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Title: a big influence
Review: This novel has been written so many times by writers of less skill, the reader needs to remind him or herself of the originality of Raymond Carver. There is the wit and snappy dialogue, the profusion of quirky characters, the quick summing up of key points of the narrative, complete with names and motives in rapid succession and the use of violence at key moments to speed up the plot. If Carver created this narrative map, others then followed his trail. It is just too bad it is so well-trodden.
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