The Goodby People

June 6, 2022
Lambert’s cynical novel, first published in 1971, is set in Hollywood—a place the late author (Inside Daisy Clover), a two-time Oscar-nominated screenwriter, knew well. The unnamed narrator shrewdly observes three characters in Southern California. He first meets with Susan Ross, a former model who attempts suicide. Susan becomes further distraught after volunteering for a group that organizes legal and medical aid for impoverished Angelenos and having coffee thrown at her. The next section features Gary Carson, an attractive draft dodger, who beds—and stays with—the narrator, who gives him the “kind he never had before.” The third episode has the narrator connecting with Gary’s friend, Keelie, who keeps having visions of actor Lora Chase, who owns the house Keelie rents. Lambert (1924–2005) elevates his detached view of these characters with strong writing: Gary’s eyes have a “curious deadness about them,” and Keelie’s thoughts “seemed like a wind that was constantly changing.” He also includes terrifically descriptive scenes, whether of parties or an open-air concert. This welcome reissue ought to prompt readers to rediscover Lambert’s writing. Agent: Adam Reed, Joy Harris Literary.