Bully by Jim Schutze
You might be familiar with the film adaptation of this book by director Larry Clark, but if you’re not, you need to get hip to it.
As a fan of the movie, I will say that it is a very faithful adaptation of the book. In fact, Larry Clark stated that every bit of dialogue in the movie comes straight from the book. Of course, for the sake of time, some elements were cut, as is the age-old dilemma of film adaptations. What comes to mind is Bobby Kent and Marty Puccio’s homo scams, which are shown briefly in the movie but were, in reality, a long-running gambit. The book explores an unspoken side of homosexuality, one rooted in vanity and domination. This lies at the heart of the struggle between Bobby and Marty. Marty felt that the only escape from Bobby was to murder him.
Another part that was snipped was details of a sex trafficing ring that Alice Willis was involved in. It’s not crucial to the plotin the movie so I see why it was cut out.
This book is an authentic piece of journalism about early 1990s South Florida—suburban American prosperity turned rotten, Gen-X angst, sunbaked boredom, and, of course, vengeance.
Bully’s style is highly readable and perfectly suited for Larry Clark as director.
Jim Schutze masterfully captures the scenery and mood of troubled coastal Florida youth. It feels timeless. You could replace the Mortal Kombat arcade games, Pizza Hut dinners, and Geto Boys with Call of Duty, Chipotle, and Kodak Black, and this story could have happened today. There’s something in the water that makes Florida adolescents especially reckless and nihilistic. Bobby and Marty even worked in a Publix deli, which almost feels like a stereotype of alienated high schoolers living in Florida.
My opinion is likely colored by the fact that I live in South Florida and eventually dropped out of high school here, but I believe this book should be recognized as a standout in its genre. The clarity is fantastic. Jim Schutze nails the atmosphere and keeps the focus strictly on the case. I’m surprised this book isn’t as popular as other true crime books, but perhaps that’s due to its raw authenticity. To fully appreciate it, you need to have lived in Florida, especially in a coastal city, to understand the kids involved.
Twisted shit.
Jim Schutze article on Epstein - link
I would link to the interview with Larry Clark on Bret Easton Ellis’ podcast but all links are dead. I think I have a hard file saved, maybe I’ll upload it to youtube in the future.