Book Review - FictionApathy And Other Small Victories (2006)
by Paul Neilan
Enter Shane: a directionless slacker who somehow found himself temping as an alphabetizer for the insurance firm Panoptican, a restaurant salt-shaker kleptomaniac, a vampire phobic... murderer? Of course not: he is incapable of caring about anything enough to take any action against it, much less kill. So who murdered Marlene, the deaf dental assistant, and, quite possibly, Shane's only friend? Will he be able to fit proving his innocence into his busy schedule of sleeping, passing out at his workplace bathroom, binge-drinking, stealing salt-shakers, fulfilling his obligation to his landlord by having sex with the latter's wife in lieu of rent, or being sexually-pulverized by Gwen, the girl who seems to assume she's his girlfriend (he doesn't bother to correct her)?
Neilen's comedic style is reminiscent of a number of my favorite works: with the foul-mouthed Holden Caulfieldesque narration, the humorously senseless trains of thought that reminds me of essayist David Sedaris, and the awe-inspiring air of Yossarian-like fatalism and indifference. The result is an absolutely hilarious story with a cast of wildly outrageous characters. Who cares that we never learn why Shane acts the way he does? This book is about laughing aloud to yourself, and wishing you cared as little about all the important things in life as he does. Highly recommended, although you might as well wait for it on paperback or for it to come to your local library. It's a fun book, but there's no need to invest in a hardcover. B+
Past Book Reviews:
8. Gotham Central Vol. 1: In The Line of Duty (2004) by Ed Brubaker, Greg Rucka & Michael Lark 7/8/2006
7. Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation (2002) by Joseph J. Ellis 7/4/2006
6. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time (2003) by Mark Haddon 6/27/2006
5. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (2000) by Michael Chabon 6/25/2006
4. State of Fear (2004) by Michael Crichton 6/15/2006
3. Interpreter of Maladies (1999) by Jhumpa Lahiri 6/12/2006
2. Confederacy of Dunces (1980) by John Kennedy Toole 6/1/2006
1. Novel Without A Name (1995) Duong Thu Huong 4/22/2006
