Self-Titled

by Geoffrey Brown

Can a breakup break you apart?In Self-Titled, Geoffrey Brown stares into a mirror and writes what he sees, what he thinks, what he feels. The result? A self-portrait that's at once comic and psychotic, a complex consciousness captured in crystalline prose. Memories, manias, miasmas " Brown morphs the machinery of his mind into an utterly original entity, equal parts diary, criminal confession, sex manual and mash note, as he contemplates a breakup.The novel splits into two parts; in 'First, ' our slacker hero analyzes the minutiae of the relationship, trying to understand what he did, why it went wrong, and whether she'll come back. In 'Second' he knows she's not coming back, and he gets angry, flagellating himself with a whip of wordplay and remorse.Self-Titled is a singular achievement with universal who hasn't squinted into a mirror and said, 'What the hell is happening here?'? If Gertrude Stein's autobiography was Everybody's Autobiography, then Brown's self-portrait is everybody's self-portrait.Guest edited for the press by Derek McCormack.

80 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 19, 2000

Reviews

[Greg · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book. This book I read. Reading, I did with this book.

Something about this book I liked. About this book there was something I liked. I liked something about this book. This book had something about it I liked.

But there were more parts of the book I didn't care for. I didn't care for some of the book. There were parts I didn't care for in this book.

I thought about things while in this book. While reading this book there were things that I thought about. I wondered why I thought about things that I thought about while I read this book. But there were things I thought about while reading this book that had nothing to do with this book. While I thought about things that had nothing about this book I was reading the book. Why did I find my mind wandering. My mind wandered, and I wondered why.

The book would say something. Then something would be said again. And again something would be said but a little differently. Repetition would be done in slightly different linguistic manners. The author would write the same idea over and over again, but in slightly different ways.

The author probably found this interesting. I didn't. There was something interesting in the book to the author. Not to me. On and on this would go. I would keep reading but find myself thinking of other things.

I thought of two children shooting up a school. The fragmenting of the writing reminded me of broken children. Broken psyches were in the book, and they made my mind wander off to think more about Columbine than about the book.

I made a mess of a review. The review was a mess. In making a parody of the authors writing style I made a mess of things.

I wonder about votes. Will people vote for an obscure book, being parodied? Will anyone care about this review, for a book they never heard of? Will someone read this review even though they may never have heard of the book? Will I receive votes? Will you vote for me? You clicked the button yes. The button, yes I like the review, was clicked. The button was clicked. Clicking the button you liked the review. The button was never clicked. Will the review be liked?

[Mel Bossa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this while I was waiting at the library. Just picked it off the shelf because I needed a small book to read! Brown uses repetition to create different meanings and plays with syntax to create effect. Brown means to use repetition to create effect with syntax. Brown repeats sentences using syntax to create repetition. Brown creates repetition using sentences. He uses sentences. He doesn't repeat sentences with effect. The effect of Brown's repetition is used.

You know what I mean? I mean, do you?

[DefNotA Bot · Rating 1 out of 5]

Honestly I thought. I thought honestly. Reading this book as an adventure. Adventurous was I, the reader. Adventuring through the read. Reading through the adventure. An adventurous read. I gave it shot. A shot I gave. I shot. I wanted to shoot. The book. Book. Book a flight away from here. Not a bad attempt. Not a good attempt. Attempted. Im tempted. To write more. Write less. Write less my guy. My guy, write less.

[Annika Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love mr brown!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Miranda Priatel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr brown pleas e I'm sovbing shirting tears

[CHSREADERLOL · Rating 5 out of 5]

crying wheezing shitting out of my mouth god mr brown why. 11/10

[Mr Browns Evil twin · Rating 1 out of 5]

really good!!