطراب را در بطن خواننده روشن نگه دارد. و چه پایانبندی خوبی، به دور از درس اخلاق و شعار زدگی. بخوانیدش و لذت وافر را ببرید.
February 2, 2018
This is a really good story revolving a downsized middle manager in corporate America faced with the possibility of losing everything. What's to do? Keep sending our resumes month after month? Or, maybe he could take control of situation.
My first Donald E. Westlake novel. I have already checked out another title from this author.
My first Donald E. Westlake novel. I have already checked out another title from this author.
January 7, 2013
About 20% of the way through this one, I wasn't sure it was going to be so great. It's written in the 1st person, and with a fun concept: a 51 year old man who has been unemployed for 2 years decides to start killing off the competition for a job he wants.
The reason I was losing my enthusiasm early on was that it seemed the novel was becoming redundant. Well, that changed about a third of the way in. I got hooked big time.
Like the human train wrecks of A Simple Plan and The Big Picture, we ride alongside our anti-hero as he plots his path of murder. This is not a sympathetic character. He is a psychopath. Although he feels entirely justified, this does not wash with the reader (one would hope). His actions and thoughts expose an amoral sociopath, and as a reader, you keep going because you just have to see how this is going to turn out.
This is the first novel I've read by Westlake, and I happily have the first Parker novel on my to-read list (by his alter ego Richard Stark).
The Ax was a fast, compulsive read, and exactly what I needed at the time. 5 stars for sheer entertainment.
The reason I was losing my enthusiasm early on was that it seemed the novel was becoming redundant. Well, that changed about a third of the way in. I got hooked big time.
Like the human train wrecks of A Simple Plan and The Big Picture, we ride alongside our anti-hero as he plots his path of murder. This is not a sympathetic character. He is a psychopath. Although he feels entirely justified, this does not wash with the reader (one would hope). His actions and thoughts expose an amoral sociopath, and as a reader, you keep going because you just have to see how this is going to turn out.
This is the first novel I've read by Westlake, and I happily have the first Parker novel on my to-read list (by his alter ego Richard Stark).
The Ax was a fast, compulsive read, and exactly what I needed at the time. 5 stars for sheer entertainment.
December 2, 2020
When an individual's behaviors are at odds with his/her beliefs, the result is what we call, cognitive dissonance. The greater the disparity between those two elements, the greater the dissonance, which can quickly reach an intolerable level. When that happens, something's got to give-- either the person will alter their behavior in order to bring it back into line with the beliefs & values he/she possesses, or those same thoughts must change to fit the aberrant behavior. When we "justify" our actions to ourselves or others, we're exhibiting such dissonance.
When Donald Westlake puts pen to paper, or typewriter as the case may be, something wonderful often results. The Ax is no exception, and is a terrific study of the aforementioned psychological phenomenon. A man is laid off from his job as a production line manager due to a merger and downsizing. Despite a fair severance package, he harbors anger and resentment as he struggles to find suitable employment. Two years of unemployment and growing discouragement lead to desperation and, ultimately, to behavior that would have been unthinkable twenty-four months earlier.
The plot moves along in a linear and compelling fashion as the narrator quickly begins to adjust his thinking to fit the increasingly heinous nature of his actions. He justifies it all to himself as the need to provide for his family, to reclaim what is obviously rightfully his, and naturally, that he'll stop just as soon as he lands the job that he will undoubtedly be offered (since he's eliminated the competition). He grows more accomplished with each successive move, yet Westlake makes it feel like the whole thing will come crashing down and he'll be caught anytime now.
The clever manner in which the author explores the deep-seated psychological needs and the lengths to which the protagonist is willing to go in order to achieve those needs is what makes this book so engrossing. It's not just a matter of someone telling themselves that the end justifies the means, but rather, the way in which Westlake exposes that very human quality of needing to do something, anything, to bridge the gap of dissonance between our beliefs and values, and what we actually do. And to top it off, the ending isn't what you'd expect at all. I found it a great twist, and was glad that I'd read yet another of this author's novels. Delicious.
When Donald Westlake puts pen to paper, or typewriter as the case may be, something wonderful often results. The Ax is no exception, and is a terrific study of the aforementioned psychological phenomenon. A man is laid off from his job as a production line manager due to a merger and downsizing. Despite a fair severance package, he harbors anger and resentment as he struggles to find suitable employment. Two years of unemployment and growing discouragement lead to desperation and, ultimately, to behavior that would have been unthinkable twenty-four months earlier.
