Design Flaws of the Human Condition

by Paul Schmidtberger

Two strangers in New York, Iris and Ken, meet when they find themselves forced into an anger-management class. Iris is there because of a justifiable meltdown on a crowded flight, whereas Ken was caught defacing library books with rude (but very true!) messages about his former boyfriend that he caught in bed with another man. Iris and Ken seem cosmically destined to be friends. What follows is a strikingly original comedy as Ken enlists Iris to infiltrate his ex-boyfriend’s life in the hope of discovering that he’s miserable. And Iris reciprocates, dispatching Ken to gain himself into the confidence of her own boyfriend, whom she thinks is cheating. But what if Ken’s ex-boyfriend isn’t crying himself to sleep? What should Iris do when her worst suspicions begin to become true? Just exactly how perfect do we have the right to expect our fellow human beings to be? Then novel explores such universal themes as anger, betrayal, friendship and loyalty with wisdom, compassion, and a wickedly irreverent sense of humor. (From Wikipedia)

Genres: Fiction, Humor, Literary Fiction, Contemporary, LGBT, Novels

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

I was born in New Jersey, and am the fourth of six children.

I purposefully went to college, then accidentally went to law school.

I've lived in Paris for the past 14 years, and teach American law part-time at the University of Paris-V.

I like: traveling, languages, writing complaint letters, and TV shows with video clips of people getting hurt.

I hate: potatoes.

Reviews

[Hind Abou Lteif · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came across a quote a few years ago and never found anything more relatable since. Of course, I couldn’t let go of the fact that I haven’t read the book in which my ultimate favorite quote appears! Fast forward a month and five days, I’m sitting on my laptop typing away a review of Design Flaws of the Human Condition. So now that you’re up-to-date with the brief history of this little blog post, let’s get to it!

The book follows the journey of two main characters, Iris and Ken, as a hilarious series of events leads both of them to an anger management class where fate once again interferes to unite two individuals in an improbable and quirky friendship. Ken, having just found his boyfriend with another man in their bed and Iris, having had doubts of her own about her boyfriend’s faithfulness, decide that each would spy on the other’s beau hoping to uncover something that would ease their pain and worry.

I admit, I was surprised to find that Design Flaws of the Human Condition was indeed a comedic novel as opposed to the philosophically charged novel I expected based on the quote shared below.
However, you won’t find me complaining.
Schmidtberger explores the universal themes of friendship, faithfulness, homosexuality, work, anxiety and many more with a wicked sense of humor that makes up for the lack of sugarcoating and blatant honesty concerning the topics discussed.

It’s a light and fun read; perfect for a relaxing tea hour in the evening following a full hard day at school or at work.

Finally, I am inclined to let you know that you could find this review as well as many other gems on my blog https://bringabookhome.wixsite.com/we... and FOLLOW my IG page to stay updated with new reviews and posts IG: @bringabookhome

Enjoy and always bring a book home. x

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am, apparently, irredeemably shallow. How else to explain how much I enjoyed this book? A "Will and Grace"-type story about the floundering relationships of self-involved Manhattan dwellers. Cheating boyfriends, loathsome lawyers, anger management classes* .... The wannabe "serious reader" inside my head groaned every time I picked it up. When my copy of "The Savage Detectives" has been lying there unopened for several months now.

So be it. To be useful, our reviews here need to reflect how we actually responded to a particular book, not how we feel we ought to have responded. And the fact is: I loved this book. It was hilariously funny, compulsively readable, and managed to be quite touching. Schmidtberger pulls off a pretty neat trick - by the end of his hugely entertaining, very funny story, he makes the reader care deeply about his flawed (but entirely believable) characters. And I thought his ending was hugely satisfying.

No, it wasn't "great literature". But it was a terrific read. Which has got to count for something, right?

*: One of the main protagonists experiences meltdown on a flight to Newark, the horrifying inevitability of which Schmidtberger nails hilariously. A great book to read on a plane, or at the beach.

[Danielle Meehan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick funny read. I want to be friends with these people.

