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The Ha-Ha
"Howard Kapostash has not spoken in thirty years. Ever since a severe blow to the head during his days in the army, words unravel in his mouth and letters on the page make no sense at all. Because of his extremely limited communication abilities - a small repertory of gestures and simple sounds - most people think he is disturbed. No one understands that Howard is still the same man he was before enlisting, still awed by the beauty of a landscape, still pining for his high school sweetheart, Sylvia." "Now Sylvia is a single mom with troubles of her own, and she needs Howard's help. She is being hauled into a drug rehab program and she asks Howard to care for her nine-year-old son, Ryan. The presence of this nervous, resourceful boy in Howard's life transforms him utterly. With a child's happiness at stake, communication takes on a fresh urgency, and the routine that Howard has evolved over the years - designed specifically to minimize the agony of human contact - suddenly feels restrictive and even dangerous. Forced out of his groove, Howard finds unexpected delights - in baseball, in work, in meals with his housemates. His home comes alive with the joys, sorrows, and love of a real family. But these changes also open Howard to the risks of loss and to the rage he has spent a lifetime suppressing." The Ha-Ha follows Howard down his difficult path to a new life. It is a story about the cost of war and the infinite worth of human connection.
1 pages, Audio CD
First published January 1, 2005
54 people are currently reading
1750 people want to read
About the author
Dave King
202 books30 followersDave King holds a BFA in painting
and film from Cooper Union and an MFA in writing from Columbia University. King's debut novel, The Ha-Ha, was named one of the best books of 2005 by The Christian Science Monitor and The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and was among eighteen books included on The Washington Post list of the season's best novels. The Ha-Ha was a finalist for Book-of-the-Month Club's "Best Literary Fiction" award and the Quills Foundation "Best Debut Author" award and won King a 2006-07 Rome Prize Fellowship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
King's poetry has been published in The Paris Review, among other venues, and has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. He has taught English at Baruch College and cultural studies and poetry at the School of Visual Arts in New York, and he divides his time between Brooklyn and the Hudson Valley of New York.
The Ha-Ha is currently in development from Warner Brothers Pictures, with Tod Williams slated to direct. The book has also found success in several foreign language editions, with more forthcoming.
and film from Cooper Union and an MFA in writing from Columbia University. King's debut novel, The Ha-Ha, was named one of the best books of 2005 by The Christian Science Monitor and The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and was among eighteen books included on The Washington Post list of the season's best novels. The Ha-Ha was a finalist for Book-of-the-Month Club's "Best Literary Fiction" award and the Quills Foundation "Best Debut Author" award and won King a 2006-07 Rome Prize Fellowship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
King's poetry has been published in The Paris Review, among other venues, and has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. He has taught English at Baruch College and cultural studies and poetry at the School of Visual Arts in New York, and he divides his time between Brooklyn and the Hudson Valley of New York.
The Ha-Ha is currently in development from Warner Brothers Pictures, with Tod Williams slated to direct. The book has also found success in several foreign language editions, with more forthcoming.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 489 reviews
December 4, 2013
I kept waiting for this book to veer into mawkishness, and it is to Dave King's enormous credit that he managed to avoid this particular trap. For a first novel, this is pretty impressive, and I will definitely be on the lookout for further work by this author.
Not a perfect book by any means, but a very good one. It has an understated power that creeps up on you. I recommend it highly. I'm deliberately stingy with my five-star ratings, but I did consider it here. Which probably translates to 4.5 stars, truth be told.
Not a perfect book by any means, but a very good one. It has an understated power that creeps up on you. I recommend it highly. I'm deliberately stingy with my five-star ratings, but I did consider it here. Which probably translates to 4.5 stars, truth be told.
June 20, 2016
Phenomenal story of redemption. Howard had barely made it to Viet Nam when a head injury sent him to the VA hospital, then rehabilitation, and ultimately back home to his parents' house. While his faculties are intact and he moves just fine, his ability to form words - written or spoken - has been taken away by the brain injury. But Howard still can think - very clearly - and what he has to say as the story's narrator is excellent.
