#Retrospective - Morrissey's List of the Lost

Morrissey's List of the Lost is almost ten years-old now since its release in September 24th 2015. This bright orange book stole the market away with its design yet its author - bold and eye-catching. As if it want to send the message straight to the receiver, the reader, the bypassers. Something serious, something important, something that Morrissey would like you to know.

In its early days, this book got some attentions from some avid readers to book reviewers, from some blogposts to news articles and some youtube videos. A lot of bad reviews, negative ratings, some articles focusing on the Bad Sex Award, and more. This thing still happening in the book review section of Goodreads.

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So what gives?

I believe when Morrissey made this - his first non-lyrical fiction - he believed making some fiction was just like making some good lyrics. Some words might have rhymes, some were not, some were just straight forward, some fulfilled with hidden meanings and innuendos. I would admit he good at it, since the dawn of The Smith until Alma Matters, even though it was considered as HIS worst single. But then, after the Autobiography, he wanted to have more. Something to etched his name deeper than before.

Some said to make your self immortal, write a book or two.

And I believe that what he does - Morrissey want to be immortal and remembered as long as his book existed.

But enough for the immortality, back to the book.

List of the Lost is a 118-pages long novella focusing to the world of runners back in 1970s. Four college boys living their youth, filled with training, wildness, overly witted conversations, sex, reference that way too weird for college boys to talk about, another weird sex and many more. A novella that talks about youth and sports, layered with love stories and once again, weird sex scene.

Ezra, Nails, Harri and Justy. That's their names, and the rest was their stories.

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The story itself was quite straight forward : four young man in their prime time, aiming to be a great runners while stumbled by daily problems and love life, and way too heavy conversation with each others that might hurt their brain more than their feet does.

I don't mind about bad writing or bad story - I do wrote bad stories and I understand the feeling. But the thing that ticked me was the editing and the writing style. There's some more, but it was just small things that can be handled by shaking my head and relieved a long deep sigh. 

The editing and the format was terrible. I don't blame the editor, but not just because he's an artist, you can't give them proper inputs or suggestions. First several pages gives you some good start : decent world building, character introductions. But sadly, suddenly get injected by some rambling and complains about the world and its hardships. That's one.

As you progress the scene and flipping the pages, the conversation was established between characters. In my first thought while reading the convo-lines, "Is Morrissey trying to make a fantasy fiction where all the characters talking by using telepathy?" I got interested back then. Imagine the world made by Morrissey, filled with sad people, misery and their last wish was a ten ton truck crushed towards them, while they talks with telepathy! Such fantasy it is!

But no. It wasn't.

The convo-lines that I believe at first was established by using telepathic, because it using italics, turns out it were just normal conversations! They talking just like normal people does. So long Smiths World, hello bummer.

So to differentiate which one is the conversation or "a line of words that someone say to someone else or to their self" with narration (and of course author's implicit rambling about the world), was italics.

Italics.

Let me put an example.

"The pro-cess?" stammered Ezra, looking all of ten very confused years of age.

Another great example, if you have time and willingness to witness the greatness (and also waste several minutes of your life), please read from page 23 to 27. It was too epic to be put in here; you have to experience it yourself.

From my perspective, Morrissey's writing style is just like someone who want to make a scene or a shot for music video. He already have the lyrics, he knew the feeling, the mood, the intentions. All he need left was a set and some actors. The music will be the bridge, the lyrics will be the narrations. All aspects will move as the music kicks in, people walks following the beats, lyrics linger as the camera panning or zooming or doing whatever camera does, the music connects it all up, creating one big orchestrated picture with stories and meanings. It was beautiful. It was magnifico.

But, writing novel and novella and even short story, are all about the set-up and the rest was the job of the reader's imaginations. The writer have to setting all up: from the place, the situation, the character, the condition, the mood and all the possible input that might help the reader to imagine and as they read letter by letter, word by word, it translated into one big pseudo-visual inside their head. Writer's write, reader's imagine.

I believe that's what Morrissey was lack about. He didn't set the thing up. He didn't prepare all the input necessary for the readers. He had the visual, I believe that. He just need to break the visual into bits, translate it as sufficient as he could. Just like as he planned and imagine the scene he want to write. Imagine he able to pull that in the first time, and maybe heaven knows, we won't be as miserable as now while reading his piece.

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A bad marketing is a good marketing. There's some saying roaming around the world, I believe. Good marketing might push and create positive attitude, but with bad marketing, despite it produced negative attitude to the customer, there's one thing that boosted the marketing itself : word-of-mouth.

Back in 2015, a lot of reviewers giving List of the Lost bad words and low stars. I don't know if people still trying to find this masterpiece or not. Truth to be told, this post initially being drafted since 2021. Even I hesitate to continue this works.

Once again, a bad marketing is a good marketing. I also being hooked by bad reviews. I was curious how bad it will be when I read the stuff, we're talking about Morrissey here. Once I adored him and his works, both as member of the Smiths and his solo projects. Mainly some of his songs that related with unrequited love, being a thorny boy and being miserable.

At 2021 I've reread it, but still unfinished. I rediscovered it again back at 2024, unknowing that I already had this retrospective review on this work.

The book is hard to read. That's for sure. For those who read novel in proper way, reading List of the Lost needing you to taking sometimes to recalibrate your skills on how to read. What is the function of italics, how convos should be happen, and etc. The story itself was turn out to be, angsty love-finding teenager love story. You know, stuff like that. I can't imagine what Morrissey took for a drink while typing this. But it is a piece of work and also a piece of history. And I'm proud that I have this masterpiece in physical form.

Maybe later, far in the future, when either my children or grandchildren rediscover List of the Lost as one of the considered lost media in the century, I can hand it to them and said "give your self a fortune."