Another Broken Wizard

by Colin Dodds

Another Broken Wizard is the story of Jim Monaghan, who really didn't want to go back to Worcester. But unemployment and his father's open-heart surgery forced his hand. Tending to his father and embarking on an ICU romance in the day, Jim seeks out his childhood best friend, Joe Rousseau. But Joe has problems with a local gang, and his plan to resolve the matter only makes things worse. Jim follows his friend into Worcester nights defined by drugs, guns and fistfights. And as the danger escalates, he makes a painful choice to try to save Joe. And then he has to live with the consequences.

Tending to his father and embarking on an ICU romance in the day, Jim tries to help his friend. He follows Joe into Worcester nights defined by drugs, guns and fistfights. As the danger escalates, Jim makes a painful choice to save his friend, and then has to live with the consequences.

Another Broken Wizard is a book about straddling childhood and adulthood, straddling a fading industrial home town and the information-economy of our attenuated aspirations, straddling the love for a friend and self preservation. It is an evocative portrait of Worcester, Massachusetts- both its place in the 21st century and its past.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Literary Fiction, Drama, Novels, Family

339 pages, Paperback

First published July 29, 2011

About the author

Colin Dodds is an award-winning author and filmmaker, whose works include Pharoni, Ms. Never and The 6th Finger of Tommy the Goose. He grew up in Massachusetts and lived in California briefly, before finishing his education in New York City. Since then, he’s made his living as a journalist, editor, copywriter and video producer. His work has appeared in Gothamist, The Washington Post and more than three hundred other publications, and been praised by luminaries such as David Berman and Norman Mailer. Forget This Good Thing I Just Said, a first-of-its-kind literary and philosophical experience (the book form of which was a finalist for the Big Other Book Prize for Nonfiction), is available as an app for the iPhone. He lives in New York City, with his wife and children.

Reviews

[Hollie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book reappeared on my kindle (I had gotten it as a freebie a couple of years back) and I was in between books so decided to give it a try. It was a pretty disappointing read all together. I should have checked out reviews before giving it a shot, but lesson learned. The characters and plot were dull. The story execution was equally bland. Im just surprised I didn’t declare this one a DNF early on - I should have. Not one I'd recommend.

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second-wave rite-of-passage story (ie late twenties as opposed to late teens) has been done a lot lately. But if you want a solid example of the genre, go with Another Broken Wizard. Dodds has done an outstanding job painting a poignant, utterly unselfconscious depiction of growing up.

The story

Jim's in an odd place; late twenties, recently unemployed from a decent job in New York city, and on his way home to Boston to face a Christmas with two recently divorced parents and a soon to be hospitalised father while attempting to hold his relationship together and try to find a new job. It's as though he's on the cusp of adulthood, and returning to the place of his childhood and adolescence may not be the best place to start.

Jim deals with the festive season and his father's hospitalisation as best he can, and devotes his mornings to emailing resumes. But he can't avoid the life he used to have in Boston; he's from a small part of town. And so many of his childhood friends are still here doing their own battle with growing up. So blowing off a little steam with them seems like just the thing.

Jim knows that it's probably a counterproductive way to spend his time, but he's drawn back into this world. He watches from the edges, knowing something has to give in the course of this journey into growing up.

The style

Another Broken Wizard is written in the first person, narrated by the protagonist; Jim. His voice is intimate and unselfconscious, his interactions with his friends and family feel scrupulously honest. It's not a super-long read; Another Broken Wizard is a page turner.

And the lovely portrayal of the protagonist is what makes it so. Dodds manages incredibly cleverly to incorporate so much profundity into every conversation, every feeling, every frustration that Jim experiences, and he manages to avoid sounding selfconscious or like a pratt. And that is a feat, when a lot of your subject matter revolves around kids who come from lower middle class backgrounds where casual violence and drug use and alcohol are part of their lives, still. Unpracticed authors seem to have trouble pulling this off. But not Dodds. The profound life conversations happen while the main characters are high, so they are credible and not forced. All the interactions are so realistic and empathetic, every character is flawed but deeply relate-able. And there's a sadness that permeates the story of so many characters who are struggling to make life different from how it's turning out, all in their own flawed way, and none of the issues are forced. It's great.

