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Waiting Period
In this moral tale, a man pulls back from the brink of suicide when his application to buy a gun with which to shoot himself is delayed by an unexpected computer glitch. Forced to wait until the error is cleared, he begins to rethink his position and eventually decides that, instead of violently throwing his life away, he will dedicate his time and effort to disposing of all those he feels deserve to die. Targeting a bureaucrat in the Veterans' Adminstration to start with, he devises an ingenious method of murdering him without a trace. His plan a terrifying and vengeful success, the man embarks on a joyful killing spree with a renewed zest for living, having found the true purpose of his existence. But whose is the other voice? The one that comments so wisely and so compassionately, and with such evident approval, upon everything the man does?
Waiting Period may not offer any answers to the meaning of life, but it certainly poses a lot of interesting new questions.
Waiting Period may not offer any answers to the meaning of life, but it certainly poses a lot of interesting new questions.
Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
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About the author
Hubert Selby Jr.
36 books2,405 followersHubert Selby, Jr. was born in Brooklyn and went to sea as a merchant marine while still in his teens. Laid low by lung disease, he was, after a decade of hospitalizations, written off as a goner and sent home to die. Deciding instead to live, but having no way to make a living, he came to a realization that would change the course of literature: "I knew the alphabet. Maybe I could be a writer." Drawing from the soul of his Brooklyn neighborhood, he began writing something called "The Queen Is Dead," which evolved, after six years, into his first novel, Last Exit to Brooklyn (1964), a book that Allen Ginsberg predicted would "explode like a rusty hellish bombshell over America and still be eagerly read in a hundred years."
Selby's second novel, The Room (1971), considered by some to be his masterpiece, received, as Selby said, "the greatest reviews I've ever read in my life," then rapidly vanished leaving barely a trace of its existence. Over the years, however, especially in Europe, The Room has come to be recognized as what Selby himself perceives it to be: the most disturbing book ever written, a book that he himself was unable to read again for twenty years after writing it.
"A man obsessed / is a man possessed / by a demon." Thus the defining epigraph of The Demon (1976), a novel that, like The Room, has been better understood and more widely embraced abroad than at home.
If The Room is Selby's own favorite among his books, Requiem for a Dream (1978) contains his favorite opening line: "Harry locked his mother in the closet." It is perhaps the truest and most horrific tale of heroin addiction ever written.
Song of the Silent Snow (1986) brought together fifteen stories whose writing spanned more than twenty years.
Selby continued to write short fiction, screenplays and teleplays at his apartment in West Hollywood. His work appeared in many journals, including Yugen, Black Mountain Review, Evergreen Review, Provincetown Review, Kulchur, New Directions Annual, Swank and Open City. For the last 20 years of his life, Selby taught creative writing as an adjunct professor in the Master of Professional Writing program at the University of Southern California. Selby often wryly noted that The New York Times would not review his books when they were published, but he predicted that they'd print his obituary.
The movie Last Exit to Brooklyn, Directed by Uli Edel, was made in 1989 and his 1978 novel Requiem for a Dream was made into a film that was released in 2000. Selby himself had a small role as a prison guard.
In the 1980s, Selby made the acquaintance of rock singer Henry Rollins, who had long admired Selby's works and publicly championed them. Rollins not only helped broaden Selby's readership, but also arranged recording sessions and reading tours for Selby. Rollins issued original recordings through his own 2.13.61 publications, and distributed Selby's other works.
During the last years of his life, Selby suffered from depression and fits of rage, but was always a caring father and grandfather. The last month of his life Selby spent in and out of the hospital. He died in Highland Park, Los Angeles, California of chronic obstructive pulmonary lung disease. Selby was survived by his wife of 35 years, Suzanne; four children and 11 grandchildren.
Selby's second novel, The Room (1971), considered by some to be his masterpiece, received, as Selby said, "the greatest reviews I've ever read in my life," then rapidly vanished leaving barely a trace of its existence. Over the years, however, especially in Europe, The Room has come to be recognized as what Selby himself perceives it to be: the most disturbing book ever written, a book that he himself was unable to read again for twenty years after writing it.
"A man obsessed / is a man possessed / by a demon." Thus the defining epigraph of The Demon (1976), a novel that, like The Room, has been better understood and more widely embraced abroad than at home.
If The Room is Selby's own favorite among his books, Requiem for a Dream (1978) contains his favorite opening line: "Harry locked his mother in the closet." It is perhaps the truest and most horrific tale of heroin addiction ever written.
Song of the Silent Snow (1986) brought together fifteen stories whose writing spanned more than twenty years.
Selby continued to write short fiction, screenplays and teleplays at his apartment in West Hollywood. His work appeared in many journals, including Yugen, Black Mountain Review, Evergreen Review, Provincetown Review, Kulchur, New Directions Annual, Swank and Open City. For the last 20 years of his life, Selby taught creative writing as an adjunct professor in the Master of Professional Writing program at the University of Southern California. Selby often wryly noted that The New York Times would not review his books when they were published, but he predicted that they'd print his obituary.
The movie Last Exit to Brooklyn, Directed by Uli Edel, was made in 1989 and his 1978 novel Requiem for a Dream was made into a film that was released in 2000. Selby himself had a small role as a prison guard.
In the 1980s, Selby made the acquaintance of rock singer Henry Rollins, who had long admired Selby's works and publicly championed them. Rollins not only helped broaden Selby's readership, but also arranged recording sessions and reading tours for Selby. Rollins issued original recordings through his own 2.13.61 publications, and distributed Selby's other works.
