Driven: The sequel to Drive

By James Sallis

"The perfect piece of noir fiction." —New York Times Book Review

"Terse, brutal, poetic, perfectly wrought." —Publishers Weekly STARRED review

At the end of Drive, Driver has killed Bernie Rose, "the only one he ever mourned," ending his campaign against those who double-crossed him. Driven tells how that young man, done with killing, becomes the one who goes down "at 3 a.m. on a clear, cool morning in a Tijuana bar."

Seven years have passed. Driver has left the old life, become Paul West, and founded a successful business back in Phoenix. Walking down the street one day, he and his fiancée are attacked by two men and, while Driver dispatches both, his fiancée is killed.

Sinking back into anonymity, aided by his friend Felix, an ex-gangbanger and Desert Storm vet, Driver retreats but finds that his past stalks him and will not stop. He has to turn and face it. Because he drives. That's what he does.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sourcebooks
• Release date: Sep 30, 2012
• ISBN: 9781615954018

James Sallis

James Sallis has published fourteen novels, multiple collections of short stories, poems and essays, the definitive biography of Chester Himes, three books of musicology, and a translation of Raymond Queneau's novel Saint Glinglin. The film of Drive won Best Director award at Cannes; the six Lew Griffin books are in development. Jim plays guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle and Dobro both solo and with the band Three-Legged Dog.

Reviews for Driven

[lucaconti-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Appassionante quanto il film

[strongpieces · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Trying to figure out what I thought of this book (which I picked up before I go see the movie), but I'm still so confused. It flew by, and all I got were faint impressions of Driver between trying to figure out when I was reading about his past or the current events.

[swl_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Short as a novella, high-octane and epic, I still didn't quite get this thing. At least, not the way the critics tell it, using words like "perfect". Maybe I should have read more sallis first?As a pared-down skeleton of noir, I guess it does the trick - events the hero doesn't ask for make him act against his own values and then his own moral axis spins, making him into something new.All the important characters have the gift of moral complexity, but I just couldn't quite care enough. Not sure why? Maybe because I never had the sense that these people would ever be fully engaged again, or happy or anything. But also not miserable or challenged or firy. It's like they landed at some sort of space a little too close to contentment, a place with a bar and good food and interesting conversation, but places like that don't make good stories.All the same - great story sketching, great pace, even with all the jumping around, beautifully done violence (NOT an oxymoron)and the description of everything cars was captivating.

[richardderus · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Rating: 4* of five The Book Description: “Much later, as he sat with his back against an inside wall of a Motel 6 just north of Phoenix, watching the pool of blood lap toward him, Driver would wonder whether he had made a terrible mistake. Later still, of course, there'd be no doubt. But for now Driver is, as they say, in the moment. And the moment includes this blood lapping toward him, the pressure of dawn's late light at windows and door, traffic sounds from the interstate nearby, the sound of someone weeping in the next room....”Thus begins Drive, a new novella by one of the nation's most respected and honored writers of noir fiction. Set mostly in Arizona and L.A., the story is, according to Sallis, ..."about a guy who does stunt driving for movies by day and drives for criminals at night. In classic noir fashion, he is double-crossed and, though before he has never participated in the violence ('I drive. That's all.'), he goes after the ones who doublecrossed and tried to kill him." . My Review: It's 153pp of very noir-y noir. It's got an anti-hero just as antiheroic as you want him to be...he knows how to do everything, drive, fight, drink, kill, pick a noir skill and Driver (no other name) has it.I'm a sucker for that kind of all-rounder. I like Sallis's New Orleans series featuring Lew Griffin, too, but this begins a new-to-me series of noir novellas featuring Driver. I'll be back for more.It's violent, but not graphic. The killings all take place in front of our eyes, but apart from the short and matter-of-fact reports of the means and aftermath of each killing, there's no ghoulish lingering on the pain or the gore. That means the reader's not stuck to the floor of the book in sticky goo, like in many violent novels.It's taut, not verbose. In this age of no thought left unexpressed, no feeling left unaired, no absurdity left unplumbed in the gazillionologies of two-thousand-page forest-rapers, that feels like the first cool breath of autumn after the horrid belchings of summer.Sallis, a serious writer, author of a biography of Chester Himes that's the gold standard on that underknown talent, delivers a happy surprise to the committed reader of darker books and more gritty crime fiction. He brings something fresh to something familiar. He abides by every convention of the genre he's chosen to work in and still gives a take on the tropes that's not hackneyed. The reason is he can write quite simple, Hemingwayesque sentences, and make them sound like he means them in both content and feeling.“What’d you need?" {Manny}"Desuetude." {Driver}"Reading again, are we? Could be dangerous. It means to become unaccustomed to. As in something gets discontinued, falls into disuse.""Thanks, man.""That it?""Yeah, but we should grab a drink sometime.”Well, there it is. If you like that, you'll like Drive, and if not, you won't.PS: Apparently there was a movie made of this book last year. Ryan Gosling and Bryan Cranston starred. I haven't seen it, but the plot summary is enough different from the book that I don't care if I do.

