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Shriver Lib/E
Mistaken for a famous but reclusive author of the same name, lonely Shriver attends a writers conference at a small midwestern liberal arts college. Completely unfamiliar with the novel he supposedly wrote and utterly unprepared for the magnitude of the reputation that precedes him, Shriver is feted, fawned over, featured at stuffy literary panels, and barely manages to play it cool. Things quickly go awry when one of the other guest authors suddenly disappears and Shriver becomes a prime suspect in the investigation. Amid eager fans, Shriver must contend with a persistent police detective, a pesky journalist determined to unearth his past, and a mysterious and possibly dangerous stalker who seems to know his secret. But most vexing of all, Shriver has fallen in love with the conference organizer, who believes he s someone else.
When the real Shriver (or is he?) arrives to claim his place among the literati, the conference and Shriver s world threaten to unravel.
Filled with witty dialogue, hilarious antics, and a cast of bizarre and endearing characters, "Shriver" is at once a touching love story, a surreal examination of identity, and an affectionate tribute to the power of writing.
When the real Shriver (or is he?) arrives to claim his place among the literati, the conference and Shriver s world threaten to unravel.
Filled with witty dialogue, hilarious antics, and a cast of bizarre and endearing characters, "Shriver" is at once a touching love story, a surreal examination of identity, and an affectionate tribute to the power of writing.
Audio CD
First published September 29, 2013
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About the author
Chris Belden
10 books19 followersCHRIS BELDEN was born and raised in Canton, Ohio--home of Thurman Munson, The O'Jays, Macy Gray and Marilyn Manson. He attended the University of Michigan, where he received a B.A. in Film & Video Studies, which is to say he spent four years watching movies.
After college he worked lousy day jobs for several years while playing drums in the band The Slang. For a while he also played in Joe Henry's band, which is how he ended up in NYC. There he worked in the publishing industry and started writing fiction in earnest. He also wrote several screenplays, including Amnesia—co-written with the great David Henry--which was made into a B movie starring Ally Sheedy and John Savage.
In 1996, Chris was in the first cohort of the Bronx WritersCorps, a sort of literary Peace Corps made up of writers who went out into the South Bronx community to work with underserved populations. For his part, Chris ran several writing workshops in senior centers throughout the Bronx. In the 90s Chris also started writing & performing in plays, mostly at the Ensemble Studio Theatre.
In 2001, he co-wrote and co-starred (with the Lexington Group) in The Ballad of Larry the Flyer, which ran at both the Spoleto Festival in Charleston and the NY Int'l Fringe Festival. In 2003, he released his first album, Songs About Anything, followed a few years later by Camouflage.
In 2007, after 20 years in NYC, Chris moved to Connecticut with his wife, Melissa, and daughter, Francesca. A few years later he received an MFA in Creative Writing from Fairfield University. Since then he has taught writing at Fairfield U., the Westport Writers Workshop, the Ridgefield Writers Workshop, and Garner Correctional Institution, a maximum security prison. Chris is also co-founder of the Ridgefield Writers Conference.
Chris is the author of the novels Shriver and Carry-on, and the story collection The Floating Lady of Lake Tawaba, which won the Fairfield/New Rivers Book Prize. In 2013, judge Susan Orlean chose Chris's essay "Inside Words: How to Teach Writing in Prison" for the Bechtel Prize, from Teacher & Writers Collaborative. In 2014, Chris and Melissa started their own manuscript editing business, First Person Editing Services. Chris tries to write, read and play a little music every day, and often fails miserably.
After college he worked lousy day jobs for several years while playing drums in the band The Slang. For a while he also played in Joe Henry's band, which is how he ended up in NYC. There he worked in the publishing industry and started writing fiction in earnest. He also wrote several screenplays, including Amnesia—co-written with the great David Henry--which was made into a B movie starring Ally Sheedy and John Savage.
In 1996, Chris was in the first cohort of the Bronx WritersCorps, a sort of literary Peace Corps made up of writers who went out into the South Bronx community to work with underserved populations. For his part, Chris ran several writing workshops in senior centers throughout the Bronx. In the 90s Chris also started writing & performing in plays, mostly at the Ensemble Studio Theatre.