Imagine a highly intelligent man stuck in a menial lawn mowing job, hired as charity by a group of nuns, and forced to rent out rooms to a couple of nit wits in order to make ends meet. Imagine that because you can no longer speak or write, everyone around you considers you to have the mental faculties of a child.
Howard is annoyed with how life has turned out, and nobody is more surprised than he when his old girlfriend deposits her only child in his arms on her way to court ordered drug rehab. Suddenly, Howard has to communicate - even if just with gestures - with the boy. He is forced to ask the roommates for help.
Howard begins to have hope, but he realizes that what he has with the child is temporary - a taste of what he will never have.
There are some exceedingly dark scenes here that left me with tears and others full of joy. There are a couple of graphic sexual moments, but they serve as a window into Howard's emotions.
You will find that a "ha-ha" is really just a landscaping trick - a way to assemble hedges or a berm to obscure the view of things we'd rather not see. Howard mows and grooms that ha-ha weekly, but as the story reaches its hopeful conclusion, he is able to look out upon a horizon finally unobscured. 5 stars and on my favorites shelf.
Imagine a highly intelligent man stuck in a menial lawn mowing job, hired as charity by a group of nuns, and forced to rent out rooms to a couple of nit wits in order to make ends meet. Imagine that because you can no longer speak or write, everyone around you considers you to have the mental faculties of a child.
Howard is annoyed with how life has turned out, and nobody is more surprised than he when his old girlfriend deposits her only child in his arms on her way to court ordered drug rehab. Suddenly, Howard has to communicate - even if just with gestures - with the boy. He is forced to ask the roommates for help.
Howard begins to have hope, but he realizes that what he has with the child is temporary - a taste of what he will never have.
There are some exceedingly dark scenes here that left me with tears and others full of joy. There are a couple of graphic sexual moments, but they serve as a window into Howard's emotions.
You will find that a "ha-ha" is really just a landscaping trick - a way to assemble hedges or a berm to obscure the view of things we'd rather not see. Howard mows and grooms that ha-ha weekly, but as the story reaches its hopeful conclusion, he is able to look out upon a horizon finally unobscured. 5 stars and on my favorites shelf.
September 18, 2007
I picked this up as a harcover on sale for 5 bucks, read the flap and thought, ok, this might work...
Wow. It is such a great story written in such an easy, down to earth, everyman (but not, as youll soon see) tone....
The main character had severe head trama in the war at a young age, came home, had surgery, but lost the ability to speak, and write and sometimes has trouble reading. He is normal in every other sense of the word. Holds down a job, has a few close friends, manages to get by on his own until he gets the phone call....
You follow his struggles as a woman friend he secretly pines for goes to drug rehab and leaves him in charge of her tweenage son..... he must find ways to communicate with the kid, and the world around him.... its a love story, and a story about overcoming ones disability in the face of adversary....
please do your self a favor and read this one. Its amazing.
Wow. It is such a great story written in such an easy, down to earth, everyman (but not, as youll soon see) tone....
The main character had severe head trama in the war at a young age, came home, had surgery, but lost the ability to speak, and write and sometimes has trouble reading. He is normal in every other sense of the word. Holds down a job, has a few close friends, manages to get by on his own until he gets the phone call....
You follow his struggles as a woman friend he secretly pines for goes to drug rehab and leaves him in charge of her tweenage son..... he must find ways to communicate with the kid, and the world around him.... its a love story, and a story about overcoming ones disability in the face of adversary....
please do your self a favor and read this one. Its amazing.
January 3, 2019
Although the title might lead one to think that it's funny, this book was described to me as "depressing." In fact, the title refers to a type of hidden retaining wall, rather than laughter. Either way, though, I wouldn't describe the book as depressing myself, aside from the steep slide downward toward the end.
Rather, I'd say this book is astonishingly hopeful. Our main character has overcome a great deal of adversity, and managed to make a life for himself despite an injury that has left him unable to speak or to read easily. He has overcome addiction and the death of parents. He has made a life for himself, and achieved an equilibrium largely characterized by his detachment from the people around him.
