A review by dannafs
Apologize, Apologize! by Elizabeth Kelly
4.0
"You treacherous, disloyal, star-fucking sack of shit." In Apologize, Apologize! Elizabeth Kelly made me laugh out loud over and over again. Her characters are witty, belligerent, heartbreaking, and unique. The story is one-of-a-kind, both in its humor and its tragedy. The story is narrated by Collie Flanagan, the grandson of filthy rich Perregrine Lowell, aka the Falcon. Collie's family is a wild and tumultuous group, plagued by indifference, alcoholism, privilege, and noise. He grows up on the Vineyard, with a violently condescending mother, a drunk father and uncle, and his charming younger brother Bingo. When his mother gets sick of him-which is frequent-he is sent off to Cassowary, the Falcon's estate.
It took me a while to figure out where the storyline was going. I remember being 100+ pages in and thinking to myself, "so is there going to be a point to this novel?" However, I was enjoying the writing so much that I didn't really care, and stuck right with it. I always check how many pages are in a book when I'm reading it, counting down how many are left... I didn't even do that! I probably could have read this book for an extra 200 pages! Once the story begins to unfold, it becomes mired in sadness and hysteria. Kelly is able to maintain her witty sense of humor, which makes the depression bearable. Toward the end, I felt like the book lost its believability, but again, I was enjoying it too much to care that the storyline went beyond belief.
I adored each and every one of the characters. Here are quotes that describe the Falcon and Charlie Flanagan.
The Falcon is peaking to Collie: "There comes a point when crazy is preferable to stupid and stupid is preferable to having a profoundly weak character. I'm not convinced that in your case we don't have a trifecta happening."
Charlie (Pop) Flanagan: "'Boys, sometimes this I-slash-me-business just gets you down... 'I drank the Communion wine. I got drunk. I passed out and missed my own mother's funeral. I dishonored my dear wife with other women. Woe is me.' Where does it get you? Try substituting 'he' for 'I' and it sets a lovely distance in place. Not that you're trying to avoid responsibility--just you're aiming for a little breathing room.
"'Put it another way: 'Charlie Flanagan stole the money his brother William had been saving for a year to purchase an old car and used it to buy drinks for everyone at the local bar instead.' Do you see the merit? You view your deeds in the cold light of day with no great loss of self-esteem. Your good opinion of yourself is very important. Well, in the end, what else have you got? If I say, 'Charlie Flanagan gave his aunt Colleen a Christmas gift of white bark chocolate, which he then took back and hid in his coat jacket as he was leaving the house--'
'Did you really, Pop?" Bingo interrupted.
'He did indeed. But maybe he had good reason, which he's not prepared to go into for the sake of an old lady who's been dead and whose memory, however complicated, deserves to be considered in respectful silence. Do you see the magic of it, boys? As a species, we tend to go easier on the other guy--at least in public. Make yourself the other guy. People will hurt you, boys. The work compels suffering. Satan is a first-person man. Be kind to yourselves, and always remember God is in the third person.'"
It took me a while to figure out where the storyline was going. I remember being 100+ pages in and thinking to myself, "so is there going to be a point to this novel?" However, I was enjoying the writing so much that I didn't really care, and stuck right with it. I always check how many pages are in a book when I'm reading it, counting down how many are left... I didn't even do that! I probably could have read this book for an extra 200 pages! Once the story begins to unfold, it becomes mired in sadness and hysteria. Kelly is able to maintain her witty sense of humor, which makes the depression bearable. Toward the end, I felt like the book lost its believability, but again, I was enjoying it too much to care that the storyline went beyond belief.
I adored each and every one of the characters. Here are quotes that describe the Falcon and Charlie Flanagan.
The Falcon is peaking to Collie: "There comes a point when crazy is preferable to stupid and stupid is preferable to having a profoundly weak character. I'm not convinced that in your case we don't have a trifecta happening."
Charlie (Pop) Flanagan: "'Boys, sometimes this I-slash-me-business just gets you down... 'I drank the Communion wine. I got drunk. I passed out and missed my own mother's funeral. I dishonored my dear wife with other women. Woe is me.' Where does it get you? Try substituting 'he' for 'I' and it sets a lovely distance in place. Not that you're trying to avoid responsibility--just you're aiming for a little breathing room.
"'Put it another way: 'Charlie Flanagan stole the money his brother William had been saving for a year to purchase an old car and used it to buy drinks for everyone at the local bar instead.' Do you see the merit? You view your deeds in the cold light of day with no great loss of self-esteem. Your good opinion of yourself is very important. Well, in the end, what else have you got? If I say, 'Charlie Flanagan gave his aunt Colleen a Christmas gift of white bark chocolate, which he then took back and hid in his coat jacket as he was leaving the house--'
'Did you really, Pop?" Bingo interrupted.
'He did indeed. But maybe he had good reason, which he's not prepared to go into for the sake of an old lady who's been dead and whose memory, however complicated, deserves to be considered in respectful silence. Do you see the magic of it, boys? As a species, we tend to go easier on the other guy--at least in public. Make yourself the other guy. People will hurt you, boys. The work compels suffering. Satan is a first-person man. Be kind to yourselves, and always remember God is in the third person.'"