[Mah Rukh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has been on my TBR since I was like maybe 15, all because of a Tumblr post I saw. The post has now been lost to time (despite my multiple attempts at trying to find it), but my desire to read the book and have my life changed as the quote from that book on that Tumblr post did all those years ago, didn't. I had come up with scenarios and expectations based on that sole quote that I read all those years, and how it would make me feel and touch my soul. The book did not meet those at all. Did I still fully enjoy reading it? A 100%. It was nothing like the soul-bearing philosophical journey I expected, but rather a light comedic story that at points reminded me of a friendship I had unexpectedly recently made. Which is why I am glad I read it more than a decade later than I initially wanted to and couldn't. 15-year-old me would not have enjoyed the story the way I did as an adult who has seen a little more of the world. It also made me realise how our perspectives change as we grow up and experience more. The quote that felt earth-shattering and soul-bearing to me then feels more like a warm hug today. Not the same feeling, but not a bad feeling either.

[Madeleine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an utterly charming read. I loved the characters, I enjoyed the breezy tone of the book, I marveled at the accurate depiction of the unique hell that is proofreading prospectuses. I needed a book like this after the more serious things I'd been reading, what with the bleak Britishness and the apocalyptic happenings. The pacing made this a pretty quick read; the likability of the main characters and their cheating ex- and soon-to-be-ex-significant others made it an enjoyable one.

So why the three stars? This is quite clearly a first novel. It's still leaps and bounds better than a lot of other first novels I've read but the narrative got a little wobbly and wandering at times, the dialogue meandered into amusing but borderline-tedious tangents just a little too much in places (the characters seemed a bit too smitten with their own clever one-liners at points) and I'm allergic to writing that relies too heavily on the exclamation point. This book would have been almost amazing if it'd gone through just one more round of editing.

[Maya · Rating 2 out of 5]

a girl meets her new gay-guy best friend in an unfortunate anger management class and they team up to figure out what went wrong--or is going wrong--in their romantic lives.

meh. The style of humor and, well, the plot didn't appeal to me. I didn't find the characters relate-able and the writing was a little bit full-of-itself for my taste. I made it about 2/3 of the way through and even though I usually push through if I get this far in a book, if only out of sheer stubbornness, I quit. Or rather, I skimmed to the end to see how things ended up, then I quit.

[Loraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Normally I would give this a (high) 4, but I think my recent string of bad reads really ramped up my enjoyment and appreciation of this one.

It's just so delightfully sharp. Subtly hilarious. And teeters on the line between verbosity and that annoying, headache-y place after "verbosity" but that's the kind of writing I like.

The story is great and well plotted, the themes are smart and heartwarming, and the characters really come to life in their relationships to each other. This is one I would buy and read again and again as treat.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great characters

I loved the madcap adventures that all the characters got into and despite the craziness, I loved that all the characters were totally relatable. I had them all fleshed out in my mind’s eye with voices and everything. I’m sorry to part with them now that this book is finished. I highly recommend this book to people who like reading for fun, you know, as opposed to snooty readers who read economics books or math or other drudgery.

[Cheryl Covier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unexpected though realistic humor.

From the beginning I was unsure of this book as a humorous one until you read on and get involved in the lives of the characters. I like the way the book has each of the characters eventually come to terms with their own realizations just as in real life. The intertwining of the characters at the end of the story was fascinating.

[Karl Dennhardt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe somebody that is more easily amused might actually find this book humorous. I sure didn’t.
This book so made me think Jerry Seinfeld and George Kastansa. Like the show, this book was basically about nothing. New Yorkers obsessing, going on and on and on.

[ub · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tedious

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe more like 2.5 stars. Pretty blah.