But when his high school sweetheart asks him to take in her 9-year-old son, Ryan, while she goes to rehab, he finds that they are able to form a bond. But perhaps this emotional reawakening is not all that Howard thinks it will be. Inevitably, though, Ryan must return to his mother, and Howard finds his newly constructed world unraveling.
This is the depressing part of the book, which perhaps is more drawn out than it needed to be. Again, Howard must struggle, but this time, instead of finding solace in solitude, Howard is able to turn to the relationships he formed through Ryan and find comfort in companionship.
Rather, I'd say this book is astonishingly hopeful. Our main character has overcome a great deal of adversity, and managed to make a life for himself despite an injury that has left him unable to speak or to read easily. He has overcome addiction and the death of parents. He has made a life for himself, and achieved an equilibrium largely characterized by his detachment from the people around him.
But when his high school sweetheart asks him to take in her 9-year-old son, Ryan, while she goes to rehab, he finds that they are able to form a bond. But perhaps this emotional reawakening is not all that Howard thinks it will be. Inevitably, though, Ryan must return to his mother, and Howard finds his newly constructed world unraveling.
This is the depressing part of the book, which perhaps is more drawn out than it needed to be. Again, Howard must struggle, but this time, instead of finding solace in solitude, Howard is able to turn to the relationships he formed through Ryan and find comfort in companionship.
January 14, 2023
I'm giving this a 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars. It was different than what I was expecting, but I still liked it a lot.
It is about Howie, who suffers a brain injury in the Viet Nam war. Thereafter, he cannot speak, read, or write, though there is nothing else wrong with him. He can only communicate through gestures. The injury and recovery were very traumatic for him. But at the time of the opening of the book, about nine years later, he is living in the home he inherited from his parents, along with three boarders, and he works doing gardening at a convent.
Then, his high school girlfriend (with whom he is still in love), asks him to care for her nine-year-old son, Ryan (by another man), while she goes to rehab. Howie does not want to do this, but agrees to the arrangement, and then the actual story begins.
There are lots of ups and downs, but it feels very realistic. And since the story is told in first person by Howie (so you know exactly what he's thinking, since he can't speak), it is a compelling tale. It is interesting to know how he feels during many frustrating situations, but also through some fun times with Ryan.
It is not a very happy story, but I liked the way it was written, and it just kept me coming back for more. I recommend this one!
It is about Howie, who suffers a brain injury in the Viet Nam war. Thereafter, he cannot speak, read, or write, though there is nothing else wrong with him. He can only communicate through gestures. The injury and recovery were very traumatic for him. But at the time of the opening of the book, about nine years later, he is living in the home he inherited from his parents, along with three boarders, and he works doing gardening at a convent.
Then, his high school girlfriend (with whom he is still in love), asks him to care for her nine-year-old son, Ryan (by another man), while she goes to rehab. Howie does not want to do this, but agrees to the arrangement, and then the actual story begins.
There are lots of ups and downs, but it feels very realistic. And since the story is told in first person by Howie (so you know exactly what he's thinking, since he can't speak), it is a compelling tale. It is interesting to know how he feels during many frustrating situations, but also through some fun times with Ryan.
It is not a very happy story, but I liked the way it was written, and it just kept me coming back for more. I recommend this one!
December 8, 2017
This book really wants us to feel sympathy for the main character, Howie, and all of his pent-up angers and frustrations at being a crippled, mute, middle-aged veteran in a world full of young, beautiful, talking people. This book really wants us to feel for his struggling attempts to connect with the young boy foisted off into his care by his passive-aggressive, drug-addicted ex-girlfriend who is forced into rehab by her sister.
But we can't all get what we want, and despite the book's valiant attempts to make Howie into some kind of relatable hero, I just couldn't bring myself to sympathize with or even like him. Despite years of living an independent and mature (though admittedly sterile) lifestyle, the moment his life is shaken up, he regresses into a child-man who makes decisions based on pride and impulse and who throws destructive (and even violent) temper tantrums. And how many times do we need to hear about what's happening in his pants, really?
I had to force myself through the second half, mainly skimming, and that only because it had been lent to me by a friend and I wanted to give it the benefit of the doubt.