During the last years of his life, Selby suffered from depression and fits of rage, but was always a caring father and grandfather. The last month of his life Selby spent in and out of the hospital. He died in Highland Park, Los Angeles, California of chronic obstructive pulmonary lung disease. Selby was survived by his wife of 35 years, Suzanne; four children and 11 grandchildren.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews
September 21, 2023
This novel, Selby Jr's last, had the feeling of a 200 page sprint. The narrative is told in such a breathless way, that it felt like bringing on a panic attack at times. It's best to read the whole thing in under a day or, if possible, in one go. It's difficult to find a place where you can easily press the pause button, as every time I picked it up again and pressed play, it was like re-joining the middle of a race from a standing start: getting back up to pace with the words and sentences took a while. Even the novel opens halfway through a thought, in regards to which method the narrator would use to kill himself. We enter the mind of someone who is well and truly on the edge; where reasoning doesn't take long to cross the border into insanity and murder, and not knowing just where his journey is going to end up, you do know it's not going to be a pleasant one. It was giving me Taxi Driver vibes, seeing as Selby Jr also deals with a troubled military veteran. He has once again given me a right good punch in the guts. Selby Jr hits, and he damn well hits hard. He is simply relentless here, and the fact there aren't really any secondary characters, and only occasionally do we switch to third person, away from the narrator's mind, means we are there, right inside his head, most of the way.
December 19, 2020
If you haven't read any of Selby’s previous works, then hello, and, welcome, because you’re in for an intense literary treat and one hella bloody rollercoaster ride, so strap yourself in.
One of the masters of 20th century fiction, and hard realism, his work is an even more bleak variation of Simenon’s romans dur, or “hard novels” (see one appreciation here: No adjectives necessary: Simenon's a great writer). He was also an uncompromising writer from the start with Last Exit to Brooklyn, his first novel that caused such notoriety, outrage and impact.
Waiting Period focuses on the huge frustration and anger many of us feel about some of the draining, negative forces in our lives (aka, bureaucratic indifference, institutional rigidity, people's pigeonhole non-thinking and lack of humanity, the need for endless forms to fill in, and authority's insistence that we must be subservient to it, to submit without questioning, or risk being rejected).
There are two major reasons to read this novel: it speaks up for those who are most often made silent - the vast majority of the downtrodden, exploited, unemployed, neglected, and discarded. And, the narrator of the story speaks directly and powerfully to you.
He’s one of the many ignored underclass. Having served his country dutifully in the army, government, all he’s left with as a war veteran is the endless arbitrage of dealing with the contempt of government bureaucracy.
Ultimately, being ignored over too much time, and feeling, in conclusion, desperately suicidal, he decides to buy a gun and kill himself.
But there's a glitch in the computer system, and the few days it takes for him to get the gun, makes him completely re-interpret his goal, and - frankly, find a new and disturbing reason for living.
There are many vivid, incredible moments in this novel, made all the more powerful because, as a reader, there’s no escaping the narrator's thoughts viewpoint.
He decides, instead of killing himself, to kill at least the principal figure who controls the finances of the government administration and who, automatically, continues to deny him his rightful claims to support.
Because you’re reading the novel from a deeply personal, angry first-person view, Selby challenges, complicates and ultimately annihilates any attempt by the reader naive enough to simplify and seek refuge in binary thinking of good vs bad, and evil.
Selby's genius, is that he enables you to experience the anger, deprivation, frustration and anxiety of a vet, while at the same time you ’hear’ the narrator trying, always, to rationalise his behaviour, so that he does the ”right” thing.
Over time, the intensity, and sheer, unrelenting power, of the narrative, draws you to one conclusion: inevitably, justifiably, and yet disturbingly, you side with the narrator as he fantasises and commits acts of - how shall we characterise them - "assassination"?; "terrorism"? Soon, you're morally compromised (or implicated, rather) where you find yourself thinking he’s kills righteously, for justice - from the fascistic bureaucrat denying his rightful VA claims, to genuine racists who have killed and since glorified their actions in yearly festivals.
The intensity is comparably to Louis-Ferdinand Celine's fiction, but Selby goes far beyond that. He takes no prisoners.
I think this is a wonderful novel that sadly has been mostly underrated, even by his fans. It’s incredibly focused, relentlessly first-person, overwhelming, visceral, and deeply moving. An important work that captures the sense of despair, anxiety, alienation and frustration caused by powerful institutions and society in general, and that Celine first articulated from the 1930s onwards. In Selby, we have a writer who has continued that legacy. Should you read this novel you will, I promise, never forget it.
One of the masters of 20th century fiction, and hard realism, his work is an even more bleak variation of Simenon’s romans dur, or “hard novels” (see one appreciation here: No adjectives necessary: Simenon's a great writer). He was also an uncompromising writer from the start with Last Exit to Brooklyn, his first novel that caused such notoriety, outrage and impact.
Waiting Period focuses on the huge frustration and anger many of us feel about some of the draining, negative forces in our lives (aka, bureaucratic indifference, institutional rigidity, people's pigeonhole non-thinking and lack of humanity, the need for endless forms to fill in, and authority's insistence that we must be subservient to it, to submit without questioning, or risk being rejected).
There are two major reasons to read this novel: it speaks up for those who are most often made silent - the vast majority of the downtrodden, exploited, unemployed, neglected, and discarded. And, the narrator of the story speaks directly and powerfully to you.
He’s one of the many ignored underclass. Having served his country dutifully in the army, government, all he’s left with as a war veteran is the endless arbitrage of dealing with the contempt of government bureaucracy.
Ultimately, being ignored over too much time, and feeling, in conclusion, desperately suicidal, he decides to buy a gun and kill himself.
But there's a glitch in the computer system, and the few days it takes for him to get the gun, makes him completely re-interpret his goal, and - frankly, find a new and disturbing reason for living.
There are many vivid, incredible moments in this novel, made all the more powerful because, as a reader, there’s no escaping the narrator's thoughts viewpoint.
He decides, instead of killing himself, to kill at least the principal figure who controls the finances of the government administration and who, automatically, continues to deny him his rightful claims to support.
Because you’re reading the novel from a deeply personal, angry first-person view, Selby challenges, complicates and ultimately annihilates any attempt by the reader naive enough to simplify and seek refuge in binary thinking of good vs bad, and evil.