[Carl R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paul Schmidtberger’s first novel, Design Flaws of the Human Condition, came to my attention via my friend and neighbor who is also the author’s aunt. Thanks, Janice, for the heads up.
Design Flaws is constructed in the manner of an 18th-19th century farce complete with our omniscient author manipulating the characters into improbable coincidences in full view of us dear readers. We get witty, Fielding-like chapter headings (“In which Iris Unwisely Disregards the Captain’s Advice to Sit Back, Relax, and Enjoy the Flight,” for example), that not only comment on the action but help maintain the tongue-in-cheek tone that permeates even the most serious moments in the novel. The characters are mid-to-upper-mid Manhattan professionals--lawyers, academics, marketeers--who are thrown together during mutual crises in their romantic and/or economic lives.
And the place where the omnipotent Schmitberger throws them together is an anger management class. (So detailed is the knowledge of the class, one can’t help but speculate how dear author did his research.)
The pace is quick throughout, the writing crisp, humorous and appropriate to the whole, even when introducing backstory, which is the downfall so many otherwise fine books: “What Iris and Jeremy hadn’t known as they arrived at Macy’s was that minutes earlier, yet another New Yorker had chosen the Hummel figurine display on the sixth floor as the perfect spot for his long-overdue nervous breakdown.” It seems that we’re always surfing a frothy moment and exuberantly anticipating the next turn of the wave. It’s a comedy of manners among sophisticated folks whom we like and cheer for.
Now, perhaps to carry my surfing analogy too far, we do get dumped off our boards from time to time. There are anachronisms of both technology and attitude. We see mention of, for example, a walkman as a contemporary device when we all know it is now an extinct species, particularly among NYC sophisticates. Of course, I can’t blame Schmidtberger for that one. Considering how long it takes from the time authors sit down at that first blank page (or screen) till they finally see the book in print can be technological sea changes later. Some copywriter should have caught the problem. Ditto with a couple of instances of points of view on homosexuality. At some fairly recent point in time (even in Manhattan) it might have been appropriate to write “the rumors were true--Professor Connelly was gay. Stage direction: gasp.” or to have a classmate of Connelly’s in the anger management group be a bit disturbed by his homosexuality. By the publishing date of 2007, however, you might find responses like that in Kansas, but not up and down the East Coast. Furthermore, throughout the rest of the book, gay pairings are treated as a normal fact of life, so the shock is as inappropriate to the novel’s world as it is to the culture it depicts. As a final arrow in the heart of our imaginary incompetent copyreader, I submit this “sentence.” ... Iris’s the overall impression Iris was left with was ... “--clearly a revision whose original version didn’t quite get deleted. The poor authors can’t do every damn thing themselves.
In addition to the deft execution of form and language, there is significant substance of theme and thought throughout,which fleshes out the whole work nicely, keeps it from cocktail party shallowness. Plenty of discussion about reality and illusion. Lots of dreams--a tricky device which Schmidtberger integrates well into the book’s emotional and action life. There’s a fascinating conceit of an illusory bird in a cage which is too long and tricky to recount here, but which operates as a nice commentary on the characters’ situations. Thus does the novel live up to its title, demonstrating how difficult it is to live orderly and rational lives when even the best of us is so riddled with contradictions and imperfections.
So, we have in Design Flaws extremely satisfying and meaningful read--up until the last pages. It seems to me that after the anger management class reunion Design Flaw loses dramatic tension, and I missed the energy of what had gone before. Instead of a satisfying conclusion, or even an open-ended “ending,” we get an overlong denouement that feels like a tagged on short story involving the same characters (or most of them. One or two major ones, like Jeremy, disappear entirely) but which is artistically (even if factually) unrelated to the rest of the book. That’s probably just me, though. You might love the neat little revenge plots that I found irrelevant.
Whether you agree with my take or not, I can pretty much guarantee that the fun, frolic, wit, and downright humanness of these real and sympathetic characters will carry you through the book and stay with you for days after you finish.

[David Hallman · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s not that I would say, “Gee, I wish I’d written that book.”

It’s more that I would say, “Gee, I wish I could write my books like that.”

Paul Schmidtberger’s “Design Flaws of the Human Condition” is written with an enviable wit, capacity for surprise, and astute observation of human foibles. The characters are finely drawn in part through detailed descriptions of their idiosyncratic behaviour and in part through Schmidtberger’s relating of their internal monologues.

But whereas too many of us who call ourselves ‘writers’ relate internal thoughts of our characters which begin, more or less, with them saying “this is how I feel” and then continue with “this is why I feel what I just told you I feel,” Schmidtberger does not. Instead, the internal monologues of his characters give us insight into who they are by relating very cleverly their musing about the world around them and the people who make up that world.

That’s a crucial difference. Editors’ sometimes lecture us ‘writers’ with the admonition “show me, don’t tell me.” That is to say, let the reader discover what the characters feel through what they do and what they think.

