Word: lelic
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...happens, this scene is also the one that unfolds in the first two chapters of Simon Lelic’s new novel, “A Thousand Cuts.” Lelic has mastered the tropes of the police drama. The book follows an order predictable to any viewer of such programs: exposition followed by introduction of law enforcement officials, whose own battles are then interspersed with testimony. Each witness’s deposition is even separated into a new chapter, much in the same way that “Law and Order” introduces a new witness...
These shows may be wildly popular, but they don’t aspire to much more than a standard formula. If Lelic is to be successful, he must rise above the inherent constraints in such a form. However, unless his novel is intentionally commenting on society’s desire for an easy arc from obscene murder to thrilling conviction, it never rises above a simple copy of a tried and true blueprint...