In 2001, he co-wrote and co-starred (with the Lexington Group) in The Ballad of Larry the Flyer, which ran at both the Spoleto Festival in Charleston and the NY Int'l Fringe Festival. In 2003, he released his first album, Songs About Anything, followed a few years later by Camouflage.
In 2007, after 20 years in NYC, Chris moved to Connecticut with his wife, Melissa, and daughter, Francesca. A few years later he received an MFA in Creative Writing from Fairfield University. Since then he has taught writing at Fairfield U., the Westport Writers Workshop, the Ridgefield Writers Workshop, and Garner Correctional Institution, a maximum security prison. Chris is also co-founder of the Ridgefield Writers Conference.
Chris is the author of the novels Shriver and Carry-on, and the story collection The Floating Lady of Lake Tawaba, which won the Fairfield/New Rivers Book Prize. In 2013, judge Susan Orlean chose Chris's essay "Inside Words: How to Teach Writing in Prison" for the Bechtel Prize, from Teacher & Writers Collaborative. In 2014, Chris and Melissa started their own manuscript editing business, First Person Editing Services. Chris tries to write, read and play a little music every day, and often fails miserably.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews
November 20, 2021
5 stars. Shriver isn't who everyone thinks he is, but maybe he's exactly who they need him to be. Hosts and guests of a literary conference think he's a reclusive writer with the same name, author of a famous eponymous novel. Eventually a famous poet goes missing and another Shriver appears Shriver has really gotten himself into a mess!
This book is ridiculous in the most entertaining way. It was hilarious and exaggerative and pure fun to read.
This book is ridiculous in the most entertaining way. It was hilarious and exaggerative and pure fun to read.
July 6, 2017
It's been several weeks since I finished reading Shriver by Chris Belden, and I'm still laughing. Take a small Midwest college writers' conference, a case of mistaken identity, and some wacky characters, mix them all together, and you've got Shriver. Full of satiric wit and farce, the story is consistently entertaining and would make a hilarious movie. Shriver gave me lots of laugh-out-loud enjoyment. A fun read.
July 21, 2016
Deliciously hilarious and suspenseful! I love the vocabulary. Beldon manages to work in words, like vertiginous, in a manner that reveals their meaning via context and enhances the hilarity while making me feel, somehow, just a little smarter!
June 21, 2021
I love books about writers and this one hits all the expected satirical notes in a satisfying way, but also retains an earnestness that writing isn't a futile, self-indulgent endeavor. Many lines had me laughing out loud. Looking forward to the movie adaptation.
March 12, 2023
Shiver is a novel about a man who pretends to be an allusive writer that hasn't been seen or heard from in 20 years. The setting is a writers’ conference. The events that unfold are absolutely hilarious!
The author fills the novel with crazy characters sporting crazy names (Zebra Amphetamine, Tee Watzczesnam (What's-his-name), Edsel Nixon, etc). Each character has their own quirks, and when you put it all together you get a deliciously funny tale that includes a horse, cheerleaders, imposters, bathtubs, and lovable characters.
Kudos to Chris Belden. I'll have to check out what else he has written.
The author fills the novel with crazy characters sporting crazy names (Zebra Amphetamine, Tee Watzczesnam (What's-his-name), Edsel Nixon, etc). Each character has their own quirks, and when you put it all together you get a deliciously funny tale that includes a horse, cheerleaders, imposters, bathtubs, and lovable characters.
Kudos to Chris Belden. I'll have to check out what else he has written.
December 28, 2015
This is a most unusual book for me. Far out of my regular reading wheelhouse. Once in a blue moon I take a flyer on a book because the synopsis appeals to me and more often than not I’m rewarded because I do so. Shriver was a treat of a book. I’m sure it’s not going to be for everyone but I’m certainly glad that I gave it a read.
Shriver is a quiet man living a quiet life when he receives an invitation to a writer’s conference. He doesn’t understand why, but then thinks it might be a prank being played on him by an old friend so he goes along with it until he realizes that it’s no prank and he is suddenly expected to be the writer everyone thinks he is. But he isn’t – or is he?
That is the fun of this book. Well half of the fun; the the other half comes from the very laughable names given to the characters and the happenings. There are drunks, cheerleaders, horses and pratfalls. Not to mention impostors, posers, and a very odd little detective. It all comes together in a story that rolls along in a wildly haphazard way that is yet somehow very purposeful.