[gary10_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Short, punchy, enjoyable and violent tale of a driver who does Hollywood stunts by day and is a robbery driver by night. Engaging and quick.

[davefragments · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Minus 1/2 star for being so short. This is a great story. a delightful festival of murder, fast cars and action.

[nikon_11 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I read the book then watched the film and yep! the book is much, much better.(aren't they always) In the book you get to know or at least think you know Drive and why he is and does the things he does. You ride along with him sometimes you might plead for him to be better or do something else but no, he's Drive and that's what he does best. It's an around good quick read.

[brokenangelkisses · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I should start by stating that this is not a book I would usually pick up while browsing, let alone read. I do not feel that I am the target audience for this book, which was given to me to read by my crime fiction reading group, but which (in my opinion) is not crime fiction. I have previously read and enjoyed books that I would not normally pick up, but sadly I did not enjoy this at all and only finished it because it was so short (this edition consists of a mere 189 pages).The writer, James Sallis, has written many novels, essays, collections of poetry and short stories. He is an American writer who, before publishing 'Drive', was best known for a series of detective stories featuring Lew Griffin.The premiseDriver is, um, a driver. He drives cars for a living, as a stunt driver for film crews and as a getaway driver for criminals. He is double-crossed and begins seeking out and violently killing those who double-crossed him. And...that's it.I found the blurb off-putting rather than engaging. I do not enjoy stories that contain a lot of violence and violence seemed to be the driving force behind this plot. This idea was reinforced by the paragraph quoted on the book jacket, which is the opening paragraph of the book. I think this gives a good flavour of the book, which is about the seedier side of life, a bit of driving and a lot of violence.The realityThe opening is interestingly done, but only confirmed my suspicions that this book was not for me. The opening sentences are reflective:"Much later, as he sat with his back against an inside wall of a Motel 6 just north of Phoenix, watching the pool of blood lap towards him, Driver would wonder whether he'd made a terrible mistake. Later still, of course, there'd be no doubt." I was wondering the same. (And later on...) On a positive note, I enjoyed the writing style itself. I think Sallis' poetic leanings are evident and I would be tempted to try reading some of his poetry. I found the book very easy and pleasant to read, though the content itself was often deeply unpleasant.We learn early on that Driver's parents introduced him to criminality and brutal violence so it isn't surprising that he becomes, essentially, a violent criminal. Although the reader is obviously meant to feel sympathetic towards his character, the spare prose doesn't encourage the reader to develop any kind of relationship with him and I did not find myself disposed to feel kindly towards him. I think fiction books usually work best when the reader can build some kind of positive relationship with at least one significant character. In this book, Driver is the only significant character and I had absolutely nothing in common with him, nor could I see any good in him. For me, this meant that I found very little reason to keep reading, besides the desire to have something to say at my boom group meeting!The chapters are very short - typically only three, four or five pages - and as the pages themselves are the size of a typical paperback (despite being bound in a hard cover binding) this is easy to read in nibble sized chunks. I suppose this is a useful feature if you only tend to read in short bursts, otherwise it could feel a little frustrating. Sometimes the short chapter was due to a change in time or place or subject, but often the next chapter was a direct continuation of what went before and the pause was simply that: a poetic pause. This adds a certain intensity to the experience which I believe is appropriate for a noir novella. Where there are cliffhangers they are gentle, which I liked insofar as I do not appreciate being hit over the head with a clunky cliffhanger to force me to carry on reading.One problem I experienced was simply keeping track of what was happening when. The chapters do randomly shift about Driver's life, usually without any indication that the time has changed or what it has changed to. This meant that I had to read a few paragraphs before finding my footing again and I found this a little disconcerting. A few of the other readers at my book group found this frustrating too.Although you might expect in such a short book that every passage would be relevant, some seem to be merely fragments of Driver's life. This isn't to say that the book is padded out or contains irrelevant material; such diversions help to create the sense that the reader is immersed in Driver's life and psyche and I felt that such background pieces added to the overall coherence of the story. Once again, I feel the book is well-written, just not really my cup of tea.There is quite a lot of violence so this will not suit very sensitive types. However, the violence is not gruesome or depicted in loving detail: it simply happens and the story moves on. I am very sensitive to blood and guts and was able to read this without wincing, so most readers should be absolutely fine!I thought  that the ending was appropriate given what had preceded it and I liked that it seemed to both tie events together effectively and leave a lot open to the reader's imagination. In fact, I was very surprised to read later that there is a sequel to 'Drive' (called 'Driven') and can only assume that this was written to capitalise on the success of Sallis' novella and the film of the same name. Certainly I did not feel that the story required a sequel, and Sallis has not overtly set one up, so this can be read as a standalone book.ConclusionsI believe that this book is a very good example of noir fiction, which is not something I am really interested in. (I did think that noir simply meant 'dark' but a touch of research tells me that this type of fiction is likely to follow a perpetrator rather than a detective and will show him in a world that is as corrupt as he is. That certainly seems to describe this book.) My lack of interest and the fact that I had hoped for a more straightforward piece of 'crime writing' may explain why I did not enjoy reading the book. Despite this, I do feel that it is a well-written and thoughtful narrative that may appeal to many readers. If you think this might appeal to you, I suggest that the first paragraph (quoted above) really does give an accurate flavour of the style and scope of the novella. My edition has an RRP of £12 which feels rather steep given the slimness of the book. (I know, I now: quality not quantity.) However, mine is a rather old edition borrowed from a library; modern paperback editions are available from £5.99 online and the kindle edition is currently priced at £2.30. For that price, if you're a noir fan, this would definitely be worth reading.Read this if:- you are a fan of noir fiction;- you enjoyed the film 'Drive' (though please note that as I have not watched the film, and have no intention of doing so, I am unable to comment on how closely the film follows the book);- you like short, well-written novellas that follow one main protagonist;- you enjoy a writing style that is lean and poetic.Avoid this if:- you find yourself frustrated with narratives that move about in time a lot;- you really dislike reading about violence;- you like books with characters you can readily identify with and root for;- you prefer books with detectives solving crimes, rather than books about criminals committing crimes.

