But: Life Isn't Like That, Is It?

by Boff Whalley

Almost all of our stories follow the same basic beginning, middle, exposition, action, and climax. It's a neat and tidy way of telling a story. But life's not like that, is it? It doesn't obey the rules. Life's stories - like the stories told here in But, personal and impersonal, historical and contemporary - are punctuated by disruption, derailment, and digression. Stories where the good guys lose. Stories where the bad girls win. Stories that just stop in the middle. Stories that fizzle out or simply never get going. Stories that don't make sense. Stories that start where they should end and end where they start. Stories that go round in a cyclical loop, forever. Unfinished stories. Unstarted stories. Stories that stutter and mumble, that cough and splutter. That's what we have here in this real stories, that do all of the above. That's why this book is called But. Because the but is there to disrupt the easy normality of the way we tell our stories. This book is a collection of stories about real lives, real people, and real life. Stuttering, wayward, disjointed, funny, ridiculous, and unplanned.

288 pages, Paperback

Published February 18, 2025

Reviews

[Steven Midwinter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book about stories - then again, maybe it isn't. Or at least not the neat 'beginning/middle/end ones. Except when it is. Confused? You won't be. If you've read and enjoyed Boff's 'footnote', this is a little like that. He writes about Disrupters - while 'disrupting' the book with blank pages, upside down text and higgledy piggledy layouts - and the perceived truths and convenient stories told, often hiding an uncomfortable, or mundane reality. Boff's interests lay in the lives of ordinary folk, at work, rest and play, throughout history and it is this, along with a simple yet charmingly playful writing style that truly elevates BUT. A most excellent read.

[Steve Chilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boff's book may come across as disjointed, 'but' his premise is that life is like that, and it is a thought-provoking and entertaining read. The unusual design and layout of the text just adds to the playfulness of the experience. A fine read from a fascinating character.