Intrigued?
As I mentioned – not my normal reading choice but I truly enjoyed it and I suspect it would only get better with a second read. It’s not a lengthy book; in fact I read it yesterday afternoon. It was a delightful way to spend a dreary, grey winter day. Shriver’s world was far better than mine – although I was glad to not have to deal with the mosquitoes.
4.5
Shriver is a quiet man living a quiet life when he receives an invitation to a writer’s conference. He doesn’t understand why, but then thinks it might be a prank being played on him by an old friend so he goes along with it until he realizes that it’s no prank and he is suddenly expected to be the writer everyone thinks he is. But he isn’t – or is he?
That is the fun of this book. Well half of the fun; the the other half comes from the very laughable names given to the characters and the happenings. There are drunks, cheerleaders, horses and pratfalls. Not to mention impostors, posers, and a very odd little detective. It all comes together in a story that rolls along in a wildly haphazard way that is yet somehow very purposeful.
Intrigued?
As I mentioned – not my normal reading choice but I truly enjoyed it and I suspect it would only get better with a second read. It’s not a lengthy book; in fact I read it yesterday afternoon. It was a delightful way to spend a dreary, grey winter day. Shriver’s world was far better than mine – although I was glad to not have to deal with the mosquitoes.
4.5
May 16, 2019
Shriver covers well-worn territory (writers writing about writers and writing) but in a sort of jaunty and different way. It's The Emperor's New Clothes as litfic. This Shriver, the narrator, is not THE Shriver - the important, Pynchonesque, Important, reclusive, Writer. That Shriver burst onto the literary scene 20 years ago with "Goat Time," his one and only book. He hasn't been seen since. So when our Shriver gets an invite to a literary conference, he thinks it's a joke and accepts. He only realizes this is not a joke while being driven from the airport to the conference.
All of the obvious things happen: people gape at his incredible wit and wonderful intelligence. Stalkers stalk and reporters hound. He writes a little thing about a watermark on his ceiling and reads it at the conference -- to great applause. He answers questions and realizes "he could say almost anything and they would buy it." He wants to get out of it, but he has a hard time doing it, and of course the entire time he thinks the whole thing will come crashing down on him any minute. Everyone thinks he's brilliant. They're all so impressed that he starts to believe the hype. He also realizes that it doesn't matter what he does: they are all invested in Shriver being SHRIVER.
Of course, the whole thing can't go on forever, and added personal twists come in that clash with the tone. The jokes start to get old and the book starts to fall flat. Anyone who has ever been in any academic setting will know the cast of characters. We've seen them in White Noise and Straight Man and Moo and all sorts of other books. They've been done better. I wanted this to be hilarious. It was passably chuckle-funny. But what are you gonna do? Writers gonna write - apparently often about writing and writers.
All of the obvious things happen: people gape at his incredible wit and wonderful intelligence. Stalkers stalk and reporters hound. He writes a little thing about a watermark on his ceiling and reads it at the conference -- to great applause. He answers questions and realizes "he could say almost anything and they would buy it." He wants to get out of it, but he has a hard time doing it, and of course the entire time he thinks the whole thing will come crashing down on him any minute. Everyone thinks he's brilliant. They're all so impressed that he starts to believe the hype. He also realizes that it doesn't matter what he does: they are all invested in Shriver being SHRIVER.
Of course, the whole thing can't go on forever, and added personal twists come in that clash with the tone. The jokes start to get old and the book starts to fall flat. Anyone who has ever been in any academic setting will know the cast of characters. We've seen them in White Noise and Straight Man and Moo and all sorts of other books. They've been done better. I wanted this to be hilarious. It was passably chuckle-funny. But what are you gonna do? Writers gonna write - apparently often about writing and writers.
February 3, 2018
There was nothing special about this book besides the quirky writing, the fun little tale of identity theft, and bits of romance. It was a fun read but definitely nothing to tell everyone about.
February 21, 2022
A fun read.
January 25, 2023
An enjoyable read but a lot of unanswered questions lingering after the end.
February 15, 2024
Wonderfully humorous satire on writers, publishing and the groves of academia. With a sympathetic main character and a cohort of players in supporting roles, the book kept me turning the pages and laughing out loud. If you hated Yellowface, you’ll probably love this.