Selby's genius, is that he enables you to experience the anger, deprivation, frustration and anxiety of a vet, while at the same time you ’hear’ the narrator trying, always, to rationalise his behaviour, so that he does the ”right” thing.
Over time, the intensity, and sheer, unrelenting power, of the narrative, draws you to one conclusion: inevitably, justifiably, and yet disturbingly, you side with the narrator as he fantasises and commits acts of - how shall we characterise them - "assassination"?; "terrorism"? Soon, you're morally compromised (or implicated, rather) where you find yourself thinking he’s kills righteously, for justice - from the fascistic bureaucrat denying his rightful VA claims, to genuine racists who have killed and since glorified their actions in yearly festivals.
The intensity is comparably to Louis-Ferdinand Celine's fiction, but Selby goes far beyond that. He takes no prisoners.
I think this is a wonderful novel that sadly has been mostly underrated, even by his fans. It’s incredibly focused, relentlessly first-person, overwhelming, visceral, and deeply moving. An important work that captures the sense of despair, anxiety, alienation and frustration caused by powerful institutions and society in general, and that Celine first articulated from the 1930s onwards. In Selby, we have a writer who has continued that legacy. Should you read this novel you will, I promise, never forget it.
May 13, 2011
I originally rated this book four stars. Then I read a bunch of the reviews people posted--lots of one and two star reviews at the top. This made me rethink my rating, and I realized just how much I enjoyed the book. If you can sit down and read it in one straight shot, that'd be best. I'm the kind of reader who, once she begins reading, the characters take shape in her mind, she goes into a different dimension. This is definitely one of those dimensional books. It is sometimes difficult to pop in and out of the dimension, but once you find it, it's somewhere you'll want to stay.
Selby doesn't have terrible grammar, as one reviewer posited; nor is his writing "trite." He writes from the point of view of a crazy person, and that's how a crazy person would write.
RIFL: American Psycho, Requiem for a Dream, psychological disorders, stream-of-consciousness writing
Selby doesn't have terrible grammar, as one reviewer posited; nor is his writing "trite." He writes from the point of view of a crazy person, and that's how a crazy person would write.
RIFL: American Psycho, Requiem for a Dream, psychological disorders, stream-of-consciousness writing
February 6, 2017
When Harry decides to blow his goddamn brains out the goddamn system makes him wait 3 days before he can get a goddamn gun. (Krist, what madness.) So Harry decides to whip up some homemade E coli and turns his high strung neurotic frustration into some good ol fashioned American revenge.
This was classic Selby downward spiral with some grey humor and irony mixed in. Not meant for sunny dispositions.
This was classic Selby downward spiral with some grey humor and irony mixed in. Not meant for sunny dispositions.
April 23, 2016
I've read most of Hubert Selby's novels but I hadn't read his last one, Waiting Period. After a quick glance at the opening lines it looks promising - the narrator is contemplating various methods of suicide, he's weighing up the pros and cons of different methods such as sleeping pills or slitting his wrists but it's not long before he decides to opt for the all-American way out with a gun. Hari Kiri just seems too crazy a way to kill oneself. Ok, so the method has been decided, now to get a gun...this can't be difficult...this is America right! Well, there's no problem with getting one legally, just go to a store, fill out a form and away you go....only there's a computer glitch. The bastards won't even let him kill himself. However, this waiting period gives the narrator time to re-evaluate things:
If this sounds a bit dark then you're correct, but Selby has a brilliant sense of humour and with his stream-of-consciousness style, together with his idiosyncratic punctuation, we get to listen in on all the thoughts of the narrator - every twist and turn - we see how he plans to get the E.coli into Barnard's drink, his fears of failure, his reluctance to test his culture out on innocent animals. There's a briliant section where he's driving to Barnard's diner to do the dirty deed, he's obviously nervous and he's getting irritated with other car drivers. Here's a short snippet of this section:
Does he have second thoughts about his attempt to kill Barnard? Not really, he demonises him and imagines that Barnard enjoys turning down applications for disability allowances and feels that he'll even be doing Barnard's family a favour by getting rid of him.
The narrator successfully gets the culture in to Barnard's drink; I'm not exactly sure how he does this without Barnard noticing, but he does, and now he waits to see if it has the desired effects. I won't reveal too much more of the plot but the narrator now goes through an intense 'high' period, only to be followed by an incredible 'low' in which his suicidal thoughts return and his attention turns to his long-forgotten gun. It takes a little while for him to realise but he's found his own raison d'être.
I was impressed with how Selby advanced the story, he ratchets it up at each stage and it culminates in quite an unexpected way. Selby's style will probably split readers but if you've read any of his other books then you should like Waiting Period as well. His stream-of-consciousness is done to perfection as we get a mix of inner thoughts, spoken word and dialogue but there's never really any confusion over what's going on; his style adds to the reading experience and isn't devised to confuse the reader as some writers seem to do. The narrator is a brilliant character, full of anger, rage and thoughts of revenge; he's brought to life by Selby and though we don't empathise with him we can at least understand him. The narrator is not a monster, he's a distorted version of us. For me, Selby can be compared with Louis-Ferdinand Céline, both for his style and his depiction of anger and rage, and that is high praise indeed.
They came close. Oh they came close. Was all set to put a gun in my mouth and pull the trigger. But there was a computer glitch. Isnt that something? A stupid glitch and I had to wait a few days and then I saw the errors of my ways, saw so clearly that I was killing the wrong person. Its not me that needs killing, its them. Funny how things can change in the wink of an eye.So now his anger is turned towards the outside world and his initial target is Barnard ('...it would be nice to strangle that son of a bitch Barnard at the VA, to just wait for him some night and force him to drive out of town and slowly choke the bastard...'), a government employee, whom the narrator decides has acted against him. The narrator isn't an idiot and he doesn't want to get caught so he decides against shooting Barnard and instead opts for contaminating Barnard's food with E.coli. He finds out where Barnard eats his lunch and does some internet research on cultivating E.coli cultures.
