Review: Reviews are deceptive: this book is NOT "funny" or " heartwarming"
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 09 7, 2012
I don't know the other reviewers of this book, but their definitions of "funny," "heartwarming" and "humorous" must be diametrically opposed to mine, especially in reference to this achingly sad novel.  The story consists solely of stream of consciousness inside the confused mind of a lonely, neglected elderly man, as he stumbles though the last 24 hours of his life.  Each chapter equals one hour, and the main character, Tug, spends about 10 minutes of each hour being painfully lucid and about 50 minutes dwelling in his past and hallucinating conversations and confrontations with the significant others of his life.  From the gritty reality of living in mold and filth in his once proud home, peeing in plastic containers stashed all over the house, rationalizing his attraction to some sadistic pornography, and ruing his inability to cut his own toenails, Tug veers off into reliving his WWII bombadier experiences, his love/hate relationships with his children and his brother, and his joys and sorrows shared with his much-loved wife, whose life degenerated into serious illness and dementia.  Tug is both attracted to and fearful of the shapes he "sees" in the woods and "hears" in his house, and places baseball bats all over the house for protection.  Gee, who wouldn't think this is a "enormously rewarding" book, eh?  As Tug spends more and more time wandering in the cold and snow in pursuit of imaginary compatriots, his winter barbecues become increasingly more harrowing.  There is only one, inevitable conclusion, but the entire novel left me sad and angry that anyone would think this is a noble way to die.