''Portrait of a Young Man Drowning'', published in 1962, is the only published novel written by Charles Perry.

Plot

The novel takes place in the slums of Brooklyn during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, and follows the narrator, Harry Odum, from his early childhood to his death. His father, Hap, abandons the family, leaving Harold to be raised by his mother, Kate. Harold falls in with his friends from the neighborhood, who take him along to participate in petty crime. He soon join up with "Bug", the neighborhood kingpin, and moves his way up through the local crime syndicate. He eventually becomes the neighborhood mob's killer for hire. Meanwhile, Kate spirals deeper into alcoholism and

mental illness A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitti ...

, and grows ever more possessive of her son. Through it all, the only person Harold feels any love for is his mother; he develops an Oedipal complex and an inability to sexually relate to anyone without resorting to his alter-ego, Madden. In the guise of this other self, he rapes a local girl, Iris, with whom he later falls in love. Harold attempts a relationship with Iris, but Kate threatens her away during a family dinner. The next day, Harold flies into a psychotic rage and rapes and kills his own mother, who he thinks committed

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

. A dazed, traumatized Harold then goes for a ride with some of his partners-in-crime, who are afraid that he, in his current mental state, will give out information about crimes that might involve them, and they make sure he never talks about it.

Adaptations

The novel was adapted into the 1997 film ''

Six Ways to Sunday ''Six Ways to Sunday'' is a 1997 American crime drama film with elements of comedy directed by Adam Bernstein. It is based on Charles Perry's novel '' Portrait of a Young Man Drowning''. Plot Eighteen-year-old Harry (Norman Reedus), is an innoc ...

'', starring Norman Reedus and Deborah Harry.

Notes

1962 American novels Historical crime novels Novels set in Brooklyn Novels set in the 1930s American novels adapted into films Fiction about matricide Incest in fiction Novels about rape 1962 debut novels {{1960s-hist-novel-stub