The minor characters were slightly more likeable, but there was far too much time spent on Howie's ex-girlfriend Sylvia, whose presence in any scene was the equivalent of nails on chalkboard. I could not at all sympathize with Howie during moments when he actually fantasized about building a life with this poisonous emotional train-wreck.
On top of that, the story moved very slowly and the first 70 pages felt twice as long as they actually were. I tend to prefer stories with a more active plot, though your mileage may vary.
I have never been a fan of what my husband calls "broken vase" stories--where all the characters are emotionally stunted, maladjusted and/or immature and the story is all about their failed attempts to relate to one another in any meaningful way. This book reminded me why.
But we can't all get what we want, and despite the book's valiant attempts to make Howie into some kind of relatable hero, I just couldn't bring myself to sympathize with or even like him. Despite years of living an independent and mature (though admittedly sterile) lifestyle, the moment his life is shaken up, he regresses into a child-man who makes decisions based on pride and impulse and who throws destructive (and even violent) temper tantrums. And how many times do we need to hear about what's happening in his pants, really?
I had to force myself through the second half, mainly skimming, and that only because it had been lent to me by a friend and I wanted to give it the benefit of the doubt.
The minor characters were slightly more likeable, but there was far too much time spent on Howie's ex-girlfriend Sylvia, whose presence in any scene was the equivalent of nails on chalkboard. I could not at all sympathize with Howie during moments when he actually fantasized about building a life with this poisonous emotional train-wreck.
On top of that, the story moved very slowly and the first 70 pages felt twice as long as they actually were. I tend to prefer stories with a more active plot, though your mileage may vary.
I have never been a fan of what my husband calls "broken vase" stories--where all the characters are emotionally stunted, maladjusted and/or immature and the story is all about their failed attempts to relate to one another in any meaningful way. This book reminded me why.
August 23, 2007
I listened to the unabridged audio, and can highly recommend it. Howard is mute, yet you're hearing his thoughts, a far more intense experience than reading them in print. Moreover, the narrator does a great job with the other characters as well, especially Laurel's soft Texas twang.
April 26, 2016
This book, the author's first novel, centers on Howard, a man whose Vietnam injury left him speechless yet still sound of mind. This malady makes for a very interesting story, especially as other characters misunderstand his actions, especially at the book's climax. King's talented work brings to mind Mark Haddon's "Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" and Emma Healey's "Elizabeth Is Missing," each of which also tells a story from the perspective of a "disabled" narrator. King is no less gifted at conveying the joys, difficulties, and heartaches of life with Howard's condition. Howard's developing relationship with nine-year-old Ryan is especially endearing. I recommend this book highly.
November 28, 2022
3.5 stars
Howie was in Vietnam for the war. He was injured and came home unable to talk. He has not been able to since, nor did he re-learn to read and write. His best friend (and former high-school girlfriend), Sylvia, calls on him to take care of her 9-year old son, Ryan, while she is off to rehab. Lucky for Howie, he has three other people living in his house. Laurel lives there without paying rent, but she helps Howie out. Two other rooms are rented out to young men, Harrison and Steve (he calls them Nit and Nat: he doesn’t like them much!).
This was good. There was a lot of “guy” stuff in the book, but with Howie and Ryan as main characters, becoming almost like father and son, one should expect that. It was nice how the household came together to help out with Ryan (though none were used to having a kid around the house!). I didn’t like Sylvia much, but then Howie did some stupid things, too.
Howie was in Vietnam for the war. He was injured and came home unable to talk. He has not been able to since, nor did he re-learn to read and write. His best friend (and former high-school girlfriend), Sylvia, calls on him to take care of her 9-year old son, Ryan, while she is off to rehab. Lucky for Howie, he has three other people living in his house. Laurel lives there without paying rent, but she helps Howie out. Two other rooms are rented out to young men, Harrison and Steve (he calls them Nit and Nat: he doesn’t like them much!).
This was good. There was a lot of “guy” stuff in the book, but with Howie and Ryan as main characters, becoming almost like father and son, one should expect that. It was nice how the household came together to help out with Ryan (though none were used to having a kid around the house!). I didn’t like Sylvia much, but then Howie did some stupid things, too.