To be honest, this theme has been done. A lot. And if somebody had told me that Another Broken Wizard was one of those really coming of age books (as in, late twenties as opposed to teens) I might have approached it with a bit more trepidation. But if it's well done, it's well done, no matter what the subject matter. Also, if it's well done, I'm going to like it, because I'm of that age and I can relate. And that's what happened with Another Broken Wizard. It's so well done it kept me nostalgic for something that isn't my story, isn't my town, and I got really emotionally involved. I may have shed a tear at the beautifully foreshadowed climax, and I do not cry easily! Seriously. Give it a read.

Who is this book for?

I guess it's for people in their late twenties/early thirties, who can relate to the issues in the book most strongly. That said, it would be suitable for any age group because these issues can of course be translated universally. Another Broken Wizard is pretty gritty, and not that nice, more for a cathartic read than a joyful read. But still, highly recommended.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from the Goodreads Firstreads giveaway program.

Ok, let me begin by saying I really should read the blurb about the book before signing up to win it as I though this would fall into an entirely different genre from the title. I am glad that I read it as it is probably the best book I've read of the books published in the last year or two.
The story is gritty and urban, with wholly believable characters. Dodds use of prose is at time funny and at times stunning.
This is one of those books that when you finish it, you just have to pause and absorb it. I highly recommend Another Broke Wizard to anyone.

[Katherine D. Branson · Rating 4 out of 5]

beautifully written

After reading some of the reviews that day this book is about a friend who drinks and does drugs completely missed the point and message of this novel. Dodds has such a magnificent way of eloquently describing the look, feel and smell of things, it is poetic. This story of two people who grew up together and considered themselves brothers took two completely different paths in life and when they are at the face of adversity the way they cope and react are just as different leading to very different outcomes. I look forward to reading more work from this author.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, it’s a story but not one that grabbed my attention. It has all the main elements – characters, plot, setting. Out of this, the setting was the strongest. Worcester is the main mover of the story – that’s what grabbed my emotions and I loved the descriptions of this failing city.

Jim is just an OK guy and he hangs out with OK people. None of them are exceptional and none of them are doing anything exceptional. There’s a lot of drugs, drink, and sex. Jim is just cruising through life enjoying his superficial relationships and trying his best to avoid more meaningful connections. The one exception to this is Joe, his best friend. Many of their interactions are pretty superficial, but over time, they’ve had so many of them, spent so much time together, that they do have a deeper bond.

However, none of the characters grabbed my heart. Joe is a goof, and occasionally made me laugh, but sometimes I wanted to push him out of the car or punch him in the face. He’s not really doing anything with his life and doesn’t appreciate his family or his work buddies. He says he’s tired of this 9 to 5 stuff and so he starts looking for that quick cash. Selling drugs is what he chooses, but Joe isn’t the smartest tack in the batch. It just brings more trouble down on him.

Let’s talk about the ladies, because Jim and Joe certainly spend lots of time talking about them. With the exception of a few moms and 1 sister, all the ladies are sex objects. They whine, they are attention-hungry, they’re annoying, etc. It was a real disappointment that there were no worthy ladies in this tale. Also, Jim’s and Joe’s treatment of the ladies made me dislike them.

We finally arrive at the emotional ending of the story. Well, emotional for Jim. I wasn’t emotional because the story had a very small plot with no characters I connected with. 3/5 stars.

The Narration: Curt Bonnem did a really good job narrating this book. He captured the regional accents very well. His female voices were believable and he had distinct voices for all the characters. The pacing was perfect and there were no technical issues with the recording. 5/5 stars.

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Colin Dodds. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

[Cathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to the author, Colin Dodds, for selecting me as a winner in his giveaway.

It was odd to be reading a book based on an area I had just moved to in March. The main character, Jim, came back to his hometown to be with his dad. His father having surgery and needed someone to stay with him as he recovered. Jim seemed to resent having to be there as he had not spent much time in his hometown in years. He meets up with an old buddy and manages to get involved in some shady dealings. Takes care of his dad and tries to pursue a romantic interest. I won't say more for those of you who haven't read this yet.

I really enjoyed this book and recommend this to anyone who likes to read a general fiction now and then.

Again, thanks to the author for selecting me as a giveaway winner. I will be sure to read more of your work in the future.

[Aynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely strange reading about my hometown. Also strange seeing an old acquaintance make a cameo. The story itself hit real close to home for me. Guy leaves the Woo to make a new life, then circumstances change and he has to come back. He finds his old friends haven't outgrown the partying, drugs etc and gets caught back up in it. I will admit, I probably wouldn't have rated it 5 stars if it wasn't for the dead-on descriptions/directions to places etc.

[Kevin Kosar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can you ever go home?

Worcester, Massachusetts is a long way from Manhattan—economically, socially, and spiritually.

Jim Monaghan, a young business man, grew up there and has mostly escaped it. Until he returns to Worcester...Full review at http://kevinrkosar.com/wordpress/?p=1787

[Anthony Dibenedetto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Steeped in the flavors of a city that never-quite-was, this tragic tale of the bar room hero will leave you with a lingering feeling of reminiscence and remorse.

We all have that friend from our past who's personality could power a truck stop. This is the story of one such man, and his friend that tried to save him.
-Extraordinary storytelling.

[Peter J Strauss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Drugs, sex, rock and roll..and friendship

A really interesting peak into dead-end subculture that virtually no one escapes unscathed. A not very flattering depiction of a New England town that is firmly on the downhill slope.

Well written with a spare, in-your face style. The author's saving grace is that his cynicism is laced with compassion.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't read a lot of contemporary novels but I just couldn't put this one down. Another Broken Wizard follows the painful journey of Jim as he navigates the rocky road to finally step away from his past as it tries to pull him into its spiral of destruction. A powerful story that pulls you into its gritty realism.

[Rohit Kilpadi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good story. Not much of a fan of this genre, but could not put the book down. Good character development, gritty, urban, coming-of-age-a-second-time story. Good insight into growing up in a small town in New England. Really happy to have discovered this author. Looking forward to reading more by Colin Dodds

[Rebecca Dauber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jim was a much more complex character than I first thought. I could relate to his struggles with life, responsibilities, growing up, and going home. I didn't see the end coming but yet almost expected what happened to actually happened ..if that makes any sense. A really good read and great descriptions of the characters...sucks you right in as if you're there.

[Timothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

I probably would have given this book five stars except for the frequent errors in sentence structure. There were too many sentences with a word missing, or an extra word, or a word in the wrong place.
The story itself was well written and interesting, and overall, I enjoyed reading it.

[Cynthia Lobocki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Colin Dodds is a great writer. I usually dont have much time to read but this was one every time I walked by I picked it up to read a few more pages. Finally had to devote some hours to it since it pulled me in.I hope Mr Dodds has much success with this book. I enjoyed it very much.

[Sharon Zink · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story of debauchery and friendship. I am thankful to Grace that I escaped this life-style. But you can tell the writer describes places he's been, things he's actually done, and emotions he's actually felt.

[Jodi Gilroy · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I started the book I wasn't sure if it was going to be the right fit, but by the end I had connected with the characters and felt as if Dodds had pulled me into the story line.

Great book!

[Ken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing read. Dodds gives you an honest look into the gritty lives of those still living in Worcester post recession.

[Kimmi Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book not soon forgotten. Lots of lessons to be learned of family and friends and life. Just keep tissues ready for the end.

[John Kuempel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starts slow, but it made me feel the oppression of Worcester and connected with me in those passages that intimated feelings of futility, being lost, and figuring out who you are.

