The Ax is 1997 horror thriller novel by American fiction writer Donald E. Westlake. The story follows Burke Devore on his violent hunt for a new job.
 | |
| Author | Donald E. Westlake |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Horror |
| Publisher | Mysterious Press |
Publication date | 1997 |
| Publication place | America |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| Pages | 352 |
| ISBN | 9780892965878 |
| 813/.54 | |
Plot
editBurke Devore is a middle-aged manager at a paper company who is laid off after drastic cost cutting measures. After unsuccessfully pursuing employment for 18 months, Devore begins to hunt down the seven men in his local area who could take the job that rightfully should be his.
Development
editWestlake began writing the novel after speaking to a group of friends about their difficult experiences conducting and being victims of corporate redundancies.[1] A few weeks after Westlake began writing, the New York Times published a series of newspaper articles about the trend of corporate downsizing.[2][1] Westlake remarked how fortuitous it was, as the articles went on to form the basis for much of the terminology in the book.
In the process of writing, Westlake reflected on his parent's experiences of unity during the retrenchment during the Great Depression, in juxtaposition to the workers who were now being made redundant "even as the economy booms, unemployment falls and the stock market soars."[2]
The book is dedicated to Westlake's father Albert Joseph Westlake.[2]
Reception
editThe New York Times described the novel as "Satirical, provocative and tightly plotted, The Ax handily swipes at management stupidities without ever letting up on suspense. And Mr. Westlake doesn't flinch at taking his protagonist's bloody plan to its logical, morally skewed, conclusion."[3]
The Washington Post called the novel "a tour de force of narrative immediacy" and posited it was in the same lineage as "Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley and the film classic Kind Hearts and Coronets, not to mention the Heinrich von Kleist novella Michael Kohlhaas"[4]
Charles Taylor from The Nation stated "...what makes The Ax so unnerving and so believable is the absence of irony in Burke's voice. Burke isn't embracing the new ruthlessness he sees around him. Knowing what it takes to hold on to his life doesn't make him happier because, on some level, it means accepting that everything he ever believed doesn't apply anymore."[4]
Awards and nominations
editThe book was nominated for the 1998 Macavity Award for Best Mystery Novel.[5]
Adaptions
editThe Ax has been adapted for the screen twice. In 2005, a French-language production was directed by Costa-Gavras called The Axe.[6] Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 80% of five critics gave the film a positive review, for an average rating of 7.2 / 10.[7]
In 2024, Korean director Park Chan-wook began filming his Korean language adaptation, No Other Choice,[8] after initially announcing the film in 2009.[9]
References
edit- ^ a b "Mystery Writer Donald Westlake Discusses "The Ax."". Fresh Air Archive. NPR. 16 July 1997.
- ^ a b c "Corporate Downsizing: It's Murder". Washington Post. 31 July 1997. Archived from the original on 18 March 2012.
- ^ Stead, Deborah (6 July 1997). "Getting Advice, or Getting the Ax". New York Times.
- ^ a b "The Ax". Complete Review.
- ^ "Macavity Awards". Mystery Readers International. Archived from the original on 5 April 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
- ^ Brzeski, Patrick; Scott, Matthew (10 August 2019). "Busan: Park Chan-wook Reveals Plans for New Film Projects". hollywoodreporter.com. The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 8 December 2019. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
- ^ "The Ax". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
- ^ Raup, Jordan (13 August 2024). "First Teaser Poster for Park Chan-wook's I Can't Help It, Which Begins Shooting This Week". The Film Stage.
- ^ Han, Sunhee (12 October 2009). "Park pushes for 'Couperet' remake". Variety.