[aramissciant · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very good short noir story. I picked it up after seeing the movie because I wanted to find out more about the unnamed protagonist. I learned more about Driver, his background and thought process, but I feel that enough has changed in the script --circumstances, motivations-- that this is not the same person. Still it was very well written in the best of noir traditions and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[johnbsheridan · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Disappointing. While there were a few excerpts that were of the standard I was expecting overall the book neither contained enough energy to propel it forward based on momentum alone or the character development to draw one into the story. The only saving grace is the brevity at not much more than novella.

[maneekuhi · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This felt like pretentious noir, like an action screenplay. "Caught in some variant of that abstract..." What? Come on, give me a break! This is about a stunt driver who also drives for guys robbing pawn shops, etc. He also does a number of cold blooded murders. It is my humble opinion that noir tends to get over-rated by the critics. They love the genre and noir authors are getting away with murder.

[darkline_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An absolutely stunning piece of neo-noir. Brutal and beautiful in nearly every sentence. Sallis pares the story of Driver and a heist gone bad down to its very skeleton, and yet, every character is rich with enigmas and mysteries. It's an afternoon read, but it lingers on much longer.

[tftorrey_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The publishing industry is filled with predictable books. By that I don't mean just formula genre books, such as most romances, action-adventure books, and mysteries, but mainstream books with predictable elements: anti-hero, rising arcs of action over three hundred or so pages, happy ending or not, closure. Such elements have become so ingrained in the industry that books that go against them must be so strongly written that readers (and critics) overlook the lack of familiar elements. In Drive, the powerful prose of James Sallis provides just such a distraction, in a book so off-beat that we never even learn the protagonist's name.Written in the best noir style, Drive opens, literally, in a pool of blood. The protagonist, whose name is never more than "Driver", spends part of his time as a stunt driver for the movies, and another part driving for criminals. As the book opens, his work for (the non-Hollywood) criminals has taken a terrible turn, and Driver finds his life completely unhinged. The rest of the book explores how Driver has come to be in this situation, and how he might get himself out. As the story unfolds across Arizona and southern California, Sallis's lean and powerful prose draws a stark image of a man on the fringe of society, in a dark world that most of us only see in the corners of our eyes as we drive quickly by.From a writer's perspective, Drive is an excellent example of handling flashback. Common advice for writers is to begin "in media res"-in the middle of the action. Drive takes this to the extreme, beginning only a few days before the end, but telling a story that sweeps across a span of years. What does that mean for a story? Flashback, and lots of it. Probably two thirds of the book is flashback, and while that can be the kiss of death for a story in the hands of an amateur, Sallis handles it flawlessly. Despite the dramatic jumps backward and forward in time, a reader goes through the pages without feeling lost. Instead, the narrative comes together as a jigsaw puzzle, with the pieces falling into place one by one until the final, inevitable, piece completes the picture.Cover to cover, Sallis puts on a demonstration of the style and structure of quality writing. Drive easily could be (and surely will be if it isn't already) used as a textbook in a creative writing class. It's that good.Drive is an excellent book, written by a veteran author who really understands books and writing. Any fan of noir should not miss it, and anyone who enjoys a solid story wrapped in excellent prose should not miss it either. That, in my opinion, should include everyone.