November 15, 2007
I enjoyed this book, but not a lot. The main character, Howard, suffered a severe head injury in Vietnam and cannot speak. He has much difficulty reading, and can barely write as well. So how did he tell this story? I know I probably shouldn't wonder about this, but I do. It was a sweet story, with mostly well-developed characters.
Howard is asked by his ex-girlfriend to care for her 9-year-old son while she is in rehab. Predictably, the veteran and the boy form a bond. It is not all sweetness. There are some scenes that are filled with anger and suffering. I thought that the book dragged in places, mostly toward the end. But all in all, it was a good story and it showed what caring for someone other than yourself can do to a person.
Howard is asked by his ex-girlfriend to care for her 9-year-old son while she is in rehab. Predictably, the veteran and the boy form a bond. It is not all sweetness. There are some scenes that are filled with anger and suffering. I thought that the book dragged in places, mostly toward the end. But all in all, it was a good story and it showed what caring for someone other than yourself can do to a person.
June 27, 2014
This story deals with difficult issues in a very believable manner. I felt as though every character played his/her part well, from the 9 yr. old, to the former jock 20 somethings to the drug addict mom and the main character Vietnam vet, head-injury Howard. King was into Howard's head and I could feel his pain. I kept wondering what would I do to help and what could the people around him do. A few of the reviews felt as though the war happened 20 yrs ago and he should have found a way to communicate. I found this believable, as I have met too many Vietnam vets whose time in Vietnam still affects their lives today. The book is probably not for the faint of heart, some have complained about foul language, crudity or explicitness. I did not find it gratuitous and felt that it fit and was possibly needed to flesh-out the characters. Medicine has more questions than answers for head injuries.
December 21, 2012
The only issue I had with this book was I couldn't believe that a man who can't speak and can't write but understands what is being said around him did not learn how to read lips or sign language. Something about this character willfully relying on others to understand and interpret the world around him rang false. Why be so independent yet so unwilling to engage the world around you? I understand he's broken by what happened to him and still in mourning for a life that he thought was his, but that was the one thing that struck me as false. Otherwise, it was a good debut with a solid - albeit slightly petulant -- ending.
September 5, 2007
Howard, a Vietnam vet, was injured in the war, and lost his ability to speak. His former girlfriend is a coke addict looking for a place to leave her son while she goes to rehab, and Howard, who is at her beckon call, takes him in. The story, which has great potential, never takes off. Not only that, but the premise that Howard never learned sign language, or any method of communication isn't believable. This dog just wont hunt.
October 20, 2008
This is a book I would not have picked up without the recommendation from a friend -- and I really enjoyed it. It is about a man injured in the Vietnam War and now cannot speak. A Ha Ha is a burm or wall errected so that an illusion is created. A person looking out would see a landscape, for example, and not see what is really there -- like a highway below the burm.
March 31, 2022
I knew nothing about this book when I picked it up and unfortunately, I ended up with the abridged version...but I still fell in love with these characters. It is an interesting premise to have the reader being the only one to understand the narrator's thoughts, because he no longer speaks and any communication is limited. I loved the connection that formed between Howard and Ryan and how it was a young 9 year old that helped him decide to accept his place in the world, his limitations, and his past and for Howard to begin to want to live again. The author did an excellent job of letting us into Howard's frustrations and his feelings. I hated Sylvia for treating him the way she does, and I had a hard time feeling anything for her at all, but I loved Laurel and his other friends and roommate's. Excellent book.
June 22, 2020
A story of loss, friendship and love. Questions what a family really is. The devastating events of war and how the consequences affect everyone
September 22, 2013
A ha ha is a turfed ditch
Warning: Some spoilers below...
The Ha Ha is an excellent novel about a Viet Nam vet with a severe brain injury, leaving him unable to speak. Thirty years after returning from Viet Nam, Howard Kapostash suddenly finds himself taking care of 9-year-old Ryan, whose mother Sylvia (Howard’s high school girlfriend) is in rehab for a cocaine addiction. Howard is middle-aged. His parents are dead. He lives in the house he grew up in with a detached group of boarders. Laurel, the only female, is a 30-something owner of a small gourmet soup business and helps Howard maintain the house. Two 30ish house painters, Steve and Harrison are new boarders.