[kathleen r. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Broken Wizards

I'm not sure how I feel about this story other than it seemed the essential lesson or wisdom is wildly skewed from any conventional form of worldliness, wildness or even simple and common exposure. As protagonists go, Jim is flawed by his unwillingness to confront the deliberately reckless and absolutely stupid damaging behavior he sees in his friend, Joe. Jim can see the poorest types of decisions, the worst impulse control and the frenzied denial s of pseudo-intellectual passion that Joe teases and taunts others who may not always possess self control or social norms to cross all sorts of lines, dare all manner of criminal activities just to see if someone at some time will call his bluff and finally act out in a way that practically guarantees a tragic event, but he never, not once, tried to intervene or to steer his friend away. To safety or maybe to a place where a second chance can be found. Why? I think Jim knows himself for what he really is: a sad and lonely coward. I think in this flawed self it seems Jim is easily swayed by doing the things that will cause him the very least effort. He doesn't appear to want to have to work too hard to be a strong enough friend. There are many examples given of the least amount of effort Jim puts forth in all his relationships, from weary but needy newly divorced parents to school friends, and even to families in his friends. Joe is a list cause. Or is he? The story touches on all the many flawed and faulty recollections of growing up in a dead-end post war industrial town, when the one thing most youth want to do is get away, and never grow up only to be as lost and hopeless as they think their parents must be. It pulls away the masks we wear and the kids we tell, all so we don't have to wake up and face out sameness. Our lack of hope, joy or personal strength. Our individual lack of drive or ambition. If nothing else, this story can take you to the place in time where you will have to make choices and you will have to confront your own insecurities. Something to think about. These are broken people in a broken world. But they still don't see reality for what it is. It speaks volumes of a national grief. Of a person's failure to act while they still had time. Harsh. But full of the moments when choice is stir an opportunity.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has absolutely nothing to do with wizards (only a small mention about one near the end) but all about a man named Jim. It was basically a diary of Jim’s life when he is in Worcester the place he grew up. He is there as his dad is having open heart surgery and he is there to take care of him. During that time he gets in with his old friend Joe, who is much into drinks and drugs and things take a turn for the worse.
I didn’t think much to this book if I am honest, it didn’t capture me. There was no exciting plot, drugs and drink seemed to be all Jim and Joe did together and Jim lending money to Joe. Worcester didn’t sound like a nice place at all. Jim actually annoyed me actually. Yes he may have been having a tough time losing his job, going to look after his dad, but he was in a relationship and just sleeps with a random girl he meets in the hospital waiting room.

The narrator did capture me though; his voice reminded me of the intro to the 80’s TV show of The A-Team.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another Broken Wizard is my first introduction to Colin Dodds’s work. It is one of those books that has quite a unique story line. Which was a little refreshing to have something different to read. There were a few scenes that I was confused or thought was a little slow, but would pick up quickly. I had the pleasure of listening to the audio version and thought the narrator, Curt Bonnem, brought out the best of the book. His performance was great.
I am giving Another Broken Wizard three stars. I believe it is worth a read and many readers would enjoy it.
I received the audio version of this book from the publisher. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.

[Anita Nother Book · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Another Broken Wizard" is a coming-of-age story for people nearing their 30's, in which a disheartened guy who had left his hometown for college comes back-- temporarily or maybe permanently-- a decade or so later, only to realize that some things never change. It belongs to the generation of 20-somethings and 30-somethings experiencing unexpected unemployment, parental divorce, and dreams and goals that, even if fulfilled, never amounted to much.

I so wanted to leave a glowing review of this book. During the first half, I really enjoyed both the writing (except for some typos, for which I thought the author should employ a proofreader or editor) and the originality of the telling of the story. But after that, it seemed that the narrative just rambled and the story was going nowhere. The woe-is-me philosophical ramblings of the protagonist started to annoy me, and I wished he would just get up and do something more productive already. And the end was such a let-down that I really can't rate the book any higher than 3 stars, despite the fact that it kept my interest and I highlighted a lot of good quotes from within.

Jim, the main character in the book, returns to his hometown of Worchester, Massachusetts, after recently being laid off from his job as a finance guy in New York City, to care for his father who is undergoing open-heart surgery. His mother and father are semi-recently divorced and so even though Jim is returning to his hometown and his family, it's not the same family in which Jim grew up. He also returns to his best friend, Joe, who never left the area and never really grew up, but is still immersed in aimless alcohol- and drug- fueled partying.

The point of view is slightly reminiscent of The Great Gatsby, in that Jim is hapless narrator who goes about his days having things happen to him instead of actually taking any kind of an active part in anything. Even when he does take action, the things he does are confusing or counter-productive, and they seem to do nothing but give him even more reasons to smother himself in brooding discontent. The book is written almost like a diary and some chapters even kind of randomly start out with the date. Jim also spends a lot of time reading about the history of Worchester, which I found interesting even though I've never been to the place and never really plan to go. I liked some of these unique aspects of the book and at first I was glad it was self-published (at least, as far as I could tell) because I didn't think the author could get away with them if the book had been traditionally published.