The plot moves along in a linear and compelling fashion as the narrator quickly begins to adjust his thinking to fit the increasingly heinous nature of his actions. He justifies it all to himself as the need to provide for his family, to reclaim what is obviously rightfully his, and naturally, that he'll stop just as soon as he lands the job that he will undoubtedly be offered (since he's eliminated the competition). He grows more accomplished with each successive move, yet Westlake makes it feel like the whole thing will come crashing down and he'll be caught anytime now.
The clever manner in which the author explores the deep-seated psychological needs and the lengths to which the protagonist is willing to go in order to achieve those needs is what makes this book so engrossing. It's not just a matter of someone telling themselves that the end justifies the means, but rather, the way in which Westlake exposes that very human quality of needing to do something, anything, to bridge the gap of dissonance between our beliefs and values, and what we actually do. And to top it off, the ending isn't what you'd expect at all. I found it a great twist, and was glad that I'd read yet another of this author's novels. Delicious.
September 22, 2020
رمان در باب جمله معروف آیا هدف وسیله رو توجیح میکنه ، میباشد هم چنین نقدی هست بر جامعه صنعتی و سرمایه داری که فقط جز پول به چیز دیگری اهمیت نمی دهد .
تنها اشکال رمان اینه که روابط خوب در نیومده بود.
تنها اشکال رمان اینه که روابط خوب در نیومده بود.
November 11, 2012
This book is about a dark time in American history. A large financial bubble had burst, corporations were laying off people in droves in a valiant effort to protect the lavish lifestyles of corporate leaders, jobs were hard to come by for the recently displaced and, as unemployment benefits started to run out, these displaced workers felt increasing, massive pressure to find a new job soon, or risk losing everything they have worked for their whole lives. So nothing like today *cough.
Anyway, it is in these difficult times that our "hero" Burke Devore finds himself at the end of his string and without prospects. He finds a job he would be perfect for, the only problem being the guy who currently holds that job. Devore decides to do the only thing that makes any sense. He decides to kill him. To ensure he gets the job, he decides to also kill other recently displaced workers who would be rivals for this job. Hijinks ensue.
This is a very good Westlake book. Not nearly as funny as much of his fiction and much darker. there are still some funny parts but the overall theme is very much of despair and hopelessness. Devore's transformation from his first, bumbling, efforts is fascinating to read and very well done. Somehow Devore remains an appealing and sympathetic figure despite his horrific acts. He is a well drawn character and frighteningly believable.
I would very much recommend this book in general. Westlake fans who have not read it yet should do so next.
Anyway, it is in these difficult times that our "hero" Burke Devore finds himself at the end of his string and without prospects. He finds a job he would be perfect for, the only problem being the guy who currently holds that job. Devore decides to do the only thing that makes any sense. He decides to kill him. To ensure he gets the job, he decides to also kill other recently displaced workers who would be rivals for this job. Hijinks ensue.
This is a very good Westlake book. Not nearly as funny as much of his fiction and much darker. there are still some funny parts but the overall theme is very much of despair and hopelessness. Devore's transformation from his first, bumbling, efforts is fascinating to read and very well done. Somehow Devore remains an appealing and sympathetic figure despite his horrific acts. He is a well drawn character and frighteningly believable.
I would very much recommend this book in general. Westlake fans who have not read it yet should do so next.
December 17, 2022
اگر پلیسی‌خوان هستید و ترجمه‌ی فارسیِ خوش‌خوان هم برایتان مهم است کتاب را از دست ندهید. شاید در هشتاد صفحه‌ی اول هم داستان و هم بعضی ظرائف نسخه‌پردازی و ترجمه به چشم بیاید / نیاید ولی حوصله کنید و از داستانی کم‌نظیرو ترجمه‌ای امیدوارکننده لذت ببرید. به اعتبار همین یک کتاب محمد حیاتی مترجم بهتری از بعضی مترجمان مشهور نسل قلبتر است. اگر بخواهیم حق را به جا بیاوریم باید بگویم که توجه من یکی را یادداشت / معرفیِ جناب آقای دکتر معصومی همدانی به این کتاب جلب کرد و همو هم اشاره کرد که ترجمه خوب است. از آرزوهای بنده یکی همین است که آقای دکتر معصومی معرفی و مرور و نقد بیشتر بنویسند. تقریباً هرچه از ایشان به خاطر دارم درجه یک است. مترجم و نویسنده ببخشند که ریویوِ این کتاب در ستایش معرفی‌نویس شد :) راستش حیفم می‌آید چیزی بنویسم که از بدعت داستان بکاهد. رمان دیگراین نویسنده را هم می‌توانید بخوانید ولی به این خوبی ترجمه نشده داستان هم اینقدر بدیع نیست.
