Like the characters at the center of Joan Didion's sparse novel "Play It As It Lays," this story is a narrative gamble. With everyone's lives spiraling out of control, this is a study of characters who are never understood lower than a surface level. Whereas most would get lost in the winding trail of interiority, Didion's fascination is more about the immediate response, relying on paragraphs that are at times so zippy that they tempt the reader to miss hidden details. This is a world where shocking detail happens in mundane prose, and introspection doesn't always reveal itself beyond the immediate action being performed. What it lacks in depth it more than makes up for in a go-for-broke immediacy that makes for an entertaining read. It may result in the reader asking what just transpired, but hopefully the interpretation of the prior pages will be enough to make this playful exercise worth the gambit.
Throughout the story, Didion seeks to demystify the nature of affairs and reckless behavior. While reflecting on characters in different regions of the country, she finds them making the most of a distrustful life, raising questions on what it means to reach for some greater American dream. The money doesn't bring happiness. The families are broken, and the quest for more money drives them to Las Vegas for quick fixes. Everything lives in desperation of the next page, making the reader curious to know how these inherently unlikable characters will survive to the last page. It's a seedy, soap opera-type tale that finds salacious details emerging, looking for any sense of happiness but ultimately finding misery. As the title suggests, they need to play the cards they've been dealt. There's no easier way to get around the reality.
If judged solely as a thrill ride, then this ranks among Didion's most enjoyable works. She has carefully crafted a story that works as a quick read, but satisfies as something deeper for those willing to think about the seedy underbelly of characters who lack introspection. Every action has a purpose, and it results in some shocking, sometimes immoral, turns that place the tension at a constant high. It's the type of gambler's high that builds and builds until the end where the comedown is unbearable and bleak. By capturing the feeling of being at a poker table in literary form, Didion has brought these characters to life in her own unique manner. It's powerful, tragic stuff as well as a safer thing to get way too addicted to in the long run.
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