September 26, 2015
Chris Belden’s Shriver might be called a book about a novelist who wrote a book called Goat Time which everybody seems to enjoy but nobody seems to have read, at least not entirely, including not the author Shriver himself.
Add to this nonsensical loop a few day’s worth of swarming mosquitoes, a crate or two of whiskey, and a parade of cheerleaders, lurking shadows, and self-centered artists through a mid-western college town and voila: a quick, witty parody of modern-day writerly conferences.
Shriver
Readers of Shriver will encounter a range of characters from aspiring author and overweight corndog consumer Delta Malarkey-Jones to Blotto, the delivery boy and drunken cowboy professor T. Watzczesnam. We get talked down to from on high by arrogant playwright Basil Rather, yet may find some titillation in his well-endowed assistant, Lena Brazir (well endowed above and below the waist). We may learn to appreciate the personal pain of Native American Poetess Gonquin Smithee, even if it means making room for Ms. Labio, her puckered lover.
Fortunately, Belden doesn’t toss us in among this rabble without a right-minded guide or two, from grad student Edsel Nixon to Shriver’s beloved Professor Cleverly. Even Shriver himself is a form of sanity, on those rare occasions he hasn’t lost his marbles or drown himself in whiskey. But who wouldn’t go nuts or seek blind drunkenness in a world that features the Outer East Coast Inner Critics Circle Award, the Church of Pornocology, the Dusty Rose Rodeo Museum, and other points of interest in an unnamed whistle stop college town on the Black River? By the way, Lymphadenopathy seems to be going around, so watch you don’t catch cat scratch fever.
The satire isn’t entirely shallow tomfoolery. Belden may be funny, but he’s also a writer in command. The novel provides literary shelter in such refined imagery as the “Tiny moth of anxiety fluttering inside” Shriver’s chest, which itself grows into a “fruit bat caged inside his ribs, now transformed into a squawking, fluttering crow.” And when the imposter, Shriver, answers the call to forge his alter ego’s name on his masterpiece—Goat Time—Shriver uses “The same signature he penned on his checks to the electric company.”
We find the protagonist staring “At the deep bowl of clear blue sky overhead. Somewhere on the other side were billions of planets spinning in their rutted orbits, impossibly cold and empty, and oblivious to this quaking man on an aluminum ladder. What difference would it make if he plunged to the ground and landed on the blade of the box cutter? By the same token, what did it matter that he was not the real Shriver, but an imposter bumbling through a pointless charade?”
This considerable depth aside, the self-referential Shriver is “Like a cheap Agatha Christie novel,” a murder mystery folded into a love story that gallops on the back of a horse named Walter right up to the very end. It’s a “Ridiculous charade” that asks: “What is it about writers? Why are they so self-absorbed?” and “Must one be an imposter to be a writer?”
And that’s where Chris Belden puts the heart into this joyride through Twaddleville. He examines the nature of what it means to be a writer, and comes up with a few good answers:
"It’s like there’s two different people inside you, wrestling. There’s the real you, gentle, sensitive, genuine. Then there’s the liar, the imposter, the villain—the writer."
Shriver, to be reissued later this month by Touchstone Books, manages to be witty without pretense, absurd without hopelessness, a literary romp roiling with characters who are simple yet evolved, endearing and funny. Best of all, they are fun to be around.
Add to this nonsensical loop a few day’s worth of swarming mosquitoes, a crate or two of whiskey, and a parade of cheerleaders, lurking shadows, and self-centered artists through a mid-western college town and voila: a quick, witty parody of modern-day writerly conferences.
Shriver
Readers of Shriver will encounter a range of characters from aspiring author and overweight corndog consumer Delta Malarkey-Jones to Blotto, the delivery boy and drunken cowboy professor T. Watzczesnam. We get talked down to from on high by arrogant playwright Basil Rather, yet may find some titillation in his well-endowed assistant, Lena Brazir (well endowed above and below the waist). We may learn to appreciate the personal pain of Native American Poetess Gonquin Smithee, even if it means making room for Ms. Labio, her puckered lover.