August 10, 2016
Bill MacDonald's review piqued my interest in this book. I was not even aware of Donald E. Westlake's works a few days back, so I thought this would be a good chance to change that.
And tell you what, I am already a fan!
The plot of this book is simple enough. A man in his early fifties gets laid off from his job and remains jobless for a couple of years due to severe competition. What to do? Remove the competition. Permanently, of course!
There was not even a single dull moment in the entire book and to top it all off, the ending was even more brilliant.
To cut a long story short, this is one of the most brilliantly horrific yet enjoyable books I have ever read in the crime genre.
And tell you what, I am already a fan!
The plot of this book is simple enough. A man in his early fifties gets laid off from his job and remains jobless for a couple of years due to severe competition. What to do? Remove the competition. Permanently, of course!
There was not even a single dull moment in the entire book and to top it all off, the ending was even more brilliant.
To cut a long story short, this is one of the most brilliantly horrific yet enjoyable books I have ever read in the crime genre.
July 18, 2015
Westlake just kills me!
I started reading this and was a little disappointed that it wasn't as fast-paced as other novels I've read by Donald E. Westlake.
Then around about page 27 it becomes a pretty gripping tale of a guy who is laid off from a nice, comfortable job he's had in management at a paper company for 25 years.
What would you do if you were fired from a position you'd held for 25 years?
Why you'd become a maniac!
Or at least that's exactly what Westlake's protagonist, Burke Devore, does.
And he becomes a remorseless maniac at that.
Recommended.
December 31, 2021
Loved this book. Now one of my all-time favorites. A brilliant noir that also includes in-character commentary on the layoff economy, which gives it a scope beyond the usual crime novel. Burke Devore has been out of work for two years after being laid off from his management job at a paper mill following a merger. As the novel begins he has decided to start taking out the competition - other men just like himself who are slightly more qualified than him for the jobs he is seeking. Seven men to kill and then the field is clear of competition for the job he wants. The first-person narrative got me right inside Burke Devore and as extreme as his actions were I found myself identifying with and rooting for him. Remove the social veneer and it's a survival of the fittest world. Westlake did a great job tapping into that. The seven killings creates a great plot driver and each of the killings comes with complications and that keeps the story fresh all the way to the surprising ending.
May 19, 2021
Westlake could have played the murder scenes for uncomfortable chuckles, but he didn't. I expected a black comedy because (1) the book has a playful title, (2) the main character was a middle-aged greenhorn assassin, and (3) it was written by a comic author. But I think Westlake was actually making a serious (and somewhat trite) statement about the horrors of corporate downsizing. Thankfully, the final atrocity and gutsy ending cured my peevishness.
January 12, 2014
The Ax? Well, forget about the one with the handle which you chop wood with.
Get this book. Read it. How, oh how, did Westlake come up with his idea for one of the best books I've read in six months?
:0
Get this book. Read it. How, oh how, did Westlake come up with his idea for one of the best books I've read in six months?
:0
April 5, 2025
چرا من این کتاب رو خوندم و اصلا چطور با این کتاب آشنا شدم؟
متوجه شدم بازیگر لی بیونگ هون داره یک فیلم جدید بازی میکنه، به اسم
no other choice
،که توش با دوتا بازیگر درجه یک دیگه مثل پارک هی سون و یو یون سوک همبازیه
تا به اینجا کست بی نظیره
و کارگردانش هم دوتا فیلم خطرناکه داره توی کارنامه اش
با خودم گفتم چه فیلمی اینارو دور هم جمع کرده
سرچی که زدم دیدم بر اساس این کتابه و توی ایران هم ترجمه شده
پس سریع کتابشو گرفتم و امروز خوندنش تمام شد
داستان راجع به تعدیل نیرو یک شرکت کاغذ سازی هست
وقتی یک شرکت کاغذ سازی ادغام میشه و خیلی از کارمنداشو اخراج میکنه، دوور که شغل مورد علاقه شو پیدا کرده به طریقی می فهمه باید با هفت نفر برای این کار رقابت کنه پس شروع میکنه دونه دونه به حذف اون هفت نفر
واقعا خوب بود
خیلی جاها یاد آثار پیتر سوانسون میفتادم، الان که چک کردم دیدم اون هم این کتاب رو خونده، بعید نیست از این کتاب ایده گرفته باشه
کره ای ها با چنین کستی از همچین کتاب خوبی عجب فیلمی بسازن
منتظرم
✌
متوجه شدم بازیگر لی بیونگ هون داره یک فیلم جدید بازی میکنه، به اسم
no other choice
،که توش با دوتا بازیگر درجه یک دیگه مثل پارک هی سون و یو یون سوک همبازیه
تا به اینجا کست بی نظیره
و کارگردانش هم دوتا فیلم خطرناکه داره توی کارنامه اش
با خودم گفتم چه فیلمی اینارو دور هم جمع کرده
سرچی که زدم دیدم بر اساس این کتابه و توی ایران هم ترجمه شده
