The Full Ridiculous

by Mark Lamprell

A funny, compelling novel about love, family, and the precarious business of being a man.

Michael O’Dell is hit by a car. When he doesn’t die, he is surprised and pleased. But he can’t seem to move from the crash position. In fact, the accident is just the first in a series of family crises: His wife Wendy is heroically supportive, but when his daughter Rosie punches out a vindictive schoolmate, all hell breaks loose. His son Declan is found with a stash of illicit drugs. A strange policeman starts harassing the family and ordinary mishaps take on a sinister desperation. To top it all off, Michael’s professional life starts to crumble.

Mark Lamprell’s extraordinary debut examines the terrible truth: sometimes you can’t pull yourself together until you’ve completely fallen apart.

Genres: Fiction, Australia, Contemporary, Relationships, Humor, Literature, Novels

256 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2013

Reviews

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book!!! Really one of the best novels I've read in awhile. I'll write more later. So happy I won this one - thanks goodreads and the publisher!

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Full ridiculous describes a year in the life of Michael O'Dell. The year starts badly when he is hit by a car while out jogging and lands up in hospital and from there it's all down hill. He has given up his job as a movie reviewer for a major paper to write a book on Australian cinema but after his accident develops PTSD and depression and finds he can't write. His normally well behaved teenage daughter has inexplicably attacked another girl at school and faces expulsion and he finds a bag full of drugs in his son's bedroom. Add in Michael's attempts to help his son make a film and an over-zealous policeman and Michael's life starts to spiral out of control.

Very humourous in places, this was a fun read. Michael is so hapless and his wife so incredibly patient and forgiving (but has his measure, no doubt about that). The style of the writing may bother some people as it is written in the second person as if the author is directing an actor. I think it was a technique used to put the reader in the situations that Michael faced and for me that worked well but I suspect some readers might not be so comfortable with it. An excellent debut novel from an Aussie writer.

[AdiTurbo · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is said that these days, all middle class families are just one accident away from financial ruin. This is exactly what happens to Michael, who has an accident, which throws him and his whole family into a series of small disasters that threaten to break them in every way possible. Michael loses his job and falls into deep depression. His wife tries to support them on her one income, while keeping a happy face and trying to handle everything since Michael is just not coping. Their children are also experiencing all kinds of problems, and the whole family is persecuted by a quite-mad and very-stupid policeman. Michael goes through therapy, a process which Lamprell describes quite believably. I kept turning the pages, eager to find out what happens to this nice little family, and whether Michael is going to be able to pull himself together and out of his depression, a thing I sadly know too much about. There are funny moments and sad ones, all very human and feel true to life. I enjoyed this book quite a lot.

[Ruby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly readable and endearingly human account of a man's path through crippling depression and PTSD.

It doesn't rain but it pours, so this poor fella must live through a series of disasters while he is battling mental illness. There are a lot of boring accounts of mental illness out there - it is actually quite difficult to write about depression without sounding a little samey and generic. This book is refreshingly well-written. Mark Lamprell has found a way to make his hardships entertaining, touching and funny, which is much more powerful than reading someone's self-absorbed angst.

Some other reviewers have criticised his use of the second person, but to me, it worked beautifully to make the book feel more immediate and visceral. I could relate to his feelings of self-loathing and inadequacy due to his depression - I am sure many people with depression can understand it. For me, the book enabled me to have a good, warmhearted laugh, which is so therapeutic in bleak times. I would recommend this book to anyone who has lived with mental illness because I think his intimate confessions may help others feel less alone and freakish.

[Jennifer G · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the witty writing style of this story. The story is about a man who gets hit by a car and his life just keeps getting worse and worse. I found myself laughing at the story, which is something I don't do very often.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from Goodreads.

I had higher expectations for this book. It wasn't a bad story, but it was not at all memorable. Pardon the pun, but the book was almost too pedestrian to be considered interesting.

I wasn't able to really connect with any of the characters, even though I consider myself to be very similar to Michael O'Dell. There was just a lack of personability with Michael.

I would consider his book a print version of the sitcom Seinfeld - it was about the hum-drum of normal, uneventful life with tiny air pockets of slightly deeper thoughts. That doesn't necessarily mean it is a bad book; just that it was a mindless read and would be most appropriate for a reader who needs a break from more provocative, thought-inducing reads.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good read, quick, and engrossing. Michael O'Dell is hit by a car while jogging and he is subsequently left traumatized and depressed. He is no longer able to handle the ups and downs of everyday life including his job, 2 teens, wife, in addition to his self-care. This story was very real for me, with the wife carrying the burden, and Michael spiraling and not being able to pull himself up. It's a good look at what it is like to live with anxiety and depression but in a fun sort of way, like all depression should be :)

[Jodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, somewhat different story of family life that made me both laugh like a maniac and cry like a baby.

Mark Lamprell is one of a kind! This was a wild ride and I enjoyed it immensely!