Schmidtberger does that with a fulsome economy (that’s not as much of a paradox as it may seem) and with a wit that sometimes had me laughing out loud and sometimes grimacing with the pathos.

“Design Flaws of the Human Condition” was an absolute delight to read.

* * *

Information on "Design Flaws of the Human Condition" available at: http://amzn.to/RiphQR

For information on my memoir "August Farewell" and my novel "Searching for Gilead", see my website at http://DavidGHallman.com

[Ilona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick, quirky, fun. I read most of this book while a passenger on an otherwise boring car trip. I'm not sure if I amused or annoyed the driver by bursting into loud laughter at regular intervals, but I wasn't about to stop.

The book was a nice mix of silliness and serious thought. Not particularly deep serious thought, perhaps, but real. The questions raised about relationships, learning through them, growing out of them, seeking them despite past failures and probable future failures... those are all real.

But mostly what I enjoyed was the full-speed-ahead plot, and the light bitchy humour. A fun read, and I will be looking for more books by this author.

The one completely jarring note was the bookended scene -- Prologue and Epilogue -- of the woman tumbling from her balcony. Turns out our frothy, nice-guy hero is likely (possibly? maybe?) a murderer. Good lord. This didn't fit with the mood of the rest of the book at all, and I had no idea what to make of it, nor how to respond. Bizarre.

[Andrea Rufo (Ann) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A thoroughly enjoyable quick read with some great one-liners, funny subplots, and poignant insights along the way. I picked it up for the humor, but what kept me reading and thinking about it was the really honest, simple way he describes the situation of the main characters, namely being cheated on in their relationship, a fact made uniquely devastating by the realization that the "cheaters" were not the stereotypically cold, evil, heartless excuses of human wreckage we wanted them to be, but rather people dealing with love - what it means and how we both fall in and out of it. Watching the main characters reach the same conclusion and start asking themselves the same questions, all while hysterically building friendships over stalking and forced anger management classes makes this well worth the read. The consistent jabs against lawyers and the legal system helped as well - which, as a lawyer, I'm allowed to say.

[Venessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really liked Iris, Ken and Jeff. Even though in real life, someone like Jeff, I'd have to take in small doses.

I liked the story. It kept me interested in the characters and I wanted to know what was going to happen to them/with them. The reason I gave it only 3 stars is how the story unfolded. Mainly the ending. I expected more a punch. Their 'revenge mission' was a fizzle... instead of the bang I was expecting. For me, it lack any real drama/satisfaction.

A smile did creep across my face when Ken and Iris realized they were both a small part of the others worse day. I was happy that they'd continue their friendship and was FINALLY good enough to kick Jeremy to the curb!! I would have like to read about that, though. I'm sure he'd be shocked.

The epilogue was a bit dark and I wondered why the author threw that in.

[Caitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got the book yesterday and I just tore through it in a couple of hours- I don't know about you, but there is nothing better than picking up a good book and just completely losing yourself in it. I would absolutely recommend this book to everyone- Paul Schmidtberger weaves a tale that makes you want to live between the pages. It was a quirky read that followed Iris and Ken, two friends, as they struggle with "design flaws" of their peers- especially Iris' boyfriend Jeremy and Ken's ex-boyfriend Brett. Call me a hipster, but this book has quotes that made my "book quote list" (What? Don't tell me you don't have one...). The writing is somewhat uneven at times, if you want to nit-pick it, but this book certainly deserves more attention than it has- it has some romance without it being gag-worthy, comedy without being childish, and sadness without destroying your day.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was really torn between 4 and 5 stars for this book, but it lost some steam in the middle (or maybe it just started so furiously funny that I expected the impossible) and had some lengths, so I settled on 4. Other than that, though, it's funny, the writing and Schmidtberger's way with words are brilliant, and the inner monologues are fantastic. They were so good that I was going to copy and paste some here, but I don't want to give away anything to those who haven't read this.

