Life is hard, and it is not fair. Bad things happen to good people for no reason at all, and bad people rarely get what they deserve. These are the prominent themes of Galveston, brought to light through the story of Roy and the people he encounters along the way.

I honestly wish that I had more to say about Galveston, that it left me with a lingering contemplation or made me feel something other than indifference. Perhaps it is because I feel like Galveston really doesn’t have a lot to say. The messages here are obvious and common knowledge, which doesn’t fit with the story Pizzolatto is telling or the way that he tells it. Pretentious, while not a word that I enjoy using often, applies to this novel. It reads as though Pizzolatto wanted it to hit with the impact of a McCarthy novel, but it simply doesn’t have the weight behind it.

The characters are also to blame for the mediocre feel of Galveston. I simply didn’t care about any of them. Roy is edgy and broody like the protagonist of a young adult novel, not to mention being a misogynist and general asshole. I realize that the reader is probably not supposed to empathize with Roy or even like him, but these exaggerated characteristics made it hard to feel anything toward him whatsoever. Rocky is a walking stereotype, and is defined by her sexuality. Pizzolatto attempts to show that Rocky is more than just a prostitute, that she has a deeper personality and value, while explicitly mentioning her ass more times than I can count. The manner of Rocky’s demise also felt incredibly cruel and unnecessary, even in a novel of this style.

It is clear that Pizzolatto has a talent for writing. His prose is lush and beautiful and dark, probably the closest he comes to McCarthy through this novel. His descriptions of the environments and people were clear and detailed, and allowed me to picture the scenes he was painting. Unfortunately, the lack of substantive content makes Galveston all style and no substance. I listened to the audiobook, and Michael Kramer’s narration was decent, if somewhat monotonous.

Having loved the first season of True Detective, I was excited to read Galveston. I am sad to say that I am left disappointed and feeling almost nothing about this novel in general.