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Enablers Anonymous
By now, everyone knows the name James King.
They see me on top of this block-tower pedestal, and it seems they’re all trying to knock it down, scraping away the lies I used to glue it all together.
I went from warehouse loser, worst employee of the month, to self-help superstar and media flavor of the month, using the tried and tested method—fake it until you make it.
What I made was a media monster. Now, an angry mob is at my door, wielding pitchforks and flaming torches, screaming, “Down with the Placebo Messiah!”
Ignore what the critics, and my absentee shoulder angel, tell you—I’m not all bad. Come in and help yourself to the complimentary food, but go easy on the coffee creamer or you’ll be up all night. It’s time for me to confess the true version of my story—I’m about to tell all.*
*including where to find the tastiest breakfast wraps in town.
They see me on top of this block-tower pedestal, and it seems they’re all trying to knock it down, scraping away the lies I used to glue it all together.
I went from warehouse loser, worst employee of the month, to self-help superstar and media flavor of the month, using the tried and tested method—fake it until you make it.
What I made was a media monster. Now, an angry mob is at my door, wielding pitchforks and flaming torches, screaming, “Down with the Placebo Messiah!”
Ignore what the critics, and my absentee shoulder angel, tell you—I’m not all bad. Come in and help yourself to the complimentary food, but go easy on the coffee creamer or you’ll be up all night. It’s time for me to confess the true version of my story—I’m about to tell all.*
*including where to find the tastiest breakfast wraps in town.
227 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 11, 2016
1 person is currently reading
3 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 14, 2016
What Nico Laeser does well is tell a story. I am a big fan of Nico and each book has brought a fresh perspective, added nuance to his style and each of his books are in themselves, miniature literary diamonds in which I always delight. Enablers Anonymous did not disappoint me in this regard. Here we have a lighter touch from a very clever artist who draws his characters with subtle strokes and sucks you in to the next page so much so, you’ve read the book before you know what’s hit you. For the first time in reading all of his books however I found myself struggling with one literary device that he uses here as part of the humour in Enablers Anonymous. Perhaps a very personal minor point but Nico uses an asterisk to highlight a word or phrase to shortly thereafter make a witty remark relating to that same word or phrase. While sometimes amusing it became a distraction I could have done without. A small point perhaps and indeed a rare criticism for this book is overall a delight to behold. As always, the writing is superb, the story line – and for me this is always really everything – is just fantastic. Nico’s imagination it seems knows no bounds. This book is original, clever and imaginative. Above all else, this is one of my favourite reads this year. Hats off to cracking book from a brilliant writer.
January 4, 2017
Jimmy is the KING! I loved this book, I thought the writing style was fresh and ridiculously sarcastic. Throughout the text there were little jokes and nuggets that tied the main character's quirks all together. All the acronyms had me cracking up. It was just so out of this world world funny and at times the text made fun of itself. All the nicknames gave it a sense of familiarity, the name changes between what a person's real name is and what Jimmy calls them is surprisingly smooth, everything about the writing style fits the protagonist. I've read a bit my Nico and he really becomes an actor when he writes; one of his many skills is adapting his style to fit the protagonist.
A lot of authors make their characters too perfect. Laeser couldn't give Jimmy a break. In the end you wind up loving the guy because he turns out to accidentally be a compassionate man. And that's what makes this book so special to me. It's not just the hilarious plot and historical sub-conflicts that Jimmy has to work through. It's the clear development of a protagonist who goes through a life changing event and changes for the better (not all at once but for genuine reasons).
A lot of authors make their characters too perfect. Laeser couldn't give Jimmy a break. In the end you wind up loving the guy because he turns out to accidentally be a compassionate man. And that's what makes this book so special to me. It's not just the hilarious plot and historical sub-conflicts that Jimmy has to work through. It's the clear development of a protagonist who goes through a life changing event and changes for the better (not all at once but for genuine reasons).
