Laugh out loud funny!

well told and very funny novel

from James:

I can't believe I read the whole thing. I'm usually one to give up on books I'm not enjoying, but this was a train wreck; I couldn't look away. By that I don't mean the writing, I mean the main character, Tom. As always, O'Brien leads the reader along with half truths until the end, but this time I just felt manipulated.

Here are two passages that sum up the book:

-from page 176: Even in the most banal circumstances, human love is a subtle and enigmatic phenomenon, almost beyond analysis, but in my own particular case, which was nothing if not unique, the ordinary amative complexities seemed to have been multiplied by a factor verging on the infinite. On the one hand I had loved Lorna Sue completely and absolutely. On the other hand there was the reality of my ledger. Between those two poles lay the force field of my individuality, that ceaseless internal warfare we call "character." (I was not simple Lothario; I was complicated.) I yearned for steadfast, eternal love, as represented by the lasting fidelity of one woman, but at the same time I wanted to be wanted. Universally. Without exception--by one and all. I wanted my cake, to be sure, but I coveted the occasional cupcake too.

- and from page 322: Old facts, new spin.

I really like O'Brien's writing, but instead of this one, try his more famous books: The Things They Carried and Going after Cacciato first. Then, if you can stomach it, you might enjoy Tomcat in Love.

This novel is about a completely offensive cad of a man who is obsessed with his ex-wife and spends all his time plotting revenge on her. He also spends all his time obsessing over seemingly every woman he encounters, logging each encounter (no matter how trivial or minor) in a "ledger." He's a professor of linguistics, which lends humor to the writing style, as he is constantly examining his and others' use of language in amusing ways, plus he clearly thinks he is smarter than everyone around him, which also adds to the humor. It's a funny book, doing the "unreliable narrator" thing on purpose and in full swing. This guy is delusional and it's fun to read about his warped world view.

I've read a lot of books like this, especially lately, and the crazy/unreliable narrator tactic is a favorite of mine (I "love to hate" book characters, especially when done so cleverly). I felt this one was good but not great--I thought it was amusing but not really funny, and I found some of the linguistic wordplay tiresome after awhile (although I can see many other readers might enjoy this quite a bit more).