If this sounds a bit dark then you're correct, but Selby has a brilliant sense of humour and with his stream-of-consciousness style, together with his idiosyncratic punctuation, we get to listen in on all the thoughts of the narrator - every twist and turn - we see how he plans to get the E.coli into Barnard's drink, his fears of failure, his reluctance to test his culture out on innocent animals. There's a briliant section where he's driving to Barnard's diner to do the dirty deed, he's obviously nervous and he's getting irritated with other car drivers. Here's a short snippet of this section:
It always amazes me how inconsiderate most drivers are. A little common courtesy would prevent 90% of the accidents. Just let the other guy have the right of way. Krist, youd think their lives depended on getting ahead of everyone. Weave in and out, cut people off and for gods sake dont use your directionals, whatever you do dont signal you dumb son of a bitch, just wander back and forth, zip across 10 lanes of traffic, thats fine, maybe cause a few accidents, even kill a few people, but what the hell, you own the fucking street so you can do what in the hell you want and whatever you do, dont go to all the trouble of pushing the lever up or down, please, please, I know it takes too much energy so dont bother, please, dont bother just go your merry way and dont fucking signal you numb nuts son of a bitch jesus krist common courtesy is ancient history with these maniacs...This section goes on for a bit with the narrator getting increasingly irate until another driver lets him move lane and he calms down a bit. Of course it's all amusing as he's getting worked up over driving etiquette while he's on his way to commit a murder.
Does he have second thoughts about his attempt to kill Barnard? Not really, he demonises him and imagines that Barnard enjoys turning down applications for disability allowances and feels that he'll even be doing Barnard's family a favour by getting rid of him.
The narrator successfully gets the culture in to Barnard's drink; I'm not exactly sure how he does this without Barnard noticing, but he does, and now he waits to see if it has the desired effects. I won't reveal too much more of the plot but the narrator now goes through an intense 'high' period, only to be followed by an incredible 'low' in which his suicidal thoughts return and his attention turns to his long-forgotten gun. It takes a little while for him to realise but he's found his own raison d'être.
I was impressed with how Selby advanced the story, he ratchets it up at each stage and it culminates in quite an unexpected way. Selby's style will probably split readers but if you've read any of his other books then you should like Waiting Period as well. His stream-of-consciousness is done to perfection as we get a mix of inner thoughts, spoken word and dialogue but there's never really any confusion over what's going on; his style adds to the reading experience and isn't devised to confuse the reader as some writers seem to do. The narrator is a brilliant character, full of anger, rage and thoughts of revenge; he's brought to life by Selby and though we don't empathise with him we can at least understand him. The narrator is not a monster, he's a distorted version of us. For me, Selby can be compared with Louis-Ferdinand Céline, both for his style and his depiction of anger and rage, and that is high praise indeed.
March 15, 2013
Cubby’s swansong is a blackly comedic novel about a suicidal nerd who decides to off the bureaucrat that wronged him instead of taking his own life. By manipulating a strain of E-coli bacteria and furtively inserting it into his victim’s coke, he succeeds in his plan to dispense with the faceless desk vulture, and decides to increase his repertoire of sly E-coli murders like a nerdier Charles Bronson until the novel ends on a morally ambiguous note. Not unlike B.S. Johnson’s Christie Malry’s Own Double-Entry, this last work from Selby fizzles with dark comic energy and his (now tired) stylistic run-ons and stream-con. As a bitter bow-out from the world of letters, and the world, Waiting Period triumphs, leaving pellets of pain in all unsuspecting do-goody readers.
September 1, 2012
The very first Selby I read and I must say, I was blown away. I devoured this book in a single sitting and I strongly recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading from a mentally disturbed characters point of view. It's entirely in this man's mind and to watch his disintegration into madness is hypnotic. The writing is captivating and it really does feel as though you are inside this man's mind. The book starts to move at an incredibly rapid pace toward the later part but you never feel lost. Selby did an amazing job and I would suggest to anyone to read this.
December 15, 2011
Waiting Period is the story of a severely depressed and angry man who decides to ragequit life by eating a gun. When he goes to buy one a computer glitch forces him to wait a few days, during which time he decides his time would be better spent killing others, namely those he blames for everything that is wrong in the world.
Written in the stream of consciousness style that is Selby's signature, this is by far the weakest of his works I have ever read. I am very glad that I read Requiem for a Dream and Last Exit to Brooklyn first instead of this one, otherwise I would never have had the intestinal fortitude to check out any of his other novels. Normally I refrain from reviewing books I haven't finished but in this case I feel a sacred duty to warn others away from this dreck lest it taint their opinion of his otherwise madskillz.
The nameless protagonist's sociopathic whining was akin to a grater on the cheese of my literary sensibilities. What Mr. Selby failed to realize with this particular novel was that if you are going to spend an entire book inside someone's head, there had better be some intriguing stuff in there. What makes it truly tragic is that this idea had great potential and familiarity with his other works makes me confident that Selby had the chops to pull it off. Out of respect for his other works I will simply assume that he ran out of fucks to give and just blasted this book out of his ass in a fit of artistic dysentery.
Not recommended unless you're a masochist. Check out Requiem for a Dream, Last Exit to Brooklyn or The Willow Tree instead.
Written in the stream of consciousness style that is Selby's signature, this is by far the weakest of his works I have ever read. I am very glad that I read Requiem for a Dream and Last Exit to Brooklyn first instead of this one, otherwise I would never have had the intestinal fortitude to check out any of his other novels. Normally I refrain from reviewing books I haven't finished but in this case I feel a sacred duty to warn others away from this dreck lest it taint their opinion of his otherwise madskillz.
The nameless protagonist's sociopathic whining was akin to a grater on the cheese of my literary sensibilities. What Mr. Selby failed to realize with this particular novel was that if you are going to spend an entire book inside someone's head, there had better be some intriguing stuff in there. What makes it truly tragic is that this idea had great potential and familiarity with his other works makes me confident that Selby had the chops to pull it off. Out of respect for his other works I will simply assume that he ran out of fucks to give and just blasted this book out of his ass in a fit of artistic dysentery.