Fortunately, Belden doesn’t toss us in among this rabble without a right-minded guide or two, from grad student Edsel Nixon to Shriver’s beloved Professor Cleverly. Even Shriver himself is a form of sanity, on those rare occasions he hasn’t lost his marbles or drown himself in whiskey. But who wouldn’t go nuts or seek blind drunkenness in a world that features the Outer East Coast Inner Critics Circle Award, the Church of Pornocology, the Dusty Rose Rodeo Museum, and other points of interest in an unnamed whistle stop college town on the Black River? By the way, Lymphadenopathy seems to be going around, so watch you don’t catch cat scratch fever.
The satire isn’t entirely shallow tomfoolery. Belden may be funny, but he’s also a writer in command. The novel provides literary shelter in such refined imagery as the “Tiny moth of anxiety fluttering inside” Shriver’s chest, which itself grows into a “fruit bat caged inside his ribs, now transformed into a squawking, fluttering crow.” And when the imposter, Shriver, answers the call to forge his alter ego’s name on his masterpiece—Goat Time—Shriver uses “The same signature he penned on his checks to the electric company.”
We find the protagonist staring “At the deep bowl of clear blue sky overhead. Somewhere on the other side were billions of planets spinning in their rutted orbits, impossibly cold and empty, and oblivious to this quaking man on an aluminum ladder. What difference would it make if he plunged to the ground and landed on the blade of the box cutter? By the same token, what did it matter that he was not the real Shriver, but an imposter bumbling through a pointless charade?”
This considerable depth aside, the self-referential Shriver is “Like a cheap Agatha Christie novel,” a murder mystery folded into a love story that gallops on the back of a horse named Walter right up to the very end. It’s a “Ridiculous charade” that asks: “What is it about writers? Why are they so self-absorbed?” and “Must one be an imposter to be a writer?”
And that’s where Chris Belden puts the heart into this joyride through Twaddleville. He examines the nature of what it means to be a writer, and comes up with a few good answers:
"It’s like there’s two different people inside you, wrestling. There’s the real you, gentle, sensitive, genuine. Then there’s the liar, the imposter, the villain—the writer."
Shriver, to be reissued later this month by Touchstone Books, manages to be witty without pretense, absurd without hopelessness, a literary romp roiling with characters who are simple yet evolved, endearing and funny. Best of all, they are fun to be around.
February 15, 2019
Well written, but more farce than satire. Some lovely characterisations along the way, with a satisfying ending. For a similar look at mid-western college English departments, I preferred Moo by Jane Smiley.
October 11, 2016
Mistaken for a famous but reclusive author of the same name, lonely Shriver attends a writers’ conference at a Midwestern liberal arts college. Completely unfamiliar with the novel he supposedly wrote and unprepared for the reputation that precedes him, Shriver is feted, fawned over, featured at literary panels and barely manages to play it cool. Things quickly go awry when one of the other guest authors suddenly disappears and Shriver becomes a prime suspect in the investigation. Amidst eager fans, Shriver must contend with a persistent police detective, a pesky journalist determined to unearth his past, and a mysterious stalker who seems to know his secret. But most vexing of all, Shriver’s fallen in love with the conference organizer, who believes he’s someone else. This is a hilarious book with quirky characters (with weird names) and escapades that will have you laughing out loud. A great book!!
May 3, 2014
unabashedly enjoyable, this. the entire thing is utterly unbelievable except for it being set in academia, which makes it a very accurate portrayal of nutty self-importance and group affirmation being really all that makes for academic excellence. the ending was a tad too sentimental for my tastes, but the rest of it was hilarious - a quick read, and all the more enjoyable for it (and by no means does "quick" here suggest a lack of depth or skill in writing!)
May 2, 2023
Liked the writing, did not like the story. DNF. Just skipped to the last chapter after reading half.
July 28, 2022
This unusual quirky book was a quick read for me.
Shriver the MC is invited to speak at a literary conference. This reclusive author with a smashing bestseller from 20 years ago hasn’t written a thing since.
The problem is the Shriver the invite goes to is the wrong man. Or is he?
This novel was full of unusual literary people and funny situations.
Shriver the MC is invited to speak at a literary conference. This reclusive author with a smashing bestseller from 20 years ago hasn’t written a thing since.
The problem is the Shriver the invite goes to is the wrong man. Or is he?
