The Lazy Boys

by Carl Shuker

…and the only reasoning I can offer is that to fall is better than to stand still, and the dreams are bad but they are at least my own, but mostly that saying yes is easier than saying no, because in this world when you say yes no one ever asks you your reasons...

RICHEY SAUER, EIGHTEEN YEARS OLD, WHITE AND PRIVILEGED, drifts into Otago University. Tortured by a drunken incident he can’t remember involving a female student, he descends into a dizzying spiral of substance abuse, sex, bullying, and the violent slipstream of organized sport.

Set in Dunedin, a university town caught up in its own mythology that hides a world of sordid parties, private school cliques and institutionalized violence, THE LAZY BOYS presents a satirical vision of a generation unmoored from cultural nationalism, morality and prospects for the future—young men ripping away not only at the bonds of family and society, but themselves and everything that attracts them.

The bold follow-up to the award-winning THE METHOD ACTORS.

Genres: Fiction

306 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Lillian Janedy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think that this book is the only book I've ever read on my own time that I truly dislike. Basically throughout the entire book, I was thinking that I really hate it but I chose to stick it out and finish it just to see if the ending offers any closure or some kind or moral or lesson or anything like that. Well, it doesn't. I don't think that this book offers anything of value at all. I really dislike the ending. I failed to identify any connection it had with the main character, Souse, or his story. While I thoroughly enjoy books about boozing and schmoozing, those things don't add up to anything at the end of this story. I seriously contemplated burning this book after I had finished it. I'm not going to return it to a used book store, where I got it, because I don't want anyone else to stumble upon it.

[Holly Painter · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the reviewers on the jacket compares it to "A Clockwork Orange," but I find this novel much more disturbing, perhaps because I've frequented many of the places in the book, so it all feels very immediate. So be prepared for violence and misogyny and self-harm.

Basically, if you ever meet someone who doesn't understand the meaning of "rape culture," give them this book to read.

[Michael Botur · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a bummer to see people slamming this book. I think some readers may have mistakenly concluded that the author wants us to side with Souse, when in fact we are being invited to lag behind as Souse self-destructs. We should judge Souse harshly for the actions he takes, but that shouldn't make us ignore how powerful and important the book is. What I took away from the book is that even within the first world, even in a modern city with a high culture university full of advanced minds, we have a ghetto full of squalor. It is not known why people like Souse - from privileged families, with lots of opportunity - choose to drown themselves in a quagmire of drugs and aimless partying without satisfaction, but the Dunedin student ghetto is a very real place. There are 15,000 people like Souse in Dunedin's ghetto every year. Stories like that of Souse happen every day, and nobody has put that into literature until now. Amazing book - and what it has to say about macho culture is really important.

[Jimmy Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unrelenting. This book was a bit to close too home, I've meet people like the ones in this book and anyone that went to uni in NZ knows some of these stories. A tough read. If it was Australian it would already have been made into a tv series but that's not how NZ works. I'll be looking out for Carl Shuker's other works

[Tama · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes, it was a little disturbing. I stuck through it because I know that this is realistic, this book is political. Like “Help these f*cking kids! Help them. They need it.” And no-one knows the extent of Souse’s pain but himself. He has bottled it up. He is a product of toxic masculinity, and I’ll throw Capitalism in too. If anybody is thinking “f*ck Souse” while reading this you are missing the point. “F*ck society.” This is just one more thing that’s wrong with the world that I’m sure a large chunk of the population have never paid attention too.

This book really does amuse me (first 100 pages). It has a very similar feeling to ‘Trainspotting’ although it is nowhere near as good. I’d put ‘Lazy Boys’ along ‘Here Are the Young Men’ (“Ireland’s ‘Trainspotting’”).

The efforts Shuker put to the crafting of the novel as a whole should be merited. The voice of the MC - Souse - is strong.

I would’ve liked if most of the excerpts from his books were just summarised within a paragraph of the story, the flow is tested. The excerpts only work around page 157 when Souse is skimming it and having us read these smatterings of text.

The book isn’t about much. There is not a strong philosophy behind it, the importance of ‘Lazy Boys’ comes out in the representation of mental illness in youth, particularly testosterone-fuelled youth.

The ending was incredibly disappointing. I needed it to end way worse than it did. The book profiles the lowest point that the character Souse will be at in his life. It doesn’t exactly rise and fall, as it persists with the overwhelming negativity and weakness Souse feels. At first I was like “f*ck this guy” then he was incredibly exposed and weaker than the the opening made him out to be, I empathised with him. That ending is hard to keep up any sympathies but considering his mental space (intoxication+mental illness) these kinds of things are realistic consequences.

One of the side characters heard MC wanking in the other room and there was brilliantly executed joke that ended in the SC saying “we heard some Beat poetry being composed in here” brilliant.

I’m not sure how I found out about this book, but I found out it was about young people and getting drunk and high; I knew I needed it to inform my current project I’m working on - for an NZ perspective. I don’t think I did get too much out of this read, but there’s decent interest still. If I meet Rob Doyle I’ll be gifting him a copy of this, though he might be past ‘Here Are the Young Men’ and others like it.

[Esther Hong · Rating 1 out of 5]

A few insightful bits on self-mutilation in the second half of the novel but the plot is too predictable. Lack of direction & continuation.

"But the feeling of calm, stillness, strength, is good. And I'm doing more and more to get there. I am only a freak in other people's terms. My behaviour is internally logical, it serves a purpose, accomplishes all I ask of it. People who don't understand assume you're damaged goods. But my scars set me apart. They speak of my strength, and of a past. Because it's the others who are the dishonest ones, the weak ones. They do things to others to feel strong. My goal has been to minimize the evil I bring to this world. The ultimate achievement of this goal will be when I slit my wrists in this bath. When that will occur I am not sure yet. But it lurks in my head every day."

[Courtney Newton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Only socially comfortable after downing a few to many jugs Richey struggles with his identity as well as depression, anxiety and loneliness in his first year at University. While set in the mid nineties, many themes in this story are still relevant today with young men finding their freedom and boundaries after 'leaving the nest'. I found the writing style to be painfully on the mark, having come from Timaru and studied at Otago, all the lingo was there. I saw characteristics of so many young men I know in this story, the drinking, rugby, attitudes towards females, all vividly described. The plot floundered, I knew it wasn't going to be a story with a happy ending, but I was hoping for some kind of ending. I devoured this book in one day, and it has left its mark on me.

[Brit · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Lazy Boys is about a group of boys and the protagonist is Richard Sauer, a college student (Well sort of) who lives in New Zealand. It is about his life and follows a particular event that Richard did at a party which he had to run from because he hurt the girl. Richard has anger problems and does not control it, he abuses his dog, abuses people and needs to fulfill his sexual cravings.
This book was really bad. The whole time Richard is complaining or just doing dumb things, I was barely able to finish the book because it was so bad. I don't reccommend this book.

[Megan Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

After reading the less than stellar reviews, I was determined to find a redeeming quality in this book. Unfortunately, most reviews were right on. The plot is weak and certainly doesn't progress in any direction within almost 300 pages. Sure, I enjoy edgy, creatively written novel, which is what I think this was aiming for, but it completely misses the mark.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hope your life isn't as fucked up as this guy's.

[Kendell]

IT WAS WAY MEAN I SO WANT TO BUY THE BOOK BUT I CANT FIND IT ANYWHERE
ITS SO NOT FEAR! DX
its a really good book and i would really love to read it again to :)

[Christopher Jed · Rating 1 out of 5]

Meh.