Not recommended unless you're a masochist. Check out Requiem for a Dream, Last Exit to Brooklyn or The Willow Tree instead.
February 1, 2008
Waiting Period is about a man who wants to commit suicide but his actions are delayed to purchase a handgun with a glitch in the store's computer system. Instead he goes on a secret killing spree of former co-workers by injecting an ecoli virus into their food.
This book completely creeps you out because it's told entirely from the man's point of view and it makes you realize what crazy people we have in this world.
Does he get away at the end of the story with what he's done? You'll have to find out and read ;)
This book completely creeps you out because it's told entirely from the man's point of view and it makes you realize what crazy people we have in this world.
Does he get away at the end of the story with what he's done? You'll have to find out and read ;)
June 1, 2015
I liked this book, because it's Selby and he's impossible not to love and the story was interesting enough.
But compared to his other work, it was a huge letdown. The narration was a less sick version of The Room, with a plot taken from a subdued Demon (except more faux-vigilante than boredom).
I'd recommend it as a quick read, but don't expect as much from him as in his earlier novels.
But compared to his other work, it was a huge letdown. The narration was a less sick version of The Room, with a plot taken from a subdued Demon (except more faux-vigilante than boredom).
I'd recommend it as a quick read, but don't expect as much from him as in his earlier novels.
June 11, 2019
Suicidal man has to wait for his application for a gun to be processed but ends up wreaking vengeance on those he feels has wronged society. Fans of Selby will enjoy this, I certainly did. Another strange trip into the psyche of the unstable and disaffected.
September 7, 2012
Wow, I'm shocked at how bad this book is. I couldn't even finish it and normally I wouldn't bother writing a review for something I had to put down, but I've read three other Selby novels which were all outstanding, so I feel like I have the right. In fact, I've even gone so far as to proclaim him a top ten favorite author of mine because of the impact Last Exit, The Demon and Requiem had on me. This on the other hand, is just ridiculous and a complete waste of time.
I understand where he was going with this or what he was trying to do, but the incessant random thought and stream-of-consciousness got old.... really quick. I made it through 118 pages and the last 40 or so were a monumental chore. I don't even care how it ends. Half of those 118 pages weren't even advancing the story and were nothing but snarky, sarcastic ramblings as the main character was just a lunatic. I don't have anything against lunatic protagonists, but I do have plenty against lame ass books. Like this.
I understand where he was going with this or what he was trying to do, but the incessant random thought and stream-of-consciousness got old.... really quick. I made it through 118 pages and the last 40 or so were a monumental chore. I don't even care how it ends. Half of those 118 pages weren't even advancing the story and were nothing but snarky, sarcastic ramblings as the main character was just a lunatic. I don't have anything against lunatic protagonists, but I do have plenty against lame ass books. Like this.
November 17, 2025
İnsanlar birbirlerini öldürmeyi meşrulaştırmanın bir yolunu bulurlar her zaman. Bu bütün dinlerin temelinin bir parçasıdır : meşrulaştırma. Arkadaşınız öldürüldüğünde onun karısını kapmanız, bunu Tanrı adına yaptığınıza... ya da size bunu şeytanın yaptırdığına inandığınız sürece meşrulaştırılabilir. İkisi de olur. Şehvetinizi gidermeyi meşrulaştırmak için bir inanç sistemi yaratın.
Bekleme Dönemi - Hubert Selby Jr.
( Waiting Period - Hubert Selby Jr.)
Bekleme Dönemi - Hubert Selby Jr.
( Waiting Period - Hubert Selby Jr.)
September 2, 2013
What I love about Selby is his purposeful in-accuracy of the English punctuation and grammar rule-bending. It truly makes his style unique and his own.
Selby has a way with writing characters who are so real, raw, and his writing is "in your face," blunt, and holds no punches. Waiting Period is no different.
Waiting Period fell short for me, surprisingly, only because I expected a bit more from Selby. I guess I was looking for more in the ending, but unsure of what. Maybe more closure.
There were some funny parts in Waiting Period, and they pulled me a bit out of the anger, madness, craziness of this unnamed man's psyche. They added a nice reprieve from a depressing story.
From what I know about Selby through his writing, I have come to expect a messed up story. Messed up in the way I don't think most people either will get, understand, and or appreciate. Selby was a gem of a writer, true to himself, and one of my favorites. Even though Waiting Period was a little disappointing for me, even his disappointing is still good to read.
Selby has a way with writing characters who are so real, raw, and his writing is "in your face," blunt, and holds no punches. Waiting Period is no different.
Waiting Period fell short for me, surprisingly, only because I expected a bit more from Selby. I guess I was looking for more in the ending, but unsure of what. Maybe more closure.
There were some funny parts in Waiting Period, and they pulled me a bit out of the anger, madness, craziness of this unnamed man's psyche. They added a nice reprieve from a depressing story.
From what I know about Selby through his writing, I have come to expect a messed up story. Messed up in the way I don't think most people either will get, understand, and or appreciate. Selby was a gem of a writer, true to himself, and one of my favorites. Even though Waiting Period was a little disappointing for me, even his disappointing is still good to read.
December 31, 2021
Boy this was a bad place to start with Selby.
I sympathize with Selby's bleak worldview and will give him another shot as this work seems to be disliked by even his fans, but man this book was just a piece of shit.
Boring, repetitive, unoriginal, unbelievable, and with piss-poor grammar to boot. The stream-of-consciousness style used throughout was like something you'd get from a 12-year old with ADD who never learned any proper grammar and never read a book in his life.
In conclusion, fuck this book.
I sympathize with Selby's bleak worldview and will give him another shot as this work seems to be disliked by even his fans, but man this book was just a piece of shit.
Boring, repetitive, unoriginal, unbelievable, and with piss-poor grammar to boot. The stream-of-consciousness style used throughout was like something you'd get from a 12-year old with ADD who never learned any proper grammar and never read a book in his life.