Alas, I guess there are two sides to every coin because there were also some annoying or just downright bad parts of this book that I think could have been fixed by a traditional publisher or editor. In the end I think this book tries to be too much, and ends up being not that much. I don't want to give spoilers but the narrative fell flat because there were no real break-throughs, just same-old same-old, and by the end of the book there were way too many loose ends that were never tied up. I felt mad at the author for teasing me with plot lines and characters he never fleshed out. I felt confused about why some things had even been mentioned if they weren't going to be continued. And maybe this is a petty complaint, but I was annoyed by the title of the book, which wasn't mentioned until the very end, where it seemed really out of place. I think a better title would have been something like "Worchester Grit" or "A Modern History of Worchester" or something else that fuses the grimey industrialism of the city and the history books that the narrator reads throughout the story line with the actual story of what is happening to Jim and Joe.

Overall, this book had promise but it failed to deliver. I would recommend it with caution because it's interesting yet unfulfilling (much like the life of the main character).

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

December 30, 2014

A Review by Anthony T. Riggio of the novel Another Broken Wizard by Colin Dodds

When I started this book, I thought it would be entertaining and a fun read. Was I wrong!

The author is, undoubtedly a Massachusetts/Boston native, as you can almost immediately discern who insures that you understand the English being spoken by the main character of this book. Jim Monoghan returns from New York because his father must have a serious operation and since his parents’ divorce, he is the only one the father wants to attend to him post-surgery. While his mother lives nearby in a town within several minutes of Worchester Massachusetts, she doesn’t offer to help or perhaps is incapable. Jim has just been laid off his executive job in Manhattan due to a corporate reorganization and takes a hiatus from the girl he’s been dating for a long period of time. He intends to return and keeps his apartment in New York City.

Jim is thirty years old and hated living in Worchester when he left for college and did not want to return to ever live there. The very first thing he does, even before going to his father’s apartment, after driving up from New York City is look up an old friend, Joe Rousseau, a high school buddy who was nothing but trouble as a youngster. Here is thirty year old Joe sporting a “pony tail” and I immediately saw the incongruity between Jim Monoghan and Joe Rousseau, Joe stuck in his teen aged years and Jim a more mature and responsible person (or so I thought).
Jim quickly regresses to Joe’s level of maturity and it was at this point, I should have dropped the book as one never to pick up again. For whatever reason I continued on and the development of Jim’s regression and the development of the other characters became somewhat interesting. The renewed re-association becomes a downward spiral; I immediately knew was inevitable and would end in tragedy.

Reading on I began to revisit my own growing up, not too different than Jim’s and my separating myself from my friends as I began to realize hoe immature they were started to take on a clarity.
The book continues in several major drunk fests and a decline into the world of cocaine and almost juvenile sex sessions and street fights and the horrors mounting disasters.
As I read on, the relationship between Jim and Joe is both sad and heroic as to Jim’s blind allegiance to Joe and his near-do-well life style. The story becomes a rude awakening and a struggle to understand this relationship even after tragedy occurs.

One of the distractions the author provides is the constant and detailed description of the business’ and emporiums that Jim experiences as he drives to his father’s house, to the hospital and to meet Joe to rendezvous with immaturity.

The author wrote this book and I could almost see that the book was probably a memoir of his own struggle to grow up and discover himself. The overall story was interesting and somewhat entertaining and one will easily relate to events in their own life that almost changed the course of their lives.

The author was a descent writer and I will probably read some other works to see if my criticism holds true about the boring over described scenery of the drives through Worchester and its nearby towns.

I purchased the book through Amazon in the Kindle format and rated the book overall, three stars out of five.

[Erica · Rating 1 out of 5]

I only finished it because I had nothing better to do.

[Andrew Ferrell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Colin Dodds gives us a glimmer of a story here, but it falls flat for many reasons. The biggest of these is personal growth. The ebook itself was formatted well and I didn't catch too many spelling/grammatical errors that ripped me out of the story.

The story revolves around two friends, Jim and Joe. Jim is your typical small town boy moved on. He leaves Massachusetts, gets a job in New York City and things are going well. Until he is laid off and he returns to his hometown to take care of his father who is having open heart surgery. Joe is the friend who stayed behind, never growing up from the drugs an alcohol induced fog that was his high school and early twenties years.