پس سریع کتابشو گرفتم و امروز خوندنش تمام شد
داستان راجع به تعدیل نیرو یک شرکت کاغذ سازی هست
وقتی یک شرکت کاغذ سازی ادغام میشه و خیلی از کارمنداشو اخراج میکنه، دوور که شغل مورد علاقه شو پیدا کرده به طریقی می فهمه باید با هفت نفر برای این کار رقابت کنه پس شروع میکنه دونه دونه به حذف اون هفت نفر
واقعا خوب بود
خیلی جاها یاد آثار پیتر سوانسون میفتادم، الان که چک کردم دیدم اون هم این کتاب رو خونده، بعید نیست از این کتاب ایده گرفته باشه
کره ای ها با چنین کستی از همچین کتاب خوبی عجب فیلمی بسازن
منتظرم
✌
September 15, 2015
A very entertaining book. To adequately describe it, I'd have to put in some plot spoilers and I don't want to do that. Suffice to say I found it a fascinating look at what downsizing might, under certain circumstances, do. Perfect ending as well. Gave me a big grin. Highly recommended.
February 5, 2016
Summary Statement: With underwritten characters that go nowhere and a predictable storyline that doesn't go any further, Donald E. Westlake's crime thriller fails to captivate readers despite its intriguing premise.
"The Ax" by Donald E. Westlake is about a man named Burke Devore who recently worked in an executive position at a paper mill until he was let go due to budget cuts, and without a job he is worried his family (he, his wife, son and daughter) is going to go under. Desperately needing to find a job he decides to go on a murder spree and assassinate a number of workers who could potentially take a job at the same paper mill once the company starts to hire again.
The aspect of this book that bothers me the most is the fact that the above synopsis describes the entire outcome of the book. You discover as you're reading this book that it's constantly the same thing happening over and over again, just in different ways. Burke is going over a resume that was filled out by a potential worker, he sneaks away during the day while his wife and kids are away, and finds a way to kill that man and get away. The locations and situations are slightly different, but the story quite literally, in the truest sense of the word, is a repetition.
Someone could argue that the killing scenes are suspenseful at first, but the problem is that because it's so repetitive, scenes that would normally be suspenseful and full of intrigue start to not have the same effect because you know in your mind what's going to happen. Once you read through the first few murders you start to recognize a pattern, and then the story becomes incredibly boring. The same thing happens over and over again. As I read the book I found myself asking "is something different going to happen? Surely at some point something isn't going to go according to plan." Sure enough, with the exception of one murder very early on in the book, everything goes according to plan. This book gives you exactly what you're expecting, which should be the polar opposite objective of any writer trying to write a thriller, or even just an entertaining story.
This book is honestly so predictable I'm not even concerned with spoiling anything. If you've been reading this review up until this point or have looked at a summary of the book, you know how it turns out. I suppose you might not know whether or not Burke gets away with his crimes at the end, so for your sake I'll keep that a mystery.
I'm done talking about the plot. Lets get into the characters.
To me the lead character of Burke Devore showed promise at the beginning of the story. I got a lot of insight about his situation, his perception of working class versus the upper class, and I could see him feel the pressure of this task he was setting up for himself. Over the course of the book that character disappeared completely to me. It was like Westlake started this book knowing that he needed to make this character identifiable in some way so that we the reader could understand the terrible things he was going to do throughout the book, but then decided that was all he needed and didn't bother developing him for the rest of the book. I never felt like I understood how this murder spree was affecting his psyche, if he was feeling guilty about what he was doing, if he was starting to like what he was doing and becoming some violent sociopath, if he was ever concerned his family would find out about him and what the consequences would be.
I have a very faint memory of this book, but I don't remember him ever asking these questions to himself or dealing with ethics later in the book. Even if there are quotes like that in the book, the fact that I don't remember them proves for itself that it wasn't compelling. I guess I could summarize this complaint by saying I never felt the "weight" or the "pressure" of Burke's transition, and once he was established in the first few chapters, nothing really happened with him. He just becomes a catalyst for things to happen in the story.