November 20, 2017
It’s not often I come across a book I know I’ll read again - and enjoy; again. James King, the central character, is a man barely surviving in every aspect of his daily life, until he realises that things are about to get worse. Until a conversation with his boss, James didn’t think it possible to be worse off.
Partly in desperation, and partly because he has no fear of consequences, James indulges in a little bit of make-believe. In itself, make-believe is fine - as long as you don’t involve other people.
The story opens from the aspect of a tell-all interview featuring James, and the fun begins.
In another of his books; ‘Skin Cage’, Nico Laeser proves how adept he is at foraging in the mind of a character, and in that story he draws the reader in to a world of frustration and helplessness.
Here, in Enablers Anonymous, the author confirms his talent for entertaining, but in this case it is a tale so filled with humour it was akin to being in the company of a stand-up comedian; a good one. In a totally different context, the mental condition of James King features frustration and helplessness. Here though, the continual fight to survive and the growing pyramid of fabrication, laced with dark humour is a delight.
The dialogue is incredible and peppered with the main character’s thoughts which bring many a smile.
A superb read, thank you, Mr Laeser.
Partly in desperation, and partly because he has no fear of consequences, James indulges in a little bit of make-believe. In itself, make-believe is fine - as long as you don’t involve other people.
The story opens from the aspect of a tell-all interview featuring James, and the fun begins.
In another of his books; ‘Skin Cage’, Nico Laeser proves how adept he is at foraging in the mind of a character, and in that story he draws the reader in to a world of frustration and helplessness.
Here, in Enablers Anonymous, the author confirms his talent for entertaining, but in this case it is a tale so filled with humour it was akin to being in the company of a stand-up comedian; a good one. In a totally different context, the mental condition of James King features frustration and helplessness. Here though, the continual fight to survive and the growing pyramid of fabrication, laced with dark humour is a delight.
The dialogue is incredible and peppered with the main character’s thoughts which bring many a smile.
A superb read, thank you, Mr Laeser.
July 24, 2016
I make it no secret I am a HUGE fan of Nico Laeser's work, so I did not hesitate a moment when I received the notification from Amazon that Nico released another book. I first discovered Nico's work through a reading group and read his first two books "Skin Cage" and "Infinity."
Initially, I inaccurately categorized Nico as a horror writer, but this could be furthest from the truth. "Enablers Anonymous" cements Laeser's writing brilliance and ability to craft a spellbinding novel that holds a mirror to the uglier places in life. That was where I was originally confused in his writing. I read scary elements that are harder to swallow and even harder to imagine. But, the truth is he merely paints a vivid picture of reality.
"Enablers Anonymous" follows James "Jimmy" King (no correlation to the character from the movie "Ready to Rumble"), a down-and-out loser of a guy who simply wants to get by on little effort and even less confidence. Even though Jimmy exudes King of Loserdom, he still shows sparks of hope in his steadily increasing work to getting better. Jimmy works at a warehouse job he hates, works under a boss he despises, and sometimes can't make to work on time to save his life.
Jimmy's boss confronts him and offers a book that indirectly sends him into an upward trajectory after a chance meeting in his walk home from work. Between support groups, secret meetings, and a large self-help organization, Jimmy King's story quickly sucked me in and had me reading for hours at a time - until I got to the end.
Rather than spoil any of the story, I'd rather summarize Nico Laeser's latest effort in one word:
Marvelous
This book evoked strong emotions from me and inspired me in a way I never knew it would. Bravo, Nico! Please, get that next book out! I don't want you to regert it. ;)
-Dale L. Roberts
#1 International Best-Selling Author
Initially, I inaccurately categorized Nico as a horror writer, but this could be furthest from the truth. "Enablers Anonymous" cements Laeser's writing brilliance and ability to craft a spellbinding novel that holds a mirror to the uglier places in life. That was where I was originally confused in his writing. I read scary elements that are harder to swallow and even harder to imagine. But, the truth is he merely paints a vivid picture of reality.