[cbjames_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Drive is the best movie I have seen in a long long time. I loved it so much I watched it twice in a row.And then went out and got the book.The book is very good, but the movie is better.The story concerns a young man who works by day as a stunt driver for movie productions in Los Angelos and by night as a driver for various criminal gangs. There is no better driver around. All he does is drive. He does not carry a weapon, he does not participate. He'll drive you to an agreed upon destination, wait exactly five minutes, and then drive you safely away. If you take longer than five minutes, or if anything goes wrong, he'll leave. He is neither hero, nor anti-hero really. He just drives.Until he meets the young woman who has moved in next door with her young son. He soon becomes involved in their lives on a level he has never experienced before. Maybe it's love, maybe not. Before he has a chance to find out, the woman's husband is released from prison and moved back in with his wife and son. The driver helps him with one last job, robbing a pawn shop, that goes horribly wrong. Both the book and the movie have this same basic plot structure and the same set of characters. The movie also has a sense of visual style that I've found missing from most films I've seen lately. The use of color, the warm tones, the way the costumes, settings and color palate resonate with 1980's style serve to create a noir shadow world. The script contains very few words. The driver and the girl next door hardly speak at all. Instead images and music tell the story. The music reminded me of the 1980's French noir film Diva, not because the music was like the music in Diva, it wasn't, but because of the way the director took unusual music that really shouldn't be there, but managed to make it all work very well. The book is different enough from the movie, and good enough to earn my recommendation and to win Mr. Sallis one more fan. In the original story the driver is a much more fleshed out character. We get his complete back story along with glimpses into aspects of his daily life and thought processes that the movie leaves out. There is less of a romance in the book, more of a man on his own just trying to survive. We also get a different take on the bad guys, one that sheds more explicit light on what the movie only suggests.There is a sequel to the novel that I just may check out someday. I'd like to know what Mr. Sallis has in store for his hero. But it's my sincere hope that it's never made into a movie. The film version of Drive stands alone and should always stand alone. There's no way Diva II would have done anything but cheapen the first movie. Here's hoping Hollywood either knows enough to let Drive be or never notices it enough to bother.

[alanteder · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a sequel to James Sallis's "Drive" which was also made into the 2011 film by director Nicolas Winding Refn.The plot of "Driven" finds the Driver character in Phoenix, Arizona, seven years after the events of "Drive", where he has tried to start a new life away from movie stunt and getaway car driving. Hoodlums start to follow him around and seem intent on killing him and his loved ones for unknown reasons. Driver enlists the help of a shady character named Felix to help him hide out and to also dig for information through his underworld and mercenary connections. Although this is well written in the noir style by Sallis, the final payoff was a letdown and Driver himself wasn't really directly involved in putting together the pieces of the mystery which was mostly happening off-the-page in New Orleans or Brooklyn. Driver's actions are mostly involved in fighting off his assailants and hiding out. In the end this wasn't quite as satisfying as the original "Drive" for those various reasons. You have to have read the original book in order to understand who the characters Bernie Rose, Nino and Blanche are in order to follow this book as well.