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Nothingness
Nothingness is a black comedy that unfolds during a rainy March in Massachusetts. Watch the townspeople go from suburban hockey fans one minute to a superstitious mob the next. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll believe anything.
Nothingness by Steve Farrell
Nothingness by Steve Farrell
273 pages, ebook
First published August 26, 2012
15 people want to read
About the author
Steve Farrell
1 book17 followersSteve Farrell lives in Massachusetts. He writes the kind of books he likes to read: complex, comic novels about the issues of our day.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 1, 2013
A drenching downpour, massive flooding and power outages, satanic images and the plunging economy. Is it the hand of God, a cult of evil Satanists or just some misguided high schoolers? You have to read this entertaining book to find out.
The main character, Boyd, is an electrical engineer and a skeptic. In fact, some of the best parts of the book are the transcripts from the am radio show Boyd hosts called Skeptic's Corner. Truthers and tin hatters beware! The book follows Boyd, his wife, Maureen, troubled son Dan, and autistic son Jamey as they struggle through their days each dealing in their own ways with belief (theirs and others) or lack of it, in their lives. Humor, irony and coincidence are woven throughout the story with teenage angst, a disintegrating marriage, PTSD and hockey (always hockey). Clever, smart writing makes this an easy, fun (though dark) read.
One point that stuck with me: isn't it more ethical to do something because it's the right thing to do rather than do the right thing for the promise of reward (heaven) in the end? If you enjoy debating the merits of belief or belief in belief you will find this a fascinating book.
The main character, Boyd, is an electrical engineer and a skeptic. In fact, some of the best parts of the book are the transcripts from the am radio show Boyd hosts called Skeptic's Corner. Truthers and tin hatters beware! The book follows Boyd, his wife, Maureen, troubled son Dan, and autistic son Jamey as they struggle through their days each dealing in their own ways with belief (theirs and others) or lack of it, in their lives. Humor, irony and coincidence are woven throughout the story with teenage angst, a disintegrating marriage, PTSD and hockey (always hockey). Clever, smart writing makes this an easy, fun (though dark) read.
One point that stuck with me: isn't it more ethical to do something because it's the right thing to do rather than do the right thing for the promise of reward (heaven) in the end? If you enjoy debating the merits of belief or belief in belief you will find this a fascinating book.
November 30, 2013
Besides the great New England regional flavor from local author Farrell, Nothingness offers a darkly comic narrative of a community alternately disintegrating like paper or bursting like an over-capacity dam from an unrelenting rain that just might be a curse from God upon one family. With hilarious portraits of small town ignorance, conspiracy theorists, and youth sports fanaticism, this novel is frustrating in all the right ways, in that it satirizes issues and ideas that should be frustrating anyone with perception and intelligence.
Altogether, Nothingness is the best kind of indie book: a fresh voice, where the rough edges don't detract from the experience, and not afraid to experiment.
Altogether, Nothingness is the best kind of indie book: a fresh voice, where the rough edges don't detract from the experience, and not afraid to experiment.
July 19, 2013
This is a black comedy about the foibles of human nature--weakness, gullibility, cynicism, irrationality, and the madness of crowds--all set in a rainy month in Massachusetts. I enjoyed the well-defined characters as well as the carefully plotted action that led to the inevitable conclusion. A smart, funny, bleak take on the human condition. Plus hockey.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews