bennett gavrish.com

REVIEW: "Ordinary Thunderstorms" by William Boyd

Thu, 31 May 2012 18:56:16 -0400

Grade: D+

L/C Ratio: 60/40
(This means I estimate the author devoted 60% of his effort to creating a literary work of art and 40% of his effort to creating a commercial bestseller.)

Thematic Breakdown:
35% - Escape from society
30% - Drug company drama
20% - Tour of London
15% - Intimate relationships

Boyd’s novel begins with an intriguing bang. The main character, Adam Kindred, meets a stranger in a London restaurant and hours later gets wrongly accused of murdering the man.

Unfortunately, the premise reaches its peak in the opening chapters and then quickly falls flat. The author does an adequate job of describing Adam’s decision-making process, but it doesn’t make the character’s decisions any less baffling. Rather than going straight to the police to claim his innocence, Adam opts to throw away his successful career and become a bearded, homeless recluse on the run from the authorities. While this scenario helps to push the plot along and introduce some fun characters, its absurdity hurts the rest of the novel’s execution.

More generally, Boyd struggles with his genre focus in Ordinary Thunderstorms. The author eliminates every shred of suspense in this supposed mystery by jumping between character perspectives and shoving too much information at the reader. I’m sure the goal was to craft some sort of literary thriller, but all Boyd delivers is a muddled plot that fizzles out well before its tedious conclusion.

Noteworthy Quote:
It was a routine, now, and one should never underestimate the importance of routine in a person’s life: routine allowed everything else to seem more exciting and impromptu.

INDIE REVIEW: "Chill Run" by Russell Brooks

Wed, 23 May 2012 19:01:37 -0400

Link: amzn.to/JlGLuF

Grade: B

L/C Ratio: 20/80
(This means I estimate the author devoted 20% of his effort to creating a literary work of art and 80% of his effort to creating a commercial bestseller.)

Thematic Breakdown:
45% - Action thriller
35% - Corporate corruption
20% - Life of a struggling writer

Canada is a freaky place. Or at least that’s how it’s portrayed in Brooks’ latest novel, which tells the tale of an aspiring writer who volunteers for a kinky job, hoping to launch himself into literary fame. Instead, he gets framed for murder and tossed into the middle of a corporate conspiracy.

Chill Run is a solid thriller with snappy dialogue. Just when the plot appears to reach its climax, Brooks delivers a final act that ties up some loose ends and deepens the story’s complexity. Like a lot of other books in the genre, Chill Run requires a dose of awkward exposition to keep the action moving – but Brooks’ characters are more than strong enough to carry the plot to a satisfying conclusion.

Noteworthy Quote:
“Geez, it’s amazing how guys always use sports analogies when it comes to anything remotely sexual.”

REVIEW: "The Boy Who Couldn't Sleep and Never Had To" by DC Pierson

Thu, 17 May 2012 19:01:13 -0400

Link: amzn.to/JFx8nN

Grade: C-

L/C Ratio: 30/70
(This means I estimate the author devoted 30% of his effort to creating a literary work of art and 70% of his effort to creating a commercial bestseller.)

Thematic Breakdown:
40% - Surviving high school
25% - Sci-fi
25% - Friendship
10% - Adolescent romance

Employing first-person narrators is a risky endeavor. If the reader fails to connect with that one character, all of the book’s merits can be spoiled. And that’s part of the problem with Pierson’s novel. Darren, a high school outcast and the voice of the book, displays some spunk and wit in the early chapters – but his narration grows tiresome rather quickly.

Style issues aside, The Boy Who Couldn’t Sleep and Never Had To simply struggles to find its hook. The book’s primary conceit is given away by its title, ruining the mystique of its most interesting character. Pierson also waits too long to elevate the novel from the young adult mode to which it clings. The conspiracy and sci-fi elements tossed in at the end feel less like plot twists and more like random tangents of the author’s imagination.

It’s a shame that Pierson never gets the tone and plot to click cohesively, because with the heartfelt friendship he develops between his two main characters, the novel represents a missed opportunity for literary success.

Noteworthy Quote:
I almost always wake up pissed, from sleeping late, or not sleeping enough, and if you don’t always wake up pissed I think you’re living wrong.