This novel was full of unusual literary people and funny situations.
November 23, 2015
I ordered this book with anticipation, enamored by the plot and character descriptions I read in article reviews. Unfortunately, the writing level was just on par with what I remember reading in 101 college writing courses--no errors, but a lot of refinement needed.
August 23, 2022
This was another book that I got from the "read before it's a movie" list I found somewhere. I did like this one and would watch the movie. Funny, a little hard to follow at times but I might have been distracted by work while listening too!
April 24, 2023
Interesting read. Teasingly, Belden leaves a lot up for interpretation. The adulation, all the women throwing themselves at the protagonist. Is it real, is Shriver real, or is it all a fanciful yarn? If anything, I can only vouch for the watermark on the ceiling.
July 9, 2015
I found the first half of this book amusing and engaging, but ultimately this novel fizzled for me.
February 22, 2020
Fairly entertaining satire about academic life, but the characters were too stereotypical and broadly drawn, even for a farce.
November 7, 2021
Very funny take on what happens at a book festival.
December 5, 2021
Great, fun read!
August 19, 2020
This one was a relaxing departure from my usual. Normally my reading list is all horror and thriller, but something about this one caught my attention and I'm glad it did. It's a funny, witty, gentle story about books and the people who write them. Our lead character Shriver receives a mis-directed invitation to a literary convention where he's mistaken for the author Shriver, a sort of Harlan Ellison-esque genius full of spit and vinegar, who's supposed to be one of the greatest American authors of the 20th century. Our hero Shriver, by contrast, is a quiet sort of 'Chance the Gardener"-type fellow, very simple and content just to be left alone in peace. Things go very offroad when he's lauded at the gathering and his every word is interpreted as genius.
The book doesn't really have a plot, per se, it's just Shriver wandering his way through various humorous situations built on his mistaken identity. There's a mystery of sorts when another author vanishes, but really the book is a comedy of manners and pretensions. I loved it, personally. The tone reminded me of two of my favorite films, "Being There" and "Local Hero". It's a really enjoyable vacation from the real world.
The book doesn't really have a plot, per se, it's just Shriver wandering his way through various humorous situations built on his mistaken identity. There's a mystery of sorts when another author vanishes, but really the book is a comedy of manners and pretensions. I loved it, personally. The tone reminded me of two of my favorite films, "Being There" and "Local Hero". It's a really enjoyable vacation from the real world.
March 12, 2017
Chris Belden's Shriver hits the ground running. It only takes off from there.
I love novels that get right down to it, and this is certainly one of those. I also love novels with a humorous but humble main character who not only falls unwittingly into the premise of the story, but once he realizes it, he digs himself in even deeper. Shriver, whose wife left him for (he doesn't know why) and hasn't left his home in (who knows how long) has all the humility and henpecked qualities of a James Thurber character. Perhaps remaining a shut-in is the best thing for Shriver, after all.
But we’ll never know, because suddenly one day, completely out of the blue, Shriver is drawn out of his peephole prison and into an unfamiliar and frightening world. Just when you think you know where exactly where this story is going, Shriver takes a wild left turn. Where does he wind up? You're not going to believe what happens next.
Shriver ends up at a writer's conference like no other, complete with raucous characters, everything from a graduate student by the name of Edsel Nixon (Get it? Two epochal failures?), to a militant lesbian and the toughest dog-gone victim of love you ever did see. With names like Malarkey-Jones, Blotto, and Zebra Amphetamine, you know you’re in for some madcap mayhem. Belden certainly delivers.
I wish I could tell you all the hilarious stuff that happens in this book, but then that would be giving it away. What I can tell you is that just when you think you've got it all figured out, you don’t. Get ready for one surprise after another, and wild plot twists that make this book more like a roller coaster ride than a train trip.
So, what kind of rating do I give Shriver? Two enthusiastic thumbs up, and that's just because I only have two thumbs. If I was all thumbs (like my wife claims), I'd give it 10. I'd give it 20 if my feet would get in the game. Seriously though, I really loved this book. It gets right down to it and does not get bogged down in needless description and back story. Although the story line is well laid out and kept me guessing the whole time, it’s Chris Belden’s natural writing style and command of characters that I liked best. I look forward to reading more from Belden in the future.
