Review: 2 Books in One! And Lots of Meandering.
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 12 20, 2012
Smith is a fabulous writer, but in CHOKE ON YOUR LIES, he tries to do too many things at the same time. It begins with the protagonist, college professor Mick Thooft, seeking help from his old friend, the morbidly obese Octavia VanderPlatts, when his wife tries to cheat him out of his house (in a fashionable part of Minneapolis) in a divorce settlement. Pretty soon things get really complicated, but Octavia has a plan to solve Mick's problems while punishing his wife at the same time. Unfortunately, the portion of the novel doesn't deliver the great climax we were expecting because Smith is only half-finished at that point. Pretty soon there is a murder and other legal problems and once again Mick needs Octavia's help. Whereas Smith's superb novels YELLOW MEDICINE and HOTDOGGIN' are non-stop, well-done action, CHOKE ON YOUR LIES is a bit of a meandering mess. It definitely has its moments, and the characterization is good--with the notable exception of Mick, who is a bit of a wuss. Along the way, Smith shoehorns in too much other stuff, such as opinions about Minneapolis and Vietnamese food, and pretty much anything else that appeared to be on his mind, including name-dropping a few bands and songs.Still, there is enough going on here that I don't feel like I wasted my time. I look forward to reading Smith's other books that I have in my collection. But this one definitely could have use some strong editorial guidance.