Knifeboy: A Novel

by Tod Harrison Williams

Friends. Family. Housekeepers.

All's Fair in Love, War, and Knife Selling.

Check your dignity at the door as you stride across the welcome mat with Jay Hauser in this insightful and strangely touching story about young love, fear, manipulation, and the lengths we go to to succeed in a world that values charisma, competition, and acceptance above all else. Set on the elite campus of Dartmouth College and in the well-heeled reaches of the Detroit suburbs, this twisted and affecting coming-of-age novel provides a startlingly authentic and often hilarious glimpse of life through the eyes of an indulged and misguided young hustler.

Jay Hauser is wrapping up his first year at Dartmouth when he takes a summer job selling knives door-to-door to prove to Isabelle, the great love of his life, that he is charming enough to pull it off. His quest quickly becomes a dark obsession as he works his way up the knife-selling ladder trying to win the summer sales competition and lands neck-deep in an absurd subculture that is harder to break away from than he could ever have imagined. As sophomore year looms on the horizon, Jay's summer "break" has evolved into a hazy bender spent lying and scamming his way through all the places -- and people -- he once called home. Knifeboy marks the arresting debut of a fine young writer who reveals the unnerving reality of a ravenous generation in a lavish and unforgiving world.

336 pages, Paperback

First published August 28, 2007

Reviews

[Gerald Bronstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not sure many of the posters read the same book I did. I loved this book and think Tod Williams is promising young writer. I found the author's distinct sort of staccato-style writing refreshing and thoughtful. I do, however, agree with the assessment that the novel was both tragic and humorous.

[Nathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book for the first time when I was 14. And I've read it two times since. I don't think I really understood it after the first read but it left a lasting impression. Some parts of the book are really very funny in a mortifying sort of way. The second time I read the book I was in my second year of university and I think I understood it a little more. When I was in college I felt like this. You're like a kid and you're thrust into these adult situations and you have to prove yourself. You have to get a job during the summer, for Jay it was selling knives for me I did sales at a call center with a bunch of degenerates.

The protagonist vomits out things about the people around him in such an honest way. He says many things that almost every young man has thought before, and when I read it I guess I saw a bit of myself in the protagonist. After reading this I also felt like I knew something about the author, this story is obviously personal to him. And I can imagine the desire he felt to get a story like this out there.

One of my favorite books 10/10

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I finished this book on Halloween---frightfully appropriate.

IF there is a draw for this book it is local curiosity in my suburban Detroit community. The writer is the grandson of a very prominent family and the book is purported to be a true story. And a horrifying one at that.

As other reviewers have said, it is a coming of age story but I don't have much confidence in the ultimate maturation of the character.

The college scenes were enough to put me off on the entire book, but once the protagonist started his summer job selling over-priced knife sets it was riveting in a rather sick way. It reminded me of a quote from Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness---"the fascination of the abomination."
Enough said. It is a creepy story, not particularly well written, but an interesting peek into the life of a bored, priveleged, and disturbed college student.

[Tony · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not sure what drew me to this debut novel, I suppose the combination of coming-of-age story and door-to-door salesman antics. Both are promising fictional material when done right, however, neither element really worked much magic on me here. For full review, see http://www.amazon.com/review/R2AP3AR4...

[Rebekah · Rating 1 out of 5]

A joke, really.

[Lora · Rating 1 out of 5]

i read this book in a day-- i wish i had that day back.

[Mary · Rating 1 out of 5]

Worst written book I've ever read- how did this even get published?

[Gabriel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely not what I would consider "literature", but a fun summer read. Never thought selling knives could be so tragic/humorous!

[Riesa · Rating 1 out of 5]

A Ginzu commercial is more entertaining.