In conclusion, fuck this book.
January 13, 2016
It hurts me to give Selby such a low rating, but I couldn't even finish "Waiting Period." It's not up to his standard at all. It's a stream of conscious, first person story told from the mind of a sick, mentally disturbed man, who is looking to possibly kill (or at least make severely sick) a VA employee who apparently wronged the protagonist. There are a lot (mostly) sentence fragments. No true narrative, other then the character telling the story (if you can call it that--mainly grumblings about the VA man and society in general) from his scattered thoughts. Read "Requiem for a Dream", "The Demon", or really any other Selby Jr. book other than this title.
December 23, 2025
Barrel-felating aficionado suicidal maniac knows how to spell (kind of) and breathe, waiting for death; initially for himself, but then towards others in the means of personal justice. Waiting to die. Waiting for others to die.
Bernhard did it better. Ellmann did it better. Shit, even DeLillo did it better.
These types of books no longer interest me, but I now know for sure.
Bernhard did it better. Ellmann did it better. Shit, even DeLillo did it better.
These types of books no longer interest me, but I now know for sure.
February 3, 2018
In his very last novel Selby once again explores the depths and abysses of the human mind. Although uncompromising and honest, this read proved way tougher than his masterpiece Requiem for a Dream.
June 10, 2025
9/10
Perfect at capturing the mind of a killer; it reads exactly like Arthur Bremer's Assassin's Diary.
Perfect at capturing the mind of a killer; it reads exactly like Arthur Bremer's Assassin's Diary.
November 11, 2016
Considering that one of Hubert Selby's earlier works revolutionised the way I looked at literature, I found myself disappointed with Waiting Period. It felt disjointed and muddled, and as much as the first-person narrative was meant to engage me, there was a lack of fire that made me feel rather detached.
Perhaps need to revert to some of his older stuff.
Perhaps need to revert to some of his older stuff.
November 24, 2020
I've read almost all of Selby's works, and this by far is the weakest one. The first twenty or so pages are decent, but after that . . . The novel just rambles. Even some of the more forgettable stories of Song of the Silent Snow are better than this novel. I would only recommend this book if you are dead set on reading his entire oeuvre. Definitely not the place to start for Selby neophytes.
January 28, 2008
not bad, not his best. Part one is better the part two. I would love to turn this into a movie. More cinimatic then anything.
June 19, 2013
3.5 stars really, I just wasn't blown away by this which is weird because Hubert Selby Jr is one of my favourite authors, It just felt like he was trying to hard but ended up half arsed.
February 2, 2025
I'm giving this a preemptive 4 stars, based on the fact that I think I'll grow more affectionate for this story once it really sinks in for me.
So, this story is written in a sort of, stream of consciousness, which took a hot minute to get used to. The way it was written in which words were spelled how they were intended to be spoken, rather than spelled correctly was also something I am not used to seeing in a novel. Finally, there was nothing really more than periods for punctuation as well. All seemed to be negatives, but quite quickly got used to these things, to focus on the story.
There were also italicized areas of text which sort of implied a higher being looking down on the main character. Which would pop in and reinforce positively his actions, even when- in society - his actions are obviously not appropriate.
Through the story, he combats against people he believes to be evil, and sort of spirals out of control from there. A quote that really summed up the novel for me is as follows: "And thus a sacred plea from the man as he experiences the anguish of the human condition."
I think everything in the book for me is tied into that quote. As much of a bad person this man was, it's just part of life.
I found the imagery in the book to be basic, however its repetition hammered the point home. The birds and his eating habits specifically. I appreciated it because I wasn't looking to create something abstract, I just needed to realize what was truly being said.
I think this book is a little outdated, and kind of pulled one of the last chapters a little too far, but overall a good read that I think I will come to appreciate more in the coming days, as it stinks in.
So, this story is written in a sort of, stream of consciousness, which took a hot minute to get used to. The way it was written in which words were spelled how they were intended to be spoken, rather than spelled correctly was also something I am not used to seeing in a novel. Finally, there was nothing really more than periods for punctuation as well. All seemed to be negatives, but quite quickly got used to these things, to focus on the story.
There were also italicized areas of text which sort of implied a higher being looking down on the main character. Which would pop in and reinforce positively his actions, even when- in society - his actions are obviously not appropriate.
Through the story, he combats against people he believes to be evil, and sort of spirals out of control from there. A quote that really summed up the novel for me is as follows: "And thus a sacred plea from the man as he experiences the anguish of the human condition."
I think everything in the book for me is tied into that quote. As much of a bad person this man was, it's just part of life.
I found the imagery in the book to be basic, however its repetition hammered the point home. The birds and his eating habits specifically. I appreciated it because I wasn't looking to create something abstract, I just needed to realize what was truly being said.
I think this book is a little outdated, and kind of pulled one of the last chapters a little too far, but overall a good read that I think I will come to appreciate more in the coming days, as it stinks in.