Written through Howard’s viewpoint, this is a story of how Ryan comes to be the force that joins these people together, how Howard struggles to care for Ryan and how all the characters assume new roles. Howard’s actions are often well-meant, but several are based on terrible judgment and lead to bad results, leaving Howard unable to explain himself.
Howard is the kind of character you like despite his flaws and poor decisions. I was cheering for him all along. As Sylvia’s rehab continues, despite two disastrous visits, Howard imagines a new life with Sylvia and Ryan. All hopes unravel upon Sylvia’s return and Howard begins a downward and destructive spiral. These actions and the nagging question of why Howard never tried to learn sign language or another form of communication create a range of emotions in the reader. Anger for acting foolishly, for not caring enough to learn how to communicate, disgust for wallowing in drugs for years after his injury. Love for how much he cares about Ryan and how he steps up to the challenge.
The ending allows the reader to imagine the future and I still find myself wondering how Howard is doing.
Warning: Some spoilers below...
The Ha Ha is an excellent novel about a Viet Nam vet with a severe brain injury, leaving him unable to speak. Thirty years after returning from Viet Nam, Howard Kapostash suddenly finds himself taking care of 9-year-old Ryan, whose mother Sylvia (Howard’s high school girlfriend) is in rehab for a cocaine addiction. Howard is middle-aged. His parents are dead. He lives in the house he grew up in with a detached group of boarders. Laurel, the only female, is a 30-something owner of a small gourmet soup business and helps Howard maintain the house. Two 30ish house painters, Steve and Harrison are new boarders.
Written through Howard’s viewpoint, this is a story of how Ryan comes to be the force that joins these people together, how Howard struggles to care for Ryan and how all the characters assume new roles. Howard’s actions are often well-meant, but several are based on terrible judgment and lead to bad results, leaving Howard unable to explain himself.
Howard is the kind of character you like despite his flaws and poor decisions. I was cheering for him all along. As Sylvia’s rehab continues, despite two disastrous visits, Howard imagines a new life with Sylvia and Ryan. All hopes unravel upon Sylvia’s return and Howard begins a downward and destructive spiral. These actions and the nagging question of why Howard never tried to learn sign language or another form of communication create a range of emotions in the reader. Anger for acting foolishly, for not caring enough to learn how to communicate, disgust for wallowing in drugs for years after his injury. Love for how much he cares about Ryan and how he steps up to the challenge.
The ending allows the reader to imagine the future and I still find myself wondering how Howard is doing.
January 24, 2015
Meeting Howard and reading his thoughts, things he's been unable to voice for thirty years was a like meeting a new friend that seems as if you've known forever. The first 3/4 of The Ha-Ha was mild and entertaining. The idea for this book and character was inspired. The whole cast of characters is well thought out. After a huge setback in his life, Howard still hangs on to every word and every movement and the tentative friendship of Sylvia who can do no wrong in his eyes. When she calls on Howard to care for her nine year old son, (obviously not Howie's child) while she goes into rehab Howard can't refuse Sylvia but enters into the arrangement with many doubts. He can't speak so how will he communicate with the boy? Though he doesn't realize it, Howard has a group of friends that make a wonderful support system and as he and Ryan find their way, Howard starts to see Sylvia in a different light. The story builds from the mild beginning to a crashing turning point and an unexpected ending. I found Howard increasingly likable. The only confusing part was the strange encounters with Timothy, the homeless person that Howard would always be on the look out for on his night walks. Perhaps Timothy was like a warning of what Howard might become if he didn't keep control. Very good book, well written.
