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Good for Nothing
"Enchanted by Good For Nothing ..." --Stephen Fry
"This book could be the lovechild of Bill Bryson and Martin Amis.... But at its heart is a very serious point. It is about the tsunami of destruction that has hit Middle America since the financial crisis." -- Daily Mail
Flip Mellis believes his recent past would be best described a man with his feet planted on terra firma. As a husband and father, he was a consistent breadwinner. As a business professional, he was a go-getter. For twenty years, he did all that was expected of him, if not much more.
But a job loss in his middle years, in the midst of a national economic crisis, has knocked Flip squarely on his big, soft ass, where he has been wallowing for nearly a year.
Over the course of one hectic week, replete with a cast of colorful characters, Flip is forced by circumstances of his own invention to finally get his life headed in the right direction. Like a pudgy, irritable toddler, he carefully tests his balance and lurches forward, stumbling around absurd obstacles and grasping for any solid purchase. Ultimately a spark of human resilience locked deep within his core begins to spread. The question will Flip's best efforts be enough to lead him safely to redemption or will they merely lead to a futile, purely graceless, and quixotic crash?
"This book could be the lovechild of Bill Bryson and Martin Amis.... But at its heart is a very serious point. It is about the tsunami of destruction that has hit Middle America since the financial crisis." -- Daily Mail
Flip Mellis believes his recent past would be best described a man with his feet planted on terra firma. As a husband and father, he was a consistent breadwinner. As a business professional, he was a go-getter. For twenty years, he did all that was expected of him, if not much more.
But a job loss in his middle years, in the midst of a national economic crisis, has knocked Flip squarely on his big, soft ass, where he has been wallowing for nearly a year.
Over the course of one hectic week, replete with a cast of colorful characters, Flip is forced by circumstances of his own invention to finally get his life headed in the right direction. Like a pudgy, irritable toddler, he carefully tests his balance and lurches forward, stumbling around absurd obstacles and grasping for any solid purchase. Ultimately a spark of human resilience locked deep within his core begins to spread. The question will Flip's best efforts be enough to lead him safely to redemption or will they merely lead to a futile, purely graceless, and quixotic crash?
321 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 1, 2017
15 people are currently reading
520 people want to read
About the author
Brandon S. Graham
2 books101 followersA transient Southerner by birth and heritage, Brandon Graham has lived, worked, and studied in eight different states and four different countries. He eventually settled near Chicago where he studied visual and written narrative at Columbia College Center for Book and Paper Arts.
If one belief has latched itself securely to his core during his travels, it is that narrative is the most powerful bridge across social, intellectual, emotional and geographic distances.
Brandon’s first short story was published in the journal Pleiades in 1990. Since then he has written for performance, artist’s books, book reviews, web content, mail art and many many zines. He has continued to publish poems and prose in literary journals, including the recent story Razed published in the experimental journal Little Bang. His books are included in several dozen special collections libraries throughout the United States including Yale, UCLA, Otis College of Art and Design, Emory University, and Ringling School of Design. In the past few years his book How To Gut A Fish was reviewed in The Blue Notebook, an art journal produced in London, England; and two of his visual books received awards at the International Book Arts Exhibition in Seoul South Korea.
Good For Nothing is his Debut novel.
Brandon continues to make art and write in Illinois where he lives with his lovely wife and two mostly sweet children, surrounded by a remarkable gang of friends and neighbors.
If one belief has latched itself securely to his core during his travels, it is that narrative is the most powerful bridge across social, intellectual, emotional and geographic distances.
Brandon’s first short story was published in the journal Pleiades in 1990. Since then he has written for performance, artist’s books, book reviews, web content, mail art and many many zines. He has continued to publish poems and prose in literary journals, including the recent story Razed published in the experimental journal Little Bang. His books are included in several dozen special collections libraries throughout the United States including Yale, UCLA, Otis College of Art and Design, Emory University, and Ringling School of Design. In the past few years his book How To Gut A Fish was reviewed in The Blue Notebook, an art journal produced in London, England; and two of his visual books received awards at the International Book Arts Exhibition in Seoul South Korea.
Good For Nothing is his Debut novel.
Brandon continues to make art and write in Illinois where he lives with his lovely wife and two mostly sweet children, surrounded by a remarkable gang of friends and neighbors.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
February 5, 2014
An Outstanding Dose of Literature!
In Good For Nothing, we meet Flip Mellis. A middle-aged, overweight under-achiever. Good intentions or none at all, he’s given up and made a decision: one more week and he will end his nightmare.
Faced with unemployment, a failing family life, and a court-appointed psychologist appearing more smug than accredited, Flip promises to “turn it around” in seven days, believing this adequate time for him to plead his macabre case and gain their approval to end his own miserable existence.
Brandon Graham's debut novel is a bitterly funny story. Initially, Flip Mellis' acceptance of failure is a bit too casual. He's estranