Savages was published by Simon & Schuster in 2010. Ben and Chon are best friends who run the best marijuana operation in Southern California: Ben, a UC Berkeley botany graduate with a background in humanitarian aid, grows it; Chon, a combat-scarred Navy SEAL, protects it. They share a house in Laguna Beach and a girlfriend, Ophelia (known as O), in an arrangement that all three find natural. The Baja Cartel, seeking to expand northward, demands a partnership; Ben and Chon refuse; the cartel kidnaps O.
The novel’s style is its most distinctive feature. Winslow writes in short, staccato bursts — sentences that are sometimes fragments, sometimes single words, sometimes formatted like screenplay sluglines. The rhythm is intentionally manic, reflecting the Southern California culture of surfaces, speed, and instant gratification that the characters inhabit. The contrast between the light, fast prose and the dark, violent content creates an effect that is simultaneously funny and horrifying.
Oliver Stone directed the 2012 film adaptation, starring Taylor Kitsch, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Blake Lively, and Benicio del Toro. Winslow wrote his own ending to the novel differently from Stone’s film version.
Collecting Savages
First edition (Simon & Schuster, New York, 2010): Cloth binding, dust jacket.
Market values:
- First edition, fine/fine: $20–$50
- Very good/very good: $8–$20
- Signed: $40–$100