Review: Didn't Quite Click For Me
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 12 23, 2013
As a current expectant father, I noticed this book on Amazon and thought it would be a great read given my current situation.  I realized from the description that it was more of a fictional account than an actual diary and was written in a tongue-in-cheek style.  The work is structured in diary format with fairly regular entries throughout the course of a 9 month period focusing on the life of Graham Peterson (I'm guessing a fictitious version of the real author) and his girlfriend Allison.  Graham works in a local restaurant in something of a dead-end job for a difficult manager and Allison is a nurse.  The book covers some of what one might find along the course of pregnancy, although it's very much in the extreme with respect to what one may come across (and is geared more towards the UK in many of its references).  Unfortunately, the humor just isn't very strong and much of it revolves around the absurd situation or case (such as what one may find in the antics of South Park characters, but without the cleverness that often goes along with them) – I can't honestly recall a single moment that prompted a chuckle.  In addition, the characters just aren't terribly likable.  Graham is 28 years of age at the time of the conception and has never held anything more than a very basic job (basically what would translate to minimum wage jobs in the US).  In this story, he reports to an overbearing manager who he constantly complains about – yet, he seems to consistently be late for work; provide little notice for time off; and finds random excuses for why he can't come in to work (such as feeling overwhelmed after driving Allison to a doctor's appointment).  While the boss's antics are often unjustified, it's easy to see how she may not his biggest fan given his juvenile approach to the job.  Similarly, Allison is also not presented in the best light.  When first taking the pregnancy test to confirm her suspicions, she does so by urinating inside of a public photo booth; later after finding out she is pregnant, she gets completely drunk and shows up at Graham's apartment; and seems to also constantly find a reason to stay out of work.  I find it odd that a professional nurse would be both so careless with drinking while pregnant and so woefully unaware of what to expect during pregnancy.  Certainly the characters are written in a way so as to explore the humorous possibilities for a couple that is woefully unprepared for parenthood, but overall, the lack of likability and the fact that the humor typically falls flat lead me to give this 2 stars.