July 8, 2008
30 years ago, after only 16 days in Vietnam, Howard was in an accident and suffered severe brain damage. Now he can neither speak, read, or write though he is of normal intelligence. Sounds like a sappy set-up, especailly when you through in an ex-girlfriend who is now a coked-up bitch on her way to rehab leaving her 9 year old son with Howard. King is able to do more than I anticipated with this character and his circumstances, all without becoming overly trite and 'redeeming'. Howard doesn't change drastically in the eight weeks Ryan is with him, there are no miracle cures, he doesn't learn to speak through the power of love for one small child. Yeah, he is drawn out of himself, and yeah, he does love the boy, but the changes he goes through are realistic and paibful, not all about healing and redemption. He loses his job for awhile, the simply continues doing crappy handyman stuff. There is the potential for romance with his friend Lauren, but nothing is a foregone conclusion. This book took an almost ludricous premise and made it seem real, illustrating how frustrating life can really be, and how intense experiences can have both profound and nearly insignificant impact on our lives. I was so glad it didn't have a Hollywood ending I almost cried with relief.
June 10, 2011
I originally bought this book for Dan at a yard sale last summer but ended up reading it myself this summer. It's a sentimental tale of a mute Vietnam war veteran who must care for a boy while his mother's recovering from a drug problem. King does a good job of helping the reader to empathize with the narrator's frustrations as he struggles to communicate with the people around him and build more meaningful relationships. King is also skilled at tracking the mundane chores and behaviors of daily life and making them fairly engaging to read. It certainly helps that the narrator spends a lot of time talking about delicious food.
What King needs to work on, should he write other novels, is pacing. The plot pokes along for a couple hundred pages--a baseball game here, a building project there, a hot pancake breakfast over there--and then suddenly throws the characters into a profound crisis and gets them out of it in about 60 pages. It was rather like standing out in right field, getting distracted and sluggish from the warm sunshine, only to have a baseball fall from the sky and hit you on the head.
What King needs to work on, should he write other novels, is pacing. The plot pokes along for a couple hundred pages--a baseball game here, a building project there, a hot pancake breakfast over there--and then suddenly throws the characters into a profound crisis and gets them out of it in about 60 pages. It was rather like standing out in right field, getting distracted and sluggish from the warm sunshine, only to have a baseball fall from the sky and hit you on the head.
August 11, 2018
It started ok, the main character Howard, a wounded Vietnam veteran whose head injury has left him unable to read, write or speak, was interesting. Howard is "of normal intelligence" as it says on the card he gives people. He lives in his parents house and one of his housemates, Laurel, helps him with paperwork and bills. Howard mows the lawn at a local convent to provide him with enough income to get by so he is doing fine considering his injuries.
Things change when Howard agrees to look after his ex-girlfriend's 9-year old son, Ryan, while she is in rehab. Taking care of Ryan forces Howard to find a new way to communicate with people, having to do things he never had to do before.
Towards the end Howard really started to irritate me, I couldn't understand why he never had learned sign language for instans. I did finish the book but I wasn't really that interested how it would end.
Things change when Howard agrees to look after his ex-girlfriend's 9-year old son, Ryan, while she is in rehab. Taking care of Ryan forces Howard to find a new way to communicate with people, having to do things he never had to do before.
Towards the end Howard really started to irritate me, I couldn't understand why he never had learned sign language for instans. I did finish the book but I wasn't really that interested how it would end.
June 7, 2013
I really liked this book. All of the core characters are so richly developed, and the author puts us right into the main character, Howard's, head. The story vacillates from heartwrenching to joyous and everything in between.
From Howard's situation of being appointed caretaker of a 9-year-old boy, the reader sees Howard's life transform from almost robot-like with only token interaction with others, to one of depth and rich relationships.
And maybe Howard wasn't ready to feel so "human", as he unexpectedly comes to feel. The author takes us through the whole roller coaster ride with much skill. I felt like I was right in the middle of the story. It even made me nostalgic for my days as a little league baseball parent/coach - no small feat!
As for why 4 stars and not 5? I can't say, other than I'm just stingy that way.
From Howard's situation of being appointed caretaker of a 9-year-old boy, the reader sees Howard's life transform from almost robot-like with only token interaction with others, to one of depth and rich relationships.
And maybe Howard wasn't ready to feel so "human", as he unexpectedly comes to feel. The author takes us through the whole roller coaster ride with much skill. I felt like I was right in the middle of the story. It even made me nostalgic for my days as a little league baseball parent/coach - no small feat!
