Chief among his tormentors is Justin's own father, Mike, a wounded jock with a taste for blood who manifests a repellent combination of brutality and acute vulnerability. Above all, he tries to infect his boy with his own pathological competitiveness. The West's been won. Averages, a wise man told me once, are usually an excuse for something. Discussing workplace thievery, he explains that shoplifting is driving up the price of milk.
Milk is where they recapture the lost profits.
But while Thumbsucker has a sense of humor and some compelling characters, there are some profound weaknesses here. Not only does the novel mostly cover well-trodden ground, but many of the author's attempts to take us into new territory feel unduly contrived. Obviously, Kirn isn't aiming for strict realism, but it's hard to take his narrative arc too seriously when it keeps veering deep into a Twilight Zone. His main character has close encounters with celebrity actors, discovers that his boss has burned down the gas station to collect insurance money and watches his dentist change from an easygoing hippie into a patriotic National Guardsman. Still, there's much to like about Thumbsucker , especially its main character, poised on the brink of adulthood but far from sure that he wants to jump over the edge.