There are also some insights in this book that quite surprised me, the way the characters come to terms with everything in the end, and how they get there, their thoughts and acts, it all just came together nicely; and in contrast to what I had expected - that this would be a purely fun read- this book also gave me food for thought.
Really liked it.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ken Connolly is not having a good day. After getting fired from 1 of his 3 jobs, he arrives home unexpectedly early to find his aspiring actor boyfriend, Brett, in a compromising position with another man. Ken soon finds himself forced to enroll in an anger management class where he meets Iris, who suspects her boyfriend, Jeremy, may be philandering, as well. The two become fast friends and join forces to secretly keep tabs on each other's significant other (or in the case of Ken, "former" significant other).

Paul Schmidtberger's novel is a veritable roller coaster ride of comedy, wit and emotion that exemplifies the desperate, childish (yet very human) behavior of people in relationships.

[Danica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've made snide comments about trendy-people-living-trendy-lives-in-Manhattan books before, so I kinda went into this ready to arch a skeptical eyebrow and/or lay the withering smackdown. But actually this turned out to be the most purely enjoyable book I've read in a long time. The writing is bright and bitchy, sometimes a bit too bitchy, but the story is about a woman and a cabal of gay men she recruits in an anger-management class to follow her current squeeze around because she thinks he's cheating on her. Okay not cabal. But there are two of them.

Anyway. Yeah. Fun fun read. Light on deep characterization -- everyone's just kind of. quirky -- and, uh, realism in general, gritty or otherwise, but c'mon, this is the type of book it is.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in one day when i was home sick. Really fast read. author has a great sense of humor but there were certainly moments of social responsibility stuffed in, in a few places.

One of my favorite lines in the book is where the characters are in an anger management class and playing a card game that is set up so that they are all losing. They have to record how they are feeling throughout the game. One person's response is, "I am feeling emotionally mortgaged." So ridiculous and yet so great. Loved it!

[Deana · Rating 3 out of 5]

In my past life as a book buyer I once picked up a galley of this book. Then it sat on my bookshelf while I got lost in the sinkhole of grad school. Now that I'm back, this was one of the first things I pulled off my shelf and I was surprised how much I enjoyed reading it.

An engaging read, interesting character interactions and I've always enjoyed books with slightly descriptive chapter titles like: Chapter 11- In which Ken defies inertia and indifference to steer a course toward friendship with Iris.

It was entertaining.

[Marlowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty quick read, and worth checking out. I thought that it was well-written and funny. I definitely laughed out loud at more than one scene. I think that the characters could've been better developed, same with the plot. While the plot was good, and appropriate for the length of the story, it seems a little flat to me, looking back. There were some good themes going that could've been better throughout the story. In the end, though, I believe the book is supposed to be light-hearted and humorous. That being said, it does its job.

[Damian Serbu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I only had one major disappoint with this book: when it ended, I wanted to read more! And then found out that Schmidtberger hasn't published anything else! This is a very funny book! Yet it is also touching, which is an interesting blend of emotions brought together here. I read it on vacation and could not have been more pleased with something to think about, distract, and entertain. I can't recommend this book enough.

[Elysabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a candy pop version of a novel...cutesy, catchy, and you get the characters stuck in your head. I enjoyed it, but I also read it on my honeymoon, after a nasty fall and subsequent injury, so maybe I wasn't in the best, most thoughtful mood.

However, it's cute, it's funny and quaint. You might want to read it if you're at an airport.

[Cathy Kutz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though the start off of this book felt rather slow, it's definitely worth the read! A good look at what happens when you have and/or felt like you've been cheated on by someone and the lengths you would go to discover the truth. It also tells of great friendship and how you can find great friends in the most unlikely of places!!

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the writing style of this book. I really enjoyed how Schmidtberger described everyday humor. I wasn't really that big a fan of the ending of the book - I wish most loose ends would have been tied up. But overall I would recommend reading it. I finished it in about a week and found myself laughing out loud at many of the situations presented.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book from start to finish. Well-written, funny, clever, and not at all clichéd. It seems like a typical contemporary fiction novel of characters who are a bit too cool, but in the end they have their moments of clarity -- so does the reader -- about what it means to be in love with someone else AND to be in love with your self. I love happy endings!

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I found this book to be an enjoyable read it was not my favorite. It just seemed to meander along. I didn't have that need to pick it up again and find out what would happen to the characters so I probably wouldn't have finished it if I wasn't doing a reading challenge. But, that being said, I am glad I finished it.