As for why 4 stars and not 5? I can't say, other than I'm just stingy that way.
October 7, 2018
A most unpleasant book. The premise is that a brain damaged war vet; can't speak, read, write or sign but is of normal intelligence; is asked by his old high school sweetheart if he can watch her nine year old son while she is in drug rehab. Howie, the war vet, says yes because he always says yes to her.
Howie lives in the house he grew up in with three roommates. The household loves the kid and everyone pulls together. But Howie, even though he can be a good guy, has very bad judgment and poor impulse control and he is stupid, stupid, stupid over this old girlfriend. He gets upset and .... ok, no spoilers. You might want to read this book even though I didn't like it and don't recommend it.
Howie lives in the house he grew up in with three roommates. The household loves the kid and everyone pulls together. But Howie, even though he can be a good guy, has very bad judgment and poor impulse control and he is stupid, stupid, stupid over this old girlfriend. He gets upset and .... ok, no spoilers. You might want to read this book even though I didn't like it and don't recommend it.
February 25, 2020
I liked the unconventional-family feel. I also appreciated the post-war trauma. However, it felt a little forced, long, and uneventful. Also, I was frustrated with the fact that Howie never seemed to really try. He didn't try to speak, he didn't try the alternative speach anhancers or tharapies, and he didn't even try sign language. It was frustrating. He didn't try at anything, and gave up at the slightest inconvenience. Even when he did fight, it was the battles that weren't worth fighting. The deeper insights in this book were shallow, and it didn't feel finished. Even after things get resolved in the final chapter, I felt unsettled and disappointed. I appreciate the more-modern setting and concerns, I just didn't think it pushed the boundaries hard enough.
March 14, 2011
Impressive first novel. A story that could turn to "depressing" really fast, never did that. I felt it was uplifting most of the time, and when it got sad (the first time I have cried over a novel in a long long time) you cry for the people who can't begin to understand what this man is experiencing. Through it all Howard is acutely aware of his shortcomings and deals with them in expected ways, even when he loses it! (who wouldn't under the circumstances) I would give this novel 4 and a half starts if goodreads allowed that.
June 7, 2013
I read somewhere that this was one of the best books of 2005.... I could see how some would think so.
Smooth and full of life, this novel is a delightfully satisfying, believable and well written work of art that reminds me of Lori Lansens' writing. The characters are flawed and quirky, but are so well developed and evolving that they are likeable despite their failings.
I would not have chosen this book by the title itself or the back cover summary, so I was glad to have come upon this book on a must-read list.
Smooth and full of life, this novel is a delightfully satisfying, believable and well written work of art that reminds me of Lori Lansens' writing. The characters are flawed and quirky, but are so well developed and evolving that they are likeable despite their failings.
I would not have chosen this book by the title itself or the back cover summary, so I was glad to have come upon this book on a must-read list.
March 28, 2008
Despite its stupid title, this is one of the best books I've read in a while. I thought the story sounded like a major downer, but I was pleasantly surprised to find it well-written, funny, and oddly uplifting. It's also equally disturbing, however, which makes for a unique combination. This book made me laugh, cry, cringe, and stay up until 3am to finish. Even the title ultimately redeems itself. Loved it.
August 21, 2011
This book is written from the perspective of a mute. Howie can't talk due to an injury sustained in Vietnam, and his brain's malfunctioning doesn't allow him to write or read either. Reading is a silent activity, but this is a book that made me feel even more silent. Contemplating Howie's life and reading about his struggles to communicate was even better than the plot to me.
August 23, 2011
A very moving book with a completely new sort of protagonist. An interesting read to do right after putting down "Matterhorn." I wasn't crazy about the last fifth of the story but otherwise, I was really riveted by the writing and became very fond of the characters. Excellent writing about a boy from a man without children, also, which is impressive.
July 11, 2008
The best book I have read in a long time, you will fall in love with these characters. I missed them and could not stop thinking about them after I had finished reading. Just of bunch of unusual people thrown together by life. You must read this!
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