REVIEW: "The Lost Men" by David A. Colon

Mon, 14 May 2012 19:01:00 -0400

Link: amzn.to/H3hep9

Grade: B

L/C Ratio: 80/20
(This means I estimate the author devoted 80% of his effort to creating a literary work of art and 20% of his effort to creating a commercial bestseller.)

Thematic Breakdown:
40% - Philosophy
30% - Post-Apocolypse
20% - Love
10% - Religion

Some passages in Colon’s debut read like biblical verses, and others sound like they were pulled from a sci-fi thriller. Somehow, that dichotomy is not nearly as jarring or awkward as it sounds. The story has a natural flow, and Colon does an impeccable job of interweaving details about a bizarre post-apocolpytic civilization alongside deep philosophical and religious discussions.

Colon’s writing style successfully sets an ominous mood for The Lost Men, but at times the flowery language is a tad overdone. And although the allegorical format fits in well with the his cerebral intentions, I wonder if some subtlety may have strengthened the impact of the book’s metaphors.

Noteworthy Quote:
But dreaming meant different things to the two. She longed for the future, he longed for a second chance; she expected, he regretted. It was cruel that despair knew of hope, but that hope never learned the lessons of despair.

REVIEW: "Freedom (TM)" by Daniel Suarez

Wed, 09 May 2012 19:02:16 -0400

Link: amzn.to/w66fyx

Grade: D+

L/C Ratio: 20/80
(This means I estimate the author devoted 20% of his effort to creating a literary work of art and 80% of his effort to creating a commercial bestseller.)

Thematic Breakdown:
30% - Destruction of civilization
30% - Technology
20% - Action thriller
20% - Science Fiction

As a hater of big books, nothing annoys me more than when an author spoils a compelling premise by dragging it out to unnecessary lengths. Freedom (TM), Suarez’s follow-up to Daemon, is one of the only books I’ve ever come across that suffers from the exact opposite problem. It’s a wildly ambitious novel, and that ambition is both its greatest strength and biggest flaw.

Suarez depicts a frightening future that is plenty plausible, but the plot quickly loses its edge and becomes a little too convenient (like when he talks about “corporate data” as if every company in America keeps its financial records on a single Seagate hard drive). The book’s relatively compact size (compared to other techno-thrillers) creates issues as Suarez attempts to develop characters within the dizzying cyber war that dominates the story. Everything feels rushed, and as a result, none of the emotional moments land with any effectiveness.

Freedom (TM) presents some fascinating societal dilemmas, but it’s not a good sign when the entire human race is crumbling and you, as the reader, don’t particularly care.

Noteworthy Quote:
”Fact and fiction carry the same intrinsic weight in the marketplace of ideas. Fortunately, reality has no advertising budget.”

REVIEW: "From the Memoirs of a Non-Enemy Combatant" by Alex Gilvarry

Tue, 01 May 2012 19:01:51 -0400

Link: amzn.to/JJByc3

Grade: B+

L/C Ratio: 40/60
(This means I estimate the author devoted 40% of his effort to creating a literary work of art and 60% of his effort to creating a commercial bestseller.)

Thematic Breakdown:
30% - Life of a detainee
25% - NYC fashion industry
20% - Humor
20% - Relationships
5% - Politics

I don’t typically consider suspected terrorists to be a source of comedy. Then again, nothing about Gilvarry’s debut novel is very typical – and that’s what makes it so refreshing. The flashback approach is well-crafted, while his characters and their dialogue creep up to the edge of over-the-top ridiculousness without crossing the line.

Knowing a chunk of the plot revolved around the fashion industry (a sector I am totally oblivious to) made me think twice about picking up Non-Enemy Combatant. But given that Zoolander is my favorite film of all time, it seemed wrong to pass on this novel. Despite the relatively lackluster closing chapters, Gilvarry’s debut stands out as a bright spot in a pretty dull year for fiction so far.

Noteworthy Quote:
I traced her ivory legs from her hemline to her flats, where an out‑of‑place L.L. Bean backpack with the initials T.W.M. rested against her ankle. I would find out later that the initials belonged to one Todd Wayne Mercer, an ex‑boyfriend. He took her virginity; she took his backpack. Fair is fair.

