Review: Wonderful
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 28, 2012
Synopsis - My Disjointed Life is the diary-style story of one Jeep Trembley, US student, struggling to focus on his school work. Unfortunately, fighting for his scant attention span are a conflicting group of friends, classes, and women (although not all of them know it). Over the course of a semester, Jeep's days are detailed as he faces up to life, love, loss and getting laid.As ever I can, as ever I must, I will strive to bring balance to a review with the good, the bad, and (where appropriate) the ugly. There's a couple of problems here - Reed misses commas when he needs to have them in... Umm... give me a minute, I may think of more.Seriously, this is one of those rare books that make wading through trash worth doing. There's a lot of arguments about self-published authors and quality, and how reviewers and readers should go easy on them. Then, something like this turns up. It's not only exceedingly well-written, but it also strikes a nerve with the reader.This is, in fact, one of the very, very few books in my life which I found unputdownable (if that's not a word, I'm making it one). Most of my reading is done on the train to and from work, and then I switch off at home. Not so with this book. I genuinely couldn't wait to read more.The characters, the dialogue, the situations all read true without being forced. Jeep's smart-ass internal dialogue keeps things grounded. Not every question is answered (hey, welcome to real life). Relationships progress and develop nicely and credibly. The supporting characters (as they do in most books and TV shows) are wonderful, relatable and entertaining. Friendships and familial relationships strike true.Jeep himself is a great character. Flawed, but wanting better. Struggling despite himself, and knowing that he's his own worst enemy. The more I read, the more I want him to succeed.Hell, even the American Football (I refuse to call it football. You want to call it football? Use your feet!) scenes gripped me. And I'm British!Perhaps it's because I found I could identify with the book, the situations and the characters so easily that I enjoyed it as much as I did. And I did identify with it - the break-up scene, for example, is one of the most beautifully brutal and honest moments I've read, and struck uncomfortably true. Regardless of the reason, I did enjoy it. And I would thoroughly recommend it.Does it have flaws? Yes. Outside of the "friend zone", all women worth mentioning are incredibly, jaw-droppingly hot. A reference feels forced, as it foreshadows a later revelation. But that's about it.Overall, a delightful find. And it's books like this which will redeem the negative reputation self-published authors have unfairly gained.Bravo, sir. You have created something wonderful. But, please. No sequels. Leave this exactly as it stands.