"Enablers Anonymous" follows James "Jimmy" King (no correlation to the character from the movie "Ready to Rumble"), a down-and-out loser of a guy who simply wants to get by on little effort and even less confidence. Even though Jimmy exudes King of Loserdom, he still shows sparks of hope in his steadily increasing work to getting better. Jimmy works at a warehouse job he hates, works under a boss he despises, and sometimes can't make to work on time to save his life.
Jimmy's boss confronts him and offers a book that indirectly sends him into an upward trajectory after a chance meeting in his walk home from work. Between support groups, secret meetings, and a large self-help organization, Jimmy King's story quickly sucked me in and had me reading for hours at a time - until I got to the end.
Rather than spoil any of the story, I'd rather summarize Nico Laeser's latest effort in one word:
Marvelous
This book evoked strong emotions from me and inspired me in a way I never knew it would. Bravo, Nico! Please, get that next book out! I don't want you to regert it. ;)
-Dale L. Roberts
#1 International Best-Selling Author
September 23, 2016
My 5-star review of ENABLERS ANONYMOUS - NICO LAESER
In Enablers Anonymous, Nico Laeser weaves a complex and tangled web of deceit. James King, self-confessed loser, builds an accidental empire based on lies and deception. It’s like watching someone balance beach pebbles one on top of another until the whole structure is so unstable a breath of air caused by the beat of a butterfly’s wing the far side of the globe will send it tumbling. I spent the whole novel waiting nervously for that butterfly to take to the air. The style is fresh and immediate, humorous and blasphemous, but with a depth of feeling and emotion that belies its light-hearted, irreverent approach. It reminded me of the late, great Douglas Adams’s Dirk Gently Holistic Detective Agency and The Long Dark Teatime of the Soul. This is the third novel I’ve read by Nico Laeser: they are all very different but I have loved them all. Nico has a knack of creating wonderful imagery, and touching your heart. Highly recommended.
https://www.amazon.com/Enablers-Nico-...
In Enablers Anonymous, Nico Laeser weaves a complex and tangled web of deceit. James King, self-confessed loser, builds an accidental empire based on lies and deception. It’s like watching someone balance beach pebbles one on top of another until the whole structure is so unstable a breath of air caused by the beat of a butterfly’s wing the far side of the globe will send it tumbling. I spent the whole novel waiting nervously for that butterfly to take to the air. The style is fresh and immediate, humorous and blasphemous, but with a depth of feeling and emotion that belies its light-hearted, irreverent approach. It reminded me of the late, great Douglas Adams’s Dirk Gently Holistic Detective Agency and The Long Dark Teatime of the Soul. This is the third novel I’ve read by Nico Laeser: they are all very different but I have loved them all. Nico has a knack of creating wonderful imagery, and touching your heart. Highly recommended.
https://www.amazon.com/Enablers-Nico-...
August 19, 2016
Enabler's Anonymous follows the life and times of a self described loser. A f**k-up who has few (if any) f**ks left to give. Life being the chaotic maelstrom that it is, Jimmy winds up doing more than he ever thought he could. As the old song (and saying) goes, "Only cream and bastards rise". Our hero fakes it until he makes it and finds himself standing atop a self-help empire and wondering not only how he got there, but whether or not he even deserves it.
It's part Fight Club (without the fighting) and part Catcher In The Rye and part sequence of events that seem so realistic, you can't help but wonder why this hasn't happened to you.
Toss in an interesting group of supporting characters, including a group of fantasy gamers, the smarmiest boss on Earth, and a coffee cup that brings a delightful bit of irony, and you've got a cracking good tale.
It's part Fight Club (without the fighting) and part Catcher In The Rye and part sequence of events that seem so realistic, you can't help but wonder why this hasn't happened to you.
Toss in an interesting group of supporting characters, including a group of fantasy gamers, the smarmiest boss on Earth, and a coffee cup that brings a delightful bit of irony, and you've got a cracking good tale.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews