Review for Last Rites

Last Rites

(#) Badger 2006-05-18

But then, violent humor is what being a Turk is all about, isn't it?

The juxtaposition between Tseng dying and the jokes walked a very fine line between pathos and laughter. That's a damn hard thing to do, and I salute you for it. And it's unusual to see stories that refer to Vincent having been a Turk as a young man. The fact that the same jokes are still there after 30 years (and that they still laugh at them, if they're drunk enough) is both sad and chilling.

And I loved the ending. When is a Turk not a Turk? When they're dead, of course.