REVIEW: "The Unnamed" by Joshua Ferris

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 19:01:00 -0400

Link: amzn.to/I6ZYyI

Grade: A-

L/C Ratio: 70/30
(This means I estimate the author devoted 70% of his effort to creating a literary work of art and 30% of his effort to creating a commercial bestseller.)

Thematic Breakdown:
40% - Psychological illness
30% - Marriage
15% - Law firms
15% - Parenthood

Ferris’ 2007 debut, Then We Came to the End, examined the conscience of the modern day office worker – a theme the majority of his readers could relate to, if not identify with directly. In The Unnamed, Ferris pivots and moves in the complete opposite direction, telling the story of a man who suffers from a bizarre disorder that doctors can’t diagnose, let alone cure. Considering the man is the only person in the world known to suffer from this disorder, it’s quite literally a theme with which the average reader cannot possibly identify.

The point is – Ferris took a risk with The Unnamed. And halfway through the novel, I wasn’t sure if he had succeeded or not. The initial description of Tim’s illness (he randomly starts walking for miles and miles and can’t stop himself) is fascinating, but its repetitiveness made me wonder if it may have been more effective as a trope for a short story.

Then just when I thought Tim was about to devolve into a shallow Forrest Gump caricature, Ferris seizes the reigns, stirs up the plot, and lands a conclusion that nearly induced weeping from me (do they make windshield wipers for Kindles yet?).

Ferris deserves a spot in the discussion of the premier contemporary novelists. More than anything, I admire his ability to retain such an artistic approach while still making his writing an accessible experience.

Noteworthy Quote:
What they used to call soul. What they used to call spirit. Indivisible, complete, that thing made of mind, distinct from body. He thought he had one—a soul, a spirit, a nature, an essence. He thought his mind was proof of it.

INDIE REVIEW: "A Life Transparent" by Todd Keisling

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 19:04:00 -0400

Link: amzn.to/z61sVU

Grade: B+

L/C Ratio: 40/60
(This means I estimate the author devoted 40% of his effort to creating a literary work of art and 60% of his effort to creating a commercial bestseller.)

Thematic Breakdown:
40% - Speculative fiction
40% - Sci-fi
10% - Brotherhood
10% - Marriage

Science fiction novels intimidate me because I worry my imagination may not be vibrant enough to keep up with their exotic ideas and visual inventions. Those worries were quelled in “A Life Transparent” for two reasons. First, the majority of the sci-fi content in the novel relates not to visible things, but to things becoming invisible. And second, Keisling does an admirable job of maintaining a narrow scope and keeping the focus on his characters.

The novel’s unsettling premise and examination of modern American society elevate it from the standard fare found in the thriller genre. There is no shortage of plot twists, and the kidnapped wife storyline is key to advancing the action and delivering a conclusion that carries some weight. “A Life Transparent” is a quick read with some crafty symbolism and a powerful message.

Noteworthy Quote:
He cursed his imagination for breeding a Southern detective, and cursed himself for letting the character become the voice of his inner monologue.

REVIEW: "The Bullpen Gospels" by Dirk Hayhurst

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 19:13:21 -0400

Link: amzn.to/HBlwCO

Grade: D

L/C Ratio: 10/90
(This means I estimate the author devoted 10% of his effort to creating a literary work of art and 90% of his effort to creating a commercial bestseller.)

Thematic Breakdown:
60% - Baseball
30% - Shenanigans
10% - Dysfunctional family

In search of something to get me in the mood for Opening Day, I picked up Hayhurst’s 2010 baseball memoir, which revolves around his time in the lower levels of the San Diego Padres minor league system. I’ve been away from baseball nonfiction for a while, but The Bullpen Gospels seemed like a safe choice. It’s been praised by many respected individuals in sports media, including Bob Costas, Tim Kurkjian and Tom Verducci.

Hurry, someone needs to check those men’s vital signs right away, because the book is a total mess. Hayhurst provides insight into the life of a struggling baseball player, but he makes very odd decisions when choosing which anecdotes are worthy of a brief mention and which deserve an entire chapter. Far too much of the text is spent chronicling clubhouse antics – some of which is offensive, and none of which is funny.