Part of me wonders if Burke's lack of development in the later chapters of the story was done intentionally by the author, as a way of illustrating that this character is becoming more comfortable with the idea of killing so he's thinking to himself less. That might be true, but still that's a pretty lazy way to write a transition, by not writing anything.
I know I said I was done talking about the plot, but there's another problem I have with the story that ties into Burke's character. One of my complaints is there are a lot of conveniences in the story. I'm going to spoil something but it only applies to an event that happens in the first few chapters. Early on, when that one murder I mentioned goes wrong, the police suspect that somebody other than Burke is responsible for these shootings. That wrong suspect, conveniently, commits suicide. The authorities, conveniently, decide he killed himself because he knew he was going to be found guilty, and therefore Burke is saved.
Normally I would forgive this. Burke is still learning how to pull off these killings and it would be ludicrous to think he'd be a master assassin in just a few days, but later on in the book there's a section where Burke is being questioned by a detective. I don't remember exactly what they said to each other and I don't feel like flipping through the book to find the right page, but I remember reading a line in the book where the detective commented to Burke how strange it was that all the people who died were people who could potentially take his job at the mill, but the detective never does anything about it. Also, I won't spoil what happens at the end, but there's another character who dies, that Burke had nothing to do with, and it works out in Burke's favor. All these things just highlight that Burke is a sloppy killer. Not only is the story predictable, but the lead character is incompetent. It would've been interesting if a part of the book was dedicated to Burke finding a way to make himself seem less suspicious. He could plant evidence that pointed the finger to someone else and frame someone he didn't like, or someone we the reader liked less than Burke, and we could watch Burke become a better, more interesting killer who was masterminding all these crimes. No, he doesn't. He recklessly kills these people and gets away with it due to factors he's not responsible for, thus dissolving all of the tension.
This book also tries to trick the reader into thinking the story is building to something when it really isn't. Burke tells us that he needs to kill this one man who is currently a higher-up at the mill, but he needs to kill these six or seven other people first so that when that executive dies he's the only one who could be hired back to replace him. So Burke tells the reader that this executive (whose name I've forgotten) is the last person he can kill. This is a blatant attempt to trick the reader into thinking there's some element of suspense because it's building up to something, when really all Burke's doing is planning the order of his assassinations in the most convenient way possible. He could've just as easily said through narration "I need to kill these seven people" and it would've been just as suspenseful because we're still aware that the end is in sight.
I should mention there are subplots in this book regarding Burke's family, which in theory I would like considering how predictable the main story is, but in execution it makes the book even worse. The idea with a subplot is that although it isn't directly related to the end goal, it has to service the main story or the main character in some way. This book has two subplots: Burke's relationship with his wife and the marriage counseling they go through, and when he realizes his son has been stealing and gets in trouble with the police. Neither of these two subplots go anywhere! Nothing changes about Burke while he goes through these counseling sessions or when his son gets in trouble. They don't add anything to the conclusion of the story, and the other characters involved are also very underwritten. These subplots in all honestly were just wasting time. It was like the author drafted the book and thought it was too predictable and straightforward and thought the solution was to add more to make it seem less predictable. Technically, he succeeded, but at the cost of forcing the reader to go through these scenes where nothing happens and nothing pays off at the end.
I've been pretty hard on this book, but now that I'm getting to the end of the review I should probably say something good about it just to prove myself as a trustworthy critic. I will say I was impressed with the opening of the book. I'm the type of reader who is always really impressed with writers who find clever ways to begin their stories and can do setup well. I won't spoil the opening, but it does this technique I like where the first chapter shows the character doing something odd or unconventional, and then in the next few chapters going into detail about explaining what he/she just did and why he/she is thinking, and we the reader can piece certain things together.
As much as I like the opening it's not enough to bring this book up any higher than a one star rating. It's a predictable story with an underwritten, underdeveloped lead character who isn't even good enough at what he's doing to offset his unlikable nature to the point where we can be impressed with him. It's a murder suspense thriller that tells you exactly what's going to happen, and conditions you to expect these things it says will happen! Reading this book is like a constant game of peek-a-boo, only instead of giggling in your stroller, you're let down by the fact that what you were hoping for wasn't what you got.
This book gets a 1 star rating. I don't read many books of this genre but I can confidently say there are other novels likes this that are thrillers that touch on the subject of class and economics but do so in much more detail than this book. It's genuinely not worth your time.
Thanks for reading!
