Review: Too many words, too slow a pace, too many minor characters shallow or contrived
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 12 17, 2013
I just ran out of patience with this one. It takes FOREVER to get the character out of his chair and across the room to open a window, say, or refill a coffee, or find out he's lost his job; forever to interview for new jobs; forever to painstakingly eat his healthy dinner and wipe every last crumb from the counter. The prose is verbose, repetitive. "Point of view violations" (something fiction workshoppers learn early on) are rampant, and I was never one of the POV police (comma Nazi, yes, but this novel is okay on the commas or I wouldn't have lasted as long as I did.)What got me to stop, cold, was the scene with Doris the obese woman, face smeared in chocolate, gulping cheese puffs, telling a psychic hotline she couldn't keep a boyfriend. The author shows zero respect this character and lame attempts at humor at the expense of the over-eater just don't amuse me. And not because I've gained five pounds a year since turning 50. The next client was a gay man whining and sobbing over his boyfriend's imagined infidelity. Stereotyped characters just don't capture the complexity and inherent humor of real people. This kind of writing is lazy, shallow and empty of authenticity.I excerpted a few passages by way of example but for some reason I have a hard time finding that page on amazon where readers share quotes from the novel.Occasionally, insights happen. Growth in the main character happens. Some interesting New Age ideas and historical information show up. The better parts of this novel, though, are buried deep like flowers hidden in a garden full of weeds that should have been pulled and shrubs that should have been pruned.The premise is great. I really wanted to like this novel. I just couldn't keep going. So many, many other books to read, so little time. With some editing and tightening, though, this could be a gem of a story.