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Full Ridiculous is the first novel by Australian screenwriter and author, Mark Lamprell. Pleased to have survived being hit by a car, journalist Michael O’Dell leaves the hospital telling his wife, Wendy, that at least things can’t get any worse. Famous last words, he later comes to realise, as his life unravels in a cascade of events that resembles a train wreck. He’s in pain and unable to muster up the will to work on his book, and Wendy’s job is the sole source of family income. Then daughter Rosie uncharacteristically uses violence to resolve a dispute and son Declan appears to be hiding drugs in his bedroom. As parent/teacher meetings loom and bills threaten, a weird police constable seems determined to persecute the family. This is a book about ordinary people doing ordinary things and having (mostly) ordinary things happen to them, but somehow it manages to strike a chord and be very funny into the bargain. The main character is imperfect, self-deprecating and easy to identify with. “You’ve been avoiding mirrors lately but you know if you looked you’d find yourself doing an alarmingly accurate impersonation of an over-stuffed sausage.” His worries and fears are common to many of us. Michael’s observation on psychiatric questionnaires is particularly perceptive: “On the inside you feel like a complex mass of intertwining disasters but maybe from the outside you’re just a Fuck-up Grade B with a degree of difficulty of zero point seven.” Lamprell takes the unusual step of narrating this story in the second person: perhaps this is a side effect of being a screenwriter, and, while it takes a moment to get used to, it does work. Michael’s inner monologue is clever, often hilarious, and occasionally quite stirring. This is a funny, thought-provoking and ultimately inspiring tale that will have the reader thinking about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, adoption, self-worth, suicide, peer pressure, unconditional love, self-delusion and hospital ceilings. An outstanding debut novel.

[Anna Ottersbach-McLean · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a surprising read! I had never heard of it before and found it in an op shop but it made me laugh out loud!

[Calzean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lamprell writes of a normal man, living a normal life, finds himself facing a series of normal setbacks - he is injured in a car accident, his daughter has problems at school, his son is on drugs, the family is persecuted by a deranged policeman, there is financial pressures, the meaning of life escapes him. As a result he falls into depression. Slowly life turns and the main character realises how lucky he is to have his family's love and how he does serve a purpose.

Written in the second person, this is entertaining, realistic, sad and honest. There are no heroes in this book just realism.

[Sarah Shrubb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this very much. Some hilarious bits and rang very true till one thing (the denouement, really, alas) near the end. Great bunch of characters, and lots to resonate with middle class urban Australian life today. The main character is a goose, mostly, but does save himself (with lots of help), and his kids are wonderful. A very entertaining read, with enough grunt to make it more than just a comedy.

[Chris Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book. Now. Put down your latte, let the dog walk itself, you have a singular task now.
Read this book.

This is the fastest paced book I've ever read. The plot flows effortlessly with one action starting a long line of consequences like falling dominoes. The characters are fresh, real and believable.

Mark Lamprell has created a fantastic novel that is both hilarious and emotionally moving.

[Danielle West · Rating 4 out of 5]

I easily could have hated this book. It's written in second person perspective (Direct quote from the book: "You are in an ambulance. The brace on your neck is crushing and claustrophobic but you dare not complain."), which I would have loathed had the actual writing not been so incredible.

PS: Egg is my favorite character.

[Magpie]

Penny 2014

[Kirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book. IT was deeper and more thoughtful than I expected, and funny at the same time.I Loved the observations of someone going through a medical drama, which were spot on.

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a story about a husband and father experiencing a crisis. He is a writer who can’t seem to write, a father with troubled teenagers, a wife whom he loves but does not communicate well with anymore. He gets hit by a car and is hospitalized and then things spiral downward even more. The author does a great job of portraying anxiety and chaos and fear in the characters of this book. Most parents who are raising or have raised teens will be able to relate. For me however, I didn’t enjoy reading it. the depth of anxiety and depression by the father was so disturbingly sad for most of the book it was very depressing. Even the tidbits of humor did little to lift a reader’s spirit. The ending does turn things around…but not soon enough…

[Anthea Carta · Rating 4 out of 5]

A friend of mine who has worked 'in the movies' with the author lent me his two novels, One Summer Day in Rome, and this one, The Full Ridiculous. I fell in love with One Summer Day in Rome and, although this book did not become an instant favourite, I really liked it. His writing style is fun and entertaining, and he has mastered taking the ordinary and making it lovely. One of the excellent things about this story was that while this one character and his family had a year of stress and disappointments, he fully acknowledged there are far worse things happening in the world, but he did not negate what this man was experiencing. I really enjoyed this book.

[Ross Mcneil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book - such a fun read. Leaves you realising how easy it is for life to take a turn down a road you can't imagine. Sometimes the smallest insignificant events in isolation add to an almost tsunami-like event that in the end you are left wondering where the heck you are and how you got there. This book encapsulated that in a great fun believable way. Well worth a read.

[MagicParadox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this--bought copies for myself and a friend.

Heart-wrenching, tragic, hilarious, and oh so true to life! Delightful to read, and reassuring that I'm not the only one experiencing The Full Ridiculous.

Mark Lamprell writes beautifully authentically, not shirking from the hard or the painful, yet also seeing the comedy in god-awful situations. Truly heartening read.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Higher rating because of his writing style. I feel it would have taken him more effort to write this book using second person. It was also good until the end, his tone didn't change, he didn't over summarize and wrap things up to quickly. I just enjoyed it and thought how this situation could apply to almost anyone.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quirky tale about everyday life and the effects of an accident upon Michael and all his family. There are no twists or turns, it's just humdrum normal life and a family handling what has been sent their way.

[Natasa · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's an amazing book. It's funny, well written, makes you think about your life and your relationships with your family and friends, makes you appreciate what you have and it tells you not to count on it for ever.

[Darlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

life at its worst and its recovery

This is the story of life. Guaranteed ups and very low downs. I felt sorry for the main character but loved that his wife didn’t give up on him but stayed and loved him. :) love is the best

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! So funny! I found the way in which he thinks very relateable. And at points, intertwined with all of the laughs, there’s some really moving moments. Definitely recommend for a fun, quick read!

[L · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good, solid novel.

[Annamarie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mark Lamprell writes delightfully charming books. This is his first novel. "One Summer Day in Rome," his second book, captured my heart.

[Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny and frightening at the same time. A chronicle of how transient life can be.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An understated pop of happy humour.

[Feintwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this book. I usually don't like books that are family based or have no intense plots. Yet, I really do like this one. It is well paced, interesting, and weirdly funny.