"The Ax" by Donald E. Westlake is about a man named Burke Devore who recently worked in an executive position at a paper mill until he was let go due to budget cuts, and without a job he is worried his family (he, his wife, son and daughter) is going to go under. Desperately needing to find a job he decides to go on a murder spree and assassinate a number of workers who could potentially take a job at the same paper mill once the company starts to hire again.
The aspect of this book that bothers me the most is the fact that the above synopsis describes the entire outcome of the book. You discover as you're reading this book that it's constantly the same thing happening over and over again, just in different ways. Burke is going over a resume that was filled out by a potential worker, he sneaks away during the day while his wife and kids are away, and finds a way to kill that man and get away. The locations and situations are slightly different, but the story quite literally, in the truest sense of the word, is a repetition.
Someone could argue that the killing scenes are suspenseful at first, but the problem is that because it's so repetitive, scenes that would normally be suspenseful and full of intrigue start to not have the same effect because you know in your mind what's going to happen. Once you read through the first few murders you start to recognize a pattern, and then the story becomes incredibly boring. The same thing happens over and over again. As I read the book I found myself asking "is something different going to happen? Surely at some point something isn't going to go according to plan." Sure enough, with the exception of one murder very early on in the book, everything goes according to plan. This book gives you exactly what you're expecting, which should be the polar opposite objective of any writer trying to write a thriller, or even just an entertaining story.
This book is honestly so predictable I'm not even concerned with spoiling anything. If you've been reading this review up until this point or have looked at a summary of the book, you know how it turns out. I suppose you might not know whether or not Burke gets away with his crimes at the end, so for your sake I'll keep that a mystery.
I'm done talking about the plot. Lets get into the characters.
To me the lead character of Burke Devore showed promise at the beginning of the story. I got a lot of insight about his situation, his perception of working class versus the upper class, and I could see him feel the pressure of this task he was setting up for himself. Over the course of the book that character disappeared completely to me. It was like Westlake started this book knowing that he needed to make this character identifiable in some way so that we the reader could understand the terrible things he was going to do throughout the book, but then decided that was all he needed and didn't bother developing him for the rest of the book. I never felt like I understood how this murder spree was affecting his psyche, if he was feeling guilty about what he was doing, if he was starting to like what he was doing and becoming some violent sociopath, if he was ever concerned his family would find out about him and what the consequences would be.
I have a very faint memory of this book, but I don't remember him ever asking these questions to himself or dealing with ethics later in the book. Even if there are quotes like that in the book, the fact that I don't remember them proves for itself that it wasn't compelling. I guess I could summarize this complaint by saying I never felt the "weight" or the "pressure" of Burke's transition, and once he was established in the first few chapters, nothing really happened with him. He just becomes a catalyst for things to happen in the story.
Part of me wonders if Burke's lack of development in the later chapters of the story was done intentionally by the author, as a way of illustrating that this character is becoming more comfortable with the idea of killing so he's thinking to himself less. That might be true, but still that's a pretty lazy way to write a transition, by not writing anything.
I know I said I was done talking about the plot, but there's another problem I have with the story that ties into Burke's character. One of my complaints is there are a lot of conveniences in the story. I'm going to spoil something but it only applies to an event that happens in the first few chapters. Early on, when that one murder I mentioned goes wrong, the police suspect that somebody other than Burke is responsible for these shootings. That wrong suspect, conveniently, commits suicide. The authorities, conveniently, decide he killed himself because he knew he was going to be found guilty, and therefore Burke is saved.
Normally I would forgive this. Burke is still learning how to pull off these killings and it would be ludicrous to think he'd be a master assassin in just a few days, but later on in the book there's a section where Burke is being questioned by a detective. I don't remember exactly what they said to each other and I don't feel like flipping through the book to find the right page, but I remember reading a line in the book where the detective commented to Burke how strange it was that all the people who died were people who could potentially take his job at the mill, but the detective never does anything about it. Also, I won't spoil what happens at the end, but there's another character who dies, that Burke had nothing to do with, and it works out in Burke's favor. All these things just highlight that Burke is a sloppy killer. Not only is the story predictable, but the lead character is incompetent. It would've been interesting if a part of the book was dedicated to Burke finding a way to make himself seem less suspicious. He could plant evidence that pointed the finger to someone else and frame someone he didn't like, or someone we the reader liked less than Burke, and we could watch Burke become a better, more interesting killer who was masterminding all these crimes. No, he doesn't. He recklessly kills these people and gets away with it due to factors he's not responsible for, thus dissolving all of the tension.
This book also tries to trick the reader into thinking the story is building to something when it really isn't. Burke tells us that he needs to kill this one man who is currently a higher-up at the mill, but he needs to kill these six or seven other people first so that when that executive dies he's the only one who could be hired back to replace him. So Burke tells the reader that this executive (whose name I've forgotten) is the last person he can kill. This is a blatant attempt to trick the reader into thinking there's some element of suspense because it's building up to something, when really all Burke's doing is planning the order of his assassinations in the most convenient way possible. He could've just as easily said through narration "I need to kill these seven people" and it would've been just as suspenseful because we're still aware that the end is in sight.
I should mention there are subplots in this book regarding Burke's family, which in theory I would like considering how predictable the main story is, but in execution it makes the book even worse. The idea with a subplot is that although it isn't directly related to the end goal, it has to service the main story or the main character in some way. This book has two subplots: Burke's relationship with his wife and the marriage counseling they go through, and when he realizes his son has been stealing and gets in trouble with the police. Neither of these two subplots go anywhere! Nothing changes about Burke while he goes through these counseling sessions or when his son gets in trouble. They don't add anything to the conclusion of the story, and the other characters involved are also very underwritten. These subplots in all honestly were just wasting time. It was like the author drafted the book and thought it was too predictable and straightforward and thought the solution was to add more to make it seem less predictable. Technically, he succeeded, but at the cost of forcing the reader to go through these scenes where nothing happens and nothing pays off at the end.
I've been pretty hard on this book, but now that I'm getting to the end of the review I should probably say something good about it just to prove myself as a trustworthy critic. I will say I was impressed with the opening of the book. I'm the type of reader who is always really impressed with writers who find clever ways to begin their stories and can do setup well. I won't spoil the opening, but it does this technique I like where the first chapter shows the character doing something odd or unconventional, and then in the next few chapters going into detail about explaining what he/she just did and why he/she is thinking, and we the reader can piece certain things together.
As much as I like the opening it's not enough to bring this book up any higher than a one star rating. It's a predictable story with an underwritten, underdeveloped lead character who isn't even good enough at what he's doing to offset his unlikable nature to the point where we can be impressed with him. It's a murder suspense thriller that tells you exactly what's going to happen, and conditions you to expect these things it says will happen! Reading this book is like a constant game of peek-a-boo, only instead of giggling in your stroller, you're let down by the fact that what you were hoping for wasn't what you got.
This book gets a 1 star rating. I don't read many books of this genre but I can confidently say there are other novels likes this that are thrillers that touch on the subject of class and economics but do so in much more detail than this book. It's genuinely not worth your time.
Thanks for reading!
September 10, 2017
The conceit: a middle manager is laid off from his job, and is increasingly desperate to get another. He hits upon the idea of simply murdering competition for one good position.
On the one hand The Ax is a clever crime novel. Westlake builds tension expertly, making each incident plausible yet filled with ways to go wrong... which means he also leads you into cheering on our homicidal hero. Burke is also plausible in his crime spree, an innocent man who turns to crime with a certain ironclad logic.
On the other, The Ax is a political novel about the modern economy. This isn't me interpreting it. The book is very explicit - at least from our narrator's point of view - that things have changed from mid-century to the 1990s, that society has shifted from a sense of connected labor to an atomized, competitive arena. Burke learns through the course of the story that he cannot trust formerly trustworthy entities: not the police, nor the courts, not coworkers, certainly not employers. He ends up as a master criminal, nearly paranoid, deeply canny, ready to do anything to succeed.
The Ax is, in short, one of the best works of popular fiction about neoliberalism.
On the one hand The Ax is a clever crime novel. Westlake builds tension expertly, making each incident plausible yet filled with ways to go wrong... which means he also leads you into cheering on our homicidal hero. Burke is also plausible in his crime spree, an innocent man who turns to crime with a certain ironclad logic.
On the other, The Ax is a political novel about the modern economy. This isn't me interpreting it. The book is very explicit - at least from our narrator's point of view - that things have changed from mid-century to the 1990s, that society has shifted from a sense of connected labor to an atomized, competitive arena. Burke learns through the course of the story that he cannot trust formerly trustworthy entities: not the police, nor the courts, not coworkers, certainly not employers. He ends up as a master criminal, nearly paranoid, deeply canny, ready to do anything to succeed.
“Even Upton “Ralph” Fallon was not my enemy, I knew that. The enemy is the corporate bosses. The enemy is the stockholders.