June 26, 2022
" They dont tell you what a horror story life is . How futile. Meaningless. Make money. God, nothing's easier than making money. Then what? It crushes you. Life just gets heavier and envelopes you in its tentacles until it has squeezed all life from you but don't die. You linger. Deeper and deeper into darkness "
തൻ്റെ പതിനഞ്ചാം വയസ്സിൽ പഠനമുപേക്ഷിച്ച് merchant marine ൽ ജോലി നോക്കുകയും അതിനിടയിൽ പിടിപ്പെട്ട ശ്വാസകോശരോഗം കാരണം ജീവിക്കാൻ മറ്റുവഴി കാണാതെ എഴുത്തിലേക്ക് കടന്നു വന്നയാളാണ് Hubert Selby . ലാസ്റ്റ് എക്സിറ്റ് ടു ബ്രൂക്ലിൻ, റിക്വയം ഫോർ എ ഡ്രീം എന്നീ പ്രശസ്തമായ പുസ്തകങ്ങളെഴുതിയ അമേരിക്കൻ നോവലിസ്റ്റ് ഹ്യൂബർട്ട് സെൽബിയുടെ വെയിറ്റിംഗ് പിരീഡ് എന്ന നോവൽ അജ്ഞാതനായ ആഖ്യാതാവിൻ്റെ മനോവ്യാപാരങ്ങളിലൂടെയാണ് പുരോഗമിക്കുന്നത് ആഖ്യാതാവ് വിമുക്തഭടനാണ് എന്ന സൂചന മാത്രം നോവലിൻ്റെ വായനയിലൂടെ മനസ്സിലാകുന്നു നിറയെ സംഘർഷങ്ങളുo സമ്മർദ്ദങ്ങളും ദുഃഖവും നിറഞ്ഞ തൻ്റെ ജീവിതത്തിൽ നിന്ന് രക്ഷപ്പെടാനായി വെടിവെച്ച് ആത്മഹത്യ ചെയ്യാനായി തീരുമാനിക്കുന്ന അയാൾക്ക് ചില സാങ്കേതിക പ്രശ്നങ്ങൾ മൂലം തോക്ക് ലഭിക്കാനായി അല്പം കാലതാമസം നേരിടുന്നു ആ കാത്തിരിപ്പ് അതുവരെയുള്ള അയാളുടെ മാനസികഘടനയിൽ മാറ്റങ്ങളുണ്ടാക്കുകയും മരിക്കേണ്ടത് താനല്ല തനിക്കും മറ്റു പലർക്കും നിരവധി ബുദ്ധിമുട്ടുകളുണ്ടാക്കി കൊണ്ടിരിക്കുന്ന മറ്റു ചിലരാണെന്നും ജീവിക്കാൻ അർഹരല്ലാത്ത അവരെയെല്ലാം കൊല ചെയ്യണമെന്നുമുള്ള തീരുമാനത്തിലേക്ക് അയാൾ എത്തിച്ചേരുകയാണ് പിന്നീട് അതിനായുള്ള ശ്രമങ്ങളും മറ്റുമായി മനോവിഭ്രാന്തി നിറഞ്ഞ ചിന്തകളുടെ ആഖ്യാനവുമായി നോവൽ തുടരുന്നു വേദനയുടെയും അനീതിയുടെയും ഭീകരമായ ഒരു ആധുനിക ലോകത്തെ തൻ്റെ നോവലിലൂടെ ആവിഷ്കരിക്കുകയാകണം നോവലിസ്റ്റ്.
തൻ്റെ പതിനഞ്ചാം വയസ്സിൽ പഠനമുപേക്ഷിച്ച് merchant marine ൽ ജോലി നോക്കുകയും അതിനിടയിൽ പിടിപ്പെട്ട ശ്വാസകോശരോഗം കാരണം ജീവിക്കാൻ മറ്റുവഴി കാണാതെ എഴുത്തിലേക്ക് കടന്നു വന്നയാളാണ് Hubert Selby . ലാസ്റ്റ് എക്സിറ്റ് ടു ബ്രൂക്ലിൻ, റിക്വയം ഫോർ എ ഡ്രീം എന്നീ പ്രശസ്തമായ പുസ്തകങ്ങളെഴുതിയ അമേരിക്കൻ നോവലിസ്റ്റ് ഹ്യൂബർട്ട് സെൽബിയുടെ വെയിറ്റിംഗ് പിരീഡ് എന്ന നോവൽ അജ്ഞാതനായ ആഖ്യാതാവിൻ്റെ മനോവ്യാപാരങ്ങളിലൂടെയാണ് പുരോഗമിക്കുന്നത് ആഖ്യാതാവ് വിമുക്തഭടനാണ് എന്ന സൂചന മാത്രം നോവലിൻ്റെ വായനയിലൂടെ മനസ്സിലാകുന്നു നിറയെ സംഘർഷങ്ങളുo സമ്മർദ്ദങ്ങളും ദുഃഖവും നിറഞ്ഞ തൻ്റെ ജീവിതത്തിൽ നിന്ന് രക്ഷപ്പെടാനായി വെടിവെച്ച് ആത്മഹത്യ ചെയ്യാനായി തീരുമാനിക്കുന്ന അയാൾക്ക് ചില സാങ്കേതിക പ്രശ്നങ്ങൾ മൂലം തോക്ക് ലഭിക്കാനായി അല്പം കാലതാമസം നേരിടുന്നു ആ കാത്തിരിപ്പ് അതുവരെയുള്ള അയാളുടെ മാനസികഘടനയിൽ മാറ്റങ്ങളുണ്ടാക്കുകയും മരിക്കേണ്ടത് താനല്ല തനിക്കും മറ്റു പലർക്കും നിരവധി ബുദ്ധിമുട്ടുകളുണ്ടാക്കി കൊണ്ടിരിക്കുന്ന മറ്റു ചിലരാണെന്നും ജീവിക്കാൻ അർഹരല്ലാത്ത അവരെയെല്ലാം കൊല ചെയ്യണമെന്നുമുള്ള തീരുമാനത്തിലേക്ക് അയാൾ എത്തിച്ചേരുകയാണ് പിന്നീട് അതിനായുള്ള ശ്രമങ്ങളും മറ്റുമായി മനോവിഭ്രാന്തി നിറഞ്ഞ ചിന്തകളുടെ ആഖ്യാനവുമായി നോവൽ തുടരുന്നു വേദനയുടെയും അനീതിയുടെയും ഭീകരമായ ഒരു ആധുനിക ലോകത്തെ തൻ്റെ നോവലിലൂടെ ആവിഷ്കരിക്കുകയാകണം നോവലിസ്റ്റ്.
July 4, 2021
A tedious and indulgent short novel. I admit that 'punk' and stream-of-consciousness writing has never been to my tastes, but I suspect even those who get fat on this diet will find Waiting Period a chore. The book starts off with an interesting premise: a man who hates his life decides to commit suicide by gun, but after being delayed at a gun shop by the bureaucratic checks – the 'waiting period' of the title – he has a change of heart. He decides to turn his violent intentions towards the wider world – those "many rotten, evil people with so much control" (pg. 46) – starting with the low-level bureaucrat who denies him his social benefits.