Hayhurst has some decent writing chops, so I can see why he turned to books as an alternative career (his second title, another baseball memoir, came out in February). However, he would be better served using that ambition and his personal experience to write baseball-centric novels, where he’d have the freedom to create actual narratives instead of muddled scrapbooks.

Noteworthy Quote:
Perfectionism is a funny thing. It won’t allow you to cut yourself even the tiniest bit of slack. It will insult you when you fail to achieve it and berate and belittle you until you’re your own worst enemy, an enemy you can never defeat.

REVIEW: "The Snow Child" by Eowyn Ivey

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 19:00:25 -0400

Link: amzn.to/H9LsSJ

Grade: B

L/C Ratio: 80/20
(This means I estimate the author devoted 80% of her effort to creating a literary work of art and 20% of her effort to creating a commercial bestseller.)

Thematic Breakdown:
40% - Family dynamics
40% - Rural life
20% - Magic

The strength of Eowyn Ivey’s debut novel is its balance. Each time the voice and thoughts of Mabel, the story’s lead character, threaten to bump the text into sentimental territory (aka Groan City), her no-nonsense husband Jack is there to keep things grounded. In the same way, chapters filled with descriptions of the quiet Alaskan wilderness are offset by energetic scenes involving Mabel and Jack’s lively neighbors.

Heading into the final third of “The Snow Child,” Ivey has an opportunity to be lazy, rely on her gorgeous prose, and pump out a fairytale ending to match the novel’s mystical premise. Instead, she twists the plot into some sort of Frosty the Snowman meets Willa Cather concoction, with a dash of Edith Wharton mixed in. It’s raw. It’s emotional. And it works like magic.

Noteworthy Quote:
We are allowed to do that, are we not Mabel? To invent our own endings and choose joy over sorrow?

Support "Train Wreck" in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Contest

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 19:00:06 -0400

As I announced last week, Train Wreck has advanced to the quarterfinal round of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel contest.

You can check out all of the other quarterfinalists here and even read a sample from each book.

To help Train Wreck stand out from the competition, please take a minute to go to the “General Literature” section, click on my book, and download the free sample to your Kindle/smartphone/computer.

REVIEW: "Skippy Dies" by Paul Murray

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 19:02:05 -0400

Link: amzn.to/H7jY0t

Grade: A

L/C Ratio: 60/40
(This means I estimate the author devoted 60% of his effort to creating a literary work of art and 40% of his effort to creating a commercial bestseller.)

Thematic Breakdown:
30% - Growing up
20% - Relationships
15% - Corrupt educators
15% - Humor
10% - World history
10% - The physics of the universe

Skippy Dies was published back in 2010, and since then, I’ve added and removed it from my reading list at least a dozen times. I blame my flip-flopping on Amazon’s description of the book. Okay, it’s a novel. But wait, the main characters are all teenagers. So is it a young adult book? And wait, it takes place in Ireland. So do I need to know Irish to enjoy it? Or is it just some morbid sequel to that Frankie Muniz movie about a dog?

In truth, I can’t blame whoever wrote the description of Skippy Dies. It’s simply not the kind of novel that can be summarized in a few sentences. As you can tell from the thematic breakdown above, there’s a ton going on here. Murray handles his shifting perspectives and tones with an art of grace, moving from a heart-wrenching moment involving a destructive affair right to a hilarious scene of banter between teenage boys (my favorite was the conversation about how Robert Frost’s poetry is actually all about anal sex).

I always complain about books being unnecessarily long, so I knew Skippy Dies deserved a high grade from me when I got to the end of the 12,000+ Kindle locations and still wanted more. Murray pulls you along on a wild emotional ride. I suggest you fasten your metaphorical seatbelt and hop on board.

Noteworthy Quote:
Maybe instead of strings it’s stories things are made of, an infinite number of tiny vibrating stories; once upon a time they all were part of one big giant superstory, except it got broken up into a jillion different pieces, that’s why no story on its own makes any sense, and so what you have to do in a life is try and weave it back together, my story into your story, our stories into all the other people’s we know, until you’ve got something that to God or whoever might look like a letter or even a whole word.

Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Update #2

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 18:00:06 -0400

Time for some more book bragging! Today, Train Wreck advanced to the quarterfinal round of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel competition.

That means it was selected as one of the top 250 entries in the general fiction category. You can check out the list of all the winners here.

Amazon is supposed to be posting excerpts of all the quarterfinalists soon, so I’ll post another update when that is live. 50 semifinalists will be chosen from the remaining contestants wish me luck!

REVIEW: "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 16:50:44 -0400

Link: amzn.to/xDilxr

Grade: B

L/C Ratio: 10/90
(This means I estimate the author devoted 10% of her effort to creating a literary work of art and 90% of her effort to creating a commercial bestseller.)

Thematic Breakdown:
40% - Hunting for humans
30% - Coming of age
20% - Young love
10% - Oppressive government

No, this does not mean I have joined the world of young adult fiction. My decision to read The Hunger Games was the result of three things: a lost bet, an invitation to the movie opening next week, and the fact that Suzanne Collins’ trilogy is really the only bestseller available via Amazon’s Kindle Lending Library (meaning I was able to “borrow” it for free).

There have been approximately 36 million reviews of The Hunger Games already written (the vast majority being positive), so I won’t bother evaluating its literary merits in great detail. Instead, I’ll just pose two questions.

1. How will the film version handle the novel’s first person perspective? A lot of the book takes place within Katniss’s head, and I hope they found a way to translate that onto the screen. Perhaps when Katniss speculates about what characters outside of the Games are thinking, the film will diverge from the text and adopt those other perspectives.

2. In Collins’s futuristic world, have humans lost the need to go to the bathroom? If not, I fully expect the other books in the trilogy to feature a high volume of restroom scenes.

Noteworthy Quote:
District Twelve. Where you can starve to death in safety.

REVIEW: "The Ask" by Sam Lipsyte

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 14:00:05 -0400

Link: amzn.to/zXTNrd

Grade: F

L/C Ratio: 65/35
(This means I estimate the author devoted 65% of his effort to creating a literary work of art and 35% of his effort to creating a commercial bestseller.)

Thematic Breakdown:
30% - Collapse of American life
20% - Failing relationships
15% - Parenthood
15% - Comedy
10% - Office politics
10% - Visual arts

I can’t remember ever being this frustrated with a novel. The opening chapters of The Ask had me laughing obnoxiously, as Lipstye introduces the character of Milo Burke with an authorial voice that has more bite and punch than anything else you’ll find in contemporary fiction.

Then you, the reader, gets to know Milo Burke. And you discover quite quickly that he is a dick. But it doesn’t stop there. His wife is a dick. His son’s babysitter is a dick. His boss is a dick. His coworkers are all dicks. His rich friend from college is a dick. And that rich friend’s illegitimate son, who lost his legs fighting in Iraq, even manages to be a dick.

Despite the total lack of likable characters, I was still holding out some hope for The Ask. Lipstye appeared to be on the verge of saying something profound about post-9/11 American society. Then I arrived at the quote that appears at the bottom of this post (feel free to go read it right now), and I lost what little respect I had left for the novel.

If Lipstye wants to use literature as an experiment, that is his right. But I expect writers to have a little more respect for their readers than to come out and flatly admit that they are constructing a poor narrative on purpose. The Ask is not meta. It is nothing more than a poor excuse for a novel, and the quote below is right – there’s no reason for it to exist.

Noteworthy Quote:
“I’m not very likable, am I?”
“You’re likable enough,” said Vargina.
“No, I mean, if I were the protagonist of a book or a movie, it would be hard to like me, to identify with me, right?”
“I would never read a book like that, Milo. I can’t think of anyone who would. There’s no reason for it.”

REVIEW: "How It All Began" by Penelope Lively

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 19:00:06 -0500

Link: amzn.to/w4CX2M

Grade: B+

L/C Ratio: 60/40
(This means I estimate the author devoted 60% of her effort to creating a literary work of art and 40% of her effort to creating a commercial bestseller.)