These are all publicly held corporations, and it is the stockholders’ drive for return on investment that pushes every one of them. Not the product, not the expertise, certainly not the reputation of the company. The stockholders care about nothing but return on investment, and that leads to their supporting executives who are formed in their image, men (and women, too, lately) who run companies they care nothing about, lead work forces whose human reality never enters their minds, make decisions not on the basis of what’s good for the company or the staff or the product or (hah!) the customer, or even the greater good of the society, but only on the basis of stockholders’ return on investment.”
The Ax is, in short, one of the best works of popular fiction about neoliberalism.
September 29, 2010
Ha ha ha..this book was hilarious, not in the roll on the floor laughing way but kept a sly smile on my face by the sheer absurdity of the whole book..This book made me actually cheer and root for a serial killer, a crazy man who kills people and then goes home for dinner like nothing..This book is deranged and psychotic but oh so enjoyable I think there may be something wrong with me for liking it so much, this author is absolutely brillant and the only reason I didnt give it five stars is because its kinda short, but 273 pages of entertainment. The premise of the book could happen just as easy today as it was in the book's time of 1998 as its about economic downsizing and how losing one's job can make you lose your mind. Our protaganist Burke is a regular guy, middle management in a paper factory when he is laid off and then cant find a job for two years. Struggling to support his family and yearning to be back at work he pulls a desperate act..secretly sets up a P.O. box advertising the type of work he used to do then when the applicants come in he kills off the most qualified so that when his perfect job comes available (he plans to also kill the man who currently has that job LOL) he is the only one qualified. If it didnt involve murder it would be a brillant plan..Now does he really kill them, how and is he caught are all the things you have to read and find out and I definitely recommend it for a night of smiles and giggles with this lovable lunatic...
January 20, 2013
To quote Louise Penny: "There is a killer in every village. In every home. In every heart. All anyone needs is the right reason". Burke Devore has reason - he has been down-sized from the paper company where he worked as a line manager. That was two years ago. Now he has his heart set on eliminating the competition. He puts a fake ad in the papers, receives lots of cv's, sorts them according to how "dangerous" they are and begins to cross them off. He wasn't a cold-blooded killer to start with, so he has some initial struggles. Some parts of this story is quite funny, or maybe I just have a morbid sort of humour.
Burke is not a particularly sympathetic character, but I could empathize with his situation anyway. It must be horrible to be unemployed - it's been one of my big fears personally, although I've not experienced it after I was done with school. I don't think a couple of days count in that respect. A man's got to do what a man's got to do. So how long can Burke go on without getting caught and will he reach his goal of employment in exactly the same type of job he did before?
Burke is not a particularly sympathetic character, but I could empathize with his situation anyway. It must be horrible to be unemployed - it's been one of my big fears personally, although I've not experienced it after I was done with school. I don't think a couple of days count in that respect. A man's got to do what a man's got to do. So how long can Burke go on without getting caught and will he reach his goal of employment in exactly the same type of job he did before?
January 3, 2011
Donald E. Westlake updates the Gold Medal-Everyman formula for 1997. Not much has changed for honest, hardworking guys since the Frustrating Fifties: They still chase the American Dream like dogs chasing cars, and, when they can't stand the frustration any longer, they cross over to the noir side. Westlake's Everyman antihero is Burke Devore, a middle-manger in the paper industry who has been downsized out of his birthright to the middle class. Though Westlake's narrative is flabbier than your typical Gold Medal PBO, his plot begins more quickly. While Gold Medal antiheroes typically cross into lawlessness by degrees, Burke Devore is fully noir on page one. This is a risky narrative choice: Before readers have a chance to feel sympathy for Burke, they must face the extremity of his behavior.
August 22, 2021
Engaging and thought-provoking thriller, my favorite so far by Westlake. Not ha-ha funny, like many of his novels, but funny in a sardonic way that manages to be both savagely satirical and human. Westlake manages to make the outlandish notion of a desperate, out-of-work executive killing off his competitors in the job market plausible, and readers will find themselves rooting for the protagonist, even as his crimes become more appalling.
February 17, 2025
Job market too competitive? The Ax is a self-improvement book designed to help you shine. Just follow the easy steps outlined by savvy middle manager Burke Devore to gain a significant leg up over your competition
Donald Westlake crafts a rapid, innovative plot using little dialogue. This book is snarky, intelligent and immensely fun. It also should be lauded for its brave ending.
Highly recommended to fans of Tom Ripley, they will adore The Ax.
Donald Westlake crafts a rapid, innovative plot using little dialogue. This book is snarky, intelligent and immensely fun. It also should be lauded for its brave ending.
Highly recommended to fans of Tom Ripley, they will adore The Ax.
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