An interesting set-up, but author Hubert Selby Jr. does nothing with it. The plot to kill the bureaucrat is lame (rather than use the gun, the protagonist obsesses over putting e.coli in the man's food) and the second half of the story noodles along until it just stops. There are no plot repercussions, nor are there any guilt-ridden dilemmas on the protagonist's part (as is the case in a comparable premise in Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment). The whole book just seemed so purposeless, so un-literary and redundant. The stream-of-consciousness style is headache-inducing and facile, and the protagonist's ramblings are of the generic "rage against the system" variety. In truth, I felt like I'd walked in on the author's masturbation session.
An interesting set-up, but author Hubert Selby Jr. does nothing with it. The plot to kill the bureaucrat is lame (rather than use the gun, the protagonist obsesses over putting e.coli in the man's food) and the second half of the story noodles along until it just stops. There are no plot repercussions, nor are there any guilt-ridden dilemmas on the protagonist's part (as is the case in a comparable premise in Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment). The whole book just seemed so purposeless, so un-literary and redundant. The stream-of-consciousness style is headache-inducing and facile, and the protagonist's ramblings are of the generic "rage against the system" variety. In truth, I felt like I'd walked in on the author's masturbation session.
July 23, 2022
The unnamed protagonist struggles with suicidal tendencies. After deciding to buy a gun to complete the task, there is a computer error that causes a three day waiting period to complete his purchase. During this time, the protagonist decided that he isn't the one who deserves to die, but the people he feels have contributed to the detriment of society are the ones worthy of death. Thus, the protagonist shifts his objective from self-conclusion to making it his personal goal to help rid the world of corrupt government proxies, bigots, and criminals. The book is written in first person with unhinged monologues, illuminating unapologetically the protagonist's descent into madness.
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who is fascinated by the mind and the ramblings of a lunatic who is painfully self-unaware. I found him incredibly unlikable, which in turn made this difficult to get through. It also reminded me of someone I used to know many years ago; it was as if I were reading his thoughts. They even used the same turn of phrase multiple times in the book. This person was also on the verge of madness, and was a rather unlikable person at times, yet somehow still endearing. That is precisely how I would describe this book. Selby's ability to create such a realistic, flawed, and absolutely deluded villain is absolutely a testament to his skill as a writer.
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who is fascinated by the mind and the ramblings of a lunatic who is painfully self-unaware. I found him incredibly unlikable, which in turn made this difficult to get through. It also reminded me of someone I used to know many years ago; it was as if I were reading his thoughts. They even used the same turn of phrase multiple times in the book. This person was also on the verge of madness, and was a rather unlikable person at times, yet somehow still endearing. That is precisely how I would describe this book. Selby's ability to create such a realistic, flawed, and absolutely deluded villain is absolutely a testament to his skill as a writer.
August 24, 2024
Waiting Period by Hubert Selby Jr. is a novel that, despite its intriguing premise, may leave some readers feeling underwhelmed. The story follows a deeply troubled man who, after a failed suicide attempt, redirects his despair into a chilling plot for revenge. While the novel delves into the protagonist's psyche, it often feels repetitive and lacks the depth that one might expect from such a dark and introspective narrative.The stream-of-consciousness style, a hallmark of Selby's writing, can be difficult to engage with, making the reading experience more of a chore than a journey. The themes of alienation and vengeance are present, but they aren't explored with the nuance and complexity that could have made this a more compelling read. For those looking for a deep, thought-provoking exploration of the human condition, Waiting Period may not fully satisfy
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 27, 2021
bir insanın bir kitabı nasıl çok iyi olurken bazıları böyle bok gibi olabiliyor anlamıyorum. Başları gerçekten ilgi çekici başlıyor. Kitabın koskoca bir monolog olması da bence enteresandı edebi değer, biçem açısından. Ancak 175 sayfa monolog kasacaksanız birden çok güzel teoriniz olmalı. Dostoevski gibi bir anlatım tarzı var, bu beni şaşırttı. Ona benzer yazabilmek ufffff. Ancak bazı yerleri Suç ve Ceza'ya aşırı benziyor. İç debdebeleri, endişe atakları filan. Oralarda başladım sıkılmaya, bunu yazdılar dostum. Düşünce akışları çok güzel ama çok büyük bir kısmında boş yapmış kusura bakmayın ama. Bir sürü olay ve fikir dönmesine rağmen fikrin altındaki gerçek felsefeyi göremiyoruz. Hep bir dehşet, panik ve "şuan" durumu var. Sonlarına doğru bitse de gitsek dedim. Kimse kusura bakmasın.
September 30, 2022
If you enjoy the whining of a sociopath in the form of an inner-monologue, then this book is for you.
Not to mention the lack of quotations and excessive rambling the author is known for. I'd believe it if someone told me he was on cocaine whilst writing this "book".
After failing to kill himself, our protagonist(?) finds it his life goal to kill those responsible for life's eternal miseries. I'd recommend you smash through this book in a day or two, otherwise it turns into a fever dream of unbroken paragraphs and side tangents.
Countless times I got so angry at the character because he just wouldn't shut up (getting distracted by his own thoughts innumerable times); just kill these people and get on with it.
I hate it....and the cover looks like garbage....
Not to mention the lack of quotations and excessive rambling the author is known for. I'd believe it if someone told me he was on cocaine whilst writing this "book".
After failing to kill himself, our protagonist(?) finds it his life goal to kill those responsible for life's eternal miseries. I'd recommend you smash through this book in a day or two, otherwise it turns into a fever dream of unbroken paragraphs and side tangents.
Countless times I got so angry at the character because he just wouldn't shut up (getting distracted by his own thoughts innumerable times); just kill these people and get on with it.
I hate it....and the cover looks like garbage....
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