A review by frisbeewhippet
The Cry of the Sloth by Sam Savage
1.0
This book is about nothing. Really. It's a collection of documents written by the main character (journal entries, letters to friends, letters to tenants, grocery lists, etc.) that is meant to reveal the man's state of mind as he slowly admits that he is a failure professionally and personally.
The book is not "funny" or "touching" or "dark" or "outrageous." It's not "inspirational" or "a tale about rallying in the face of adversity" or "a peek" into anything. It's nothing. It's just a book about nothing. It's a book about a man with mediocre problems who has mediocre reactions to them and creates your run-of-the-mill mediocre drama with said problems.
It is entirely possible that this mediocrity is precisely what the author was trying to capture with this book. If so, congrats to Sam Savage...but the work did not appeal to me.
If you used to work on a literary mag or spent any time in an MFA program, you'll enjoy the first 25 pages or so. After that, consider stopping. Seriously. Don't read on because you're waiting "to see what happens." Nothing happens. Just put the book down and move on.
The book is not "funny" or "touching" or "dark" or "outrageous." It's not "inspirational" or "a tale about rallying in the face of adversity" or "a peek" into anything. It's nothing. It's just a book about nothing. It's a book about a man with mediocre problems who has mediocre reactions to them and creates your run-of-the-mill mediocre drama with said problems.
It is entirely possible that this mediocrity is precisely what the author was trying to capture with this book. If so, congrats to Sam Savage...but the work did not appeal to me.
If you used to work on a literary mag or spent any time in an MFA program, you'll enjoy the first 25 pages or so. After that, consider stopping. Seriously. Don't read on because you're waiting "to see what happens." Nothing happens. Just put the book down and move on.