From the get go, it is hard to see Jim even making a half-hearted attempt at his actual responsibilities of life. He spends more time drinking and doing drugs with Joe than he spends contending with his father's needs, which don't seem to be much even after the surgery. Jim's inability to have any integrity in his personal relationships is disappointing.

Joe is just a train wreck, and SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!









He crashes HARD, no big surprise really.

There are a few shimmers of light and profoundness, but they are grossly overshadowed by the complete foolishness of the scenes that play out.

It took nearly the entire book to get to this shining passage: "You can interpret and re-interpret what happens to you. But reality only lets you get away with so much." Maybe the author should have led with this line and let reality have a bit freer hand in the rest of the prose.

Honestly, disappointed and glad it was free from a mailing list I was on.

2016-03-14 11:39 GMT-05:00 Andrew Ferrell :


Sent from my iPhone

[Anne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Firstly, I am not the target audience for this book. The characters hate the sort of person I am and state it throughout the book, which makes it especially hard to empathize with them when their bad decisions lead to bad places. The narrator, Jim, is himself the sort of person that his friends would presume to hate and this causes him some measure of internal conflict, but Jim isn't really a strong enough character to offer counterpoint. The message seems to be that America rewards those who are willing to "go with the system" and that those who rebel ultimately create their own system of failure that they're unable to escape from. Cool, I guess, if the only America is the America of the working class.

Secondly, the author's writing style ultimately fails to engage me. He has plenty of quotable moments, but the connecting bits drag. He also employs a *lot* of anaphora and polysyndeton (literary devices that use repetition of words or phrases for an effect) and while this is likely meant to make a statement about Jim's life and the lives of the people he left behind, my lack of engagement made them seem gimmicky.

Ultimately, this is a very insular feeling novel, and I think that my colleague from Massachusetts would love it. My fellow non-Americans, however, may that insularity a weakness. Much like mid-western Trump supporters, the concerns of this novel deserve to be heard, but do not outweigh the concerns of everything and everyone else in the world, and when the characters seem intent on shooting themselves in the foot, it's hard to sit back and cheer them on.

[Colin Dodds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Broken Wizard is a book about straddling childhood and adulthood, straddling a fading industrial home town and the information-economy world of our attenuated aspirations, straddling the love for a friend and the urge toward self preservation. It is a portrait of Worcester, Massachusetts—both its place in the 21st century and its past.

“Dodds gets Worcester and shows it in all of its glories and cracks…He runs through the streets of the city and nearby towns and takes the reader with him…Dodds is a master of writing the town life and capturing all of the said and unsaid. His characters are so full of waiting, of pain, and of hope that never reaches past the next day.”
-Worcester Pulse Magazine

“Masterfully written with all the grit and grisly humor of returning to one’s dingy blue collar hometown, Another Broken Wizard is the compelling, tightly-woven story of a couple of 30-year old boyhood chums who don't grow up until it's too late.”
-Boston Literary Magazine

“Dodds has written a fine novel. He has a voice wholly his own, and he captures the elemental good and bad in the American male. Joe’s recklessness and gang feud creates a looming peril that keeps the reader on edge.”
-Kevin Kosar, author of Whiskey: A Global History

[L.E.Olteano]

Originally posted on Jun 21 2012 at Butterfly-o-Meter Books:

I got to about 25% of this before giving up.

The writing is light and pleasant, accessible. It's that sort of first person narrative that's really focused on what's going on with our MC and his close ones. The characters seem promising, flawed, imperfect, human. I kept reading for a while expecting for something major to happen, but it didn't quite feel like it did. I waited until I got to this 21% point of the read, and from there on I still hoped until I got to the 25% mark and gave up.

The story line didn't hook me at all, I didn't feel stirred, moved, or interested, really. I think Joe had a lot to do with that, he just gave me this off feeling that I couldn't shake. Bleh factor, you know? And Jim didn't charm me into being curious about himself, if he'd had then Joe would have been a good source of conflict I guess. But it didn't happen that way, sadly.

Maybe you guys get into it, let me know if you do, hm? :)