Thematic Breakdown:
30% - Aging
30% - Relationships
20% - Literature & language
20% - Comedy

Without amassing an unwieldy page count, Penelope Lively manages to create a colorful cast of British characters and assign them each an amusing life crisis to endure. How It All Began is a simple, cute narrative, and Lively is kind enough to wrap up all the scattered plot lines in a timely fashion.

The novel’s eldest characters are the best developed (perhaps thanks to the author’s own age), which provides Lively with a chance to share some insightful thoughts on the challenges of growing old and finding a shred of meaning in life.

Literary geeks are sure to get a kick out of the frequent references to modern and historical fiction. For several of the characters in the novel, reading comprises a major part of their identity and helps to navigate them through the maze of their existence.

Noteworthy Quote:
She has read to find out if things are the same for others as they are for her—then, discovering that frequently they are not, she has read to find out what it is that other people experience that she is missing.

Train Wreck Sale Alert!

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 17:00:06 -0500

You can now grab a copy of my debut novel, Train Wreck, in ebook format for just $2.99 or paperback for only $9.99.

It’s available from the following online locations:

REVIEW: "Bite Me: A Love Story" by Christopher Moore

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 19:08:05 -0500

Link: amzn.to/ArcKxD

Grade: C+

L/C Ratio: 5/95
(This means I estimate the author devoted 5% of his effort to creating a literary work of art and 95% of his effort to creating a commercial bestseller.)

Thematic Breakdown:
50% - Vampires
50% - Comedy

Christopher Moore certainly has no trouble finding a literary voice in his writing. His characters are outrageous, and as a reader, you never want them to shut up.

Abby Normal is the star of the show in Bite Me, and the hilarity reaches a maximum level when she decides midway through the book to turn herself into a vampire. The rest the cast also finds memorable ways to stand out, especially Chet - the giant shaved vampire cat with a craving for meter maids.

The plot of Bite Me is almost as wacky as its characters, but with the over-saturation of the vampire genre these days, I wish Moore had done something a little more creative than the “old vampires chase new vampires” trope. Thankfully, Moore realizes he does not have a profound premise to work with and smartly keeps the action and laughs moving at a steady pace.

Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Update

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 20:00:00 -0500

I found out today that my debut novel, Train Wreck, has advanced to the second round of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel competition!

That means it was selected as one of the top 1,000 entries in the general fiction category, and I’ll be receiving a book review from the Amazon editorial staff. Pretty cool, huh? You can check out the list of all the titles in the second round here.

The contest is open to all self-published or unpublished authors, and the grand prize winner will receive $15,000 plus a publishing contract with Penguin. The general fiction field will be narrowed down to 250 quarter-finalists in late March.

GUEST REVIEW: "How I Became a Famous Novelist" by Steve Hely

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:30:05 -0500

(This is a guest review by Heather. To submit your own, use the button in the column to the right.)

Link: amzn.to/yHmMDW

Grade: B+

L/C Ratio: 30/70
(This means Heather estimates the author devoted 30% of his effort to creating a literary work of art and 70% of his effort to creating a commercial bestseller.)

Thematic Breakdown:
50% - Writing
30% - Humor
10% - Revenge
10% - Food

Although Bennett is usually the literary nerd in our relationship who reads books about other books, he convinced me to give this one a shot. Initially, I didn’t know what to make of the dramatic narrator, random clips of literature and eccentric writing style. And frankly, it took me a little while to figure out if I was reading a novel or an actual memoir. But at the very least, it was humorous material – and I was surprisingly compelled to continue reading.

Hely’s narrative on the process of writing and the inevitability of procrastination will resonate with anyone who has ever tried to write anything, from a school essay to an actual novel. Many of the passages in the book were laugh-out-loud funny, and others were rather insightful (and various parts were both!).

My biggest complaint is that, at times, the novel felt too much like pure satire and had too many themes squished together (ironically, that’s the same problem with the protagonist’s novel, The Tornado Ashes Club). However if you want a quick, hilarious read with great commentary on our society (I particularly enjoyed the perspectives on Oprah and Amazon) and the current literary world, I would definitely recommend this novel.