tonythep's review against another edition
4.0
This might just be the black comedy (oh so black) I've been waiting for all my life! When we first meet our hero (known only as K.), he is waiting to cross the street to a coffee shop. But since the recent death of his wife he's had an epiphany having to do with Einstein's theory of relativity, and has become so literal minded that he refuses to cross the street to the coffee shop for hours because the DON'T WALK sign has not changed. A further series of absurd events conspire to make K. the host of a popular reality TV show in which he confronts people with the truth with disastrous and hilarious results. Currie is a master satirist, able to walk a tightrope of comedy over a gaping chasm of heartbreak. I can't wait to read his earlier stuff.
dessa's review against another edition
3.0
Ron Currie ran off with a Douglas Coupland plot, with medium success. Slightly disappointed that a fair number of the longer conversations weren't really conversations, but read more like the same voice talking to itself to work out philosophical or moral problems. Interesting but not necessarily gripping.
pixe1's review against another edition
3.0
Started off hilarious but in the end it just got a little too crazy.
bettyvd's review against another edition
3.0
3,5 ster. Currie schrijft met humor over tragische gebeurtenissen. De plot sprak me deze keer wat minder aan. Maar wel mooi hoe luciditeit een vermomde vorm van rouw kan zijn.
lvdani's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
chamblyman's review against another edition
4.0
In the brutally funny, yet warmly human tradition of Kurt Vonnegut and George Saunders, this sharp eyed satire explodes American culture and reassembles the pieces into a crazy quilt of politics, celebrity, crime, love, and death that makes perfect sense. Fans of Don Delillo's White Noise and John Kennedy Toole's Confederacy of Dunces are 99.9% sure to enjoy!
julesfreak's review against another edition
3.0
That was dark. Dark veiled in humor and philosophy. Don't read while depressed.
norrin2's review against another edition
3.0
The first 80 or so pages of this book I felt like a had found a definite 5 star read. Then it turned into a completely different book and then another, each more bleak and depressing than the last. Currie has a great talent for finding humor in the darkest circumstances, and that's what kept me reading on to the oh-so-bitter end. Let's just say I'm not looking forward to reading any more Ron Currie anytime soon. My lasting impression of this book is a strong wish that he had continued with the book he started writing and not veered off into several left fields.
comeintothegraveyardmary's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0