I love novels that get right down to it, and this is certainly one of those. I also love novels with a humorous but humble main character who not only falls unwittingly into the premise of the story, but once he realizes it, he digs himself in even deeper. Shriver, whose wife left him for (he doesn't know why) and hasn't left his home in (who knows how long) has all the humility and henpecked qualities of a James Thurber character. Perhaps remaining a shut-in is the best thing for Shriver, after all.
But we’ll never know, because suddenly one day, completely out of the blue, Shriver is drawn out of his peephole prison and into an unfamiliar and frightening world. Just when you think you know where exactly where this story is going, Shriver takes a wild left turn. Where does he wind up? You're not going to believe what happens next.
Shriver ends up at a writer's conference like no other, complete with raucous characters, everything from a graduate student by the name of Edsel Nixon (Get it? Two epochal failures?), to a militant lesbian and the toughest dog-gone victim of love you ever did see. With names like Malarkey-Jones, Blotto, and Zebra Amphetamine, you know you’re in for some madcap mayhem. Belden certainly delivers.
I wish I could tell you all the hilarious stuff that happens in this book, but then that would be giving it away. What I can tell you is that just when you think you've got it all figured out, you don’t. Get ready for one surprise after another, and wild plot twists that make this book more like a roller coaster ride than a train trip.
So, what kind of rating do I give Shriver? Two enthusiastic thumbs up, and that's just because I only have two thumbs. If I was all thumbs (like my wife claims), I'd give it 10. I'd give it 20 if my feet would get in the game. Seriously though, I really loved this book. It gets right down to it and does not get bogged down in needless description and back story. Although the story line is well laid out and kept me guessing the whole time, it’s Chris Belden’s natural writing style and command of characters that I liked best. I look forward to reading more from Belden in the future.
May 30, 2025
This was on my radar after enjoying the movie adaptation: A Little White Lie. Because I already knew the story, I had a blast with the foreshadowing. (I kept underlining clever lines to share with Brandon, since we watched the movie together.) I really enjoyed the premise of a lonely, anxious man being mistaken for a famous, reclusive author. It's fun for me when characters find themselves in over their heads, yet they continue digging themselves in deeper and deeper.... Perhaps out of shame, or just because of the very real human need to connect? Maybe we all just wish we had others to console us and tell us who we are at our core when we're doubting ourselves. Either way, the premise leads to a very clever and witty farce here! There is a lot of meta humor and satire, and it left me pondering too. Maybe we all just feel like we're pretending sometimes?
February 27, 2024
The novel had me intrigued in the beginning, however, it ended with too many vital unanswered questions. The concept of a man pretending he was a reclusive author who only wrote one very popular book, our protagonist was "accidentally" invited to a book conference because he had the same name as the famous author. It seemed interesting. However, in many portions of the book, his memories and the story he actually created made it seem that he truly was the famous author. This was not resolved at the end of the book leaving me very disappointed. Was he or wasn't he the famous author? I wouldn't recommend it for those who like to see resolution.
April 20, 2020
Perfect escape reading during Covid 19. Shriver gets an invitation to talk at an author's conference at a university a plane ride away. It was sent in error as he is not the author, Shriver. He decides to go anyway. Our Shriver is a guy who is a recluse in his NYC apartment, has an ex-wife, no phone and is in love with a local news reporter. So he pretends to be the famous author of the only book he wrote. Think J.D. Salinger. What happens at the conference and the people he met are hysterically funny. And the ending is touching and hopeful.
September 12, 2022
There are definitely some risks that come along with pretending to be a famous author, especially when you’re going to attend a literary conference under their name.
There was a bit of satire regarding the world of academia, and some hi-jinx involved, but some of the terms and situations were a bit problematic for me, especially given that this book is relatively newish.
Would have loved to see a bit more comedic elements, but overall, a quick little adventure that still has me guessing 🤷🏻♀️📚
🌟🌟🌟
There was a bit of satire regarding the world of academia, and some hi-jinx involved, but some of the terms and situations were a bit problematic for me, especially given that this book is relatively newish.
Would have loved to see a bit more comedic elements, but overall, a quick little adventure that still has me guessing 🤷🏻♀️📚
🌟🌟🌟
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