Last Exit to Brooklyn

Part 1 of Last Exit to Brooklyn is a short introduction to the world of the novel. The Brooklyn depicted in the novel is a severely disinvested, low-income borough where criminals and social outcasts are forced to live in proximity. The interwoven, overlapping lives are revealed in the structure and the style of the novel. Across the six parts, characters and locations appear and disappear, recurring across narratives and times to create a cohesive portrayal of a living community in constant movement. The style of the prose adds to this sense of liveliness and energy. Rejecting conventional prose, the novel abandons traditions of grammar, punctuation, and narrative structure. Each part of the novel is told by an unnamed narrator—a person who relates the story in a stream-of-consciousness manner that replicates the storytelling style of a person in a bar. The style and structure of the novel are as disjointed and as unconventional as its characters: The novel’s rejection of narrative conventions signifies that the lives and stories it depicts exist outside—even transgress—the defined boundaries of society.

The opening chapter introduces a cast all caught in the same struggle. From Alex, who owns the Greek diner, to Rosie, who is in love with Freddy, the characters are trapped by their material conditions. They are all financially disenfranchised, striving to make even a little bit of money in the hope of improving their lives. This means that law-abiding citizens like Alex are caught in the same trap as the criminal youths who hang around his diner: Because criminals supply Alex’s livelihood, he is shackled to the criminal world, tied to their crimes and taking their ill-gotten gains. Sex workers, too, are among the patrons, and their work is criminalized. None of these characters can exist in isolation, their proximity and impoverishment binding their lives together whether they are willing to commit crimes or not. No one can escape the shadow of criminality that reaches across Brooklyn.

A key feature of the opening chapter is how the characters’ lives are interspersed with sudden flashes of violence. The characters loiter in the diner or wander the streets, bickering with one another. They spend every day like this, as though they are caught in the same futile cycle—but occasionally, their bickering boils over, and they fight with one another or with strangers. These fleeting brawls are remarkable because they are unremarkable; once the fights are finished, the characters comb their hair and wash their face then return to the diner. Even the police are unconcerned about the pools of blood left in the streets. These violent upsurges, while they break the monotony of the characters’ lives, are so common that they themselves are a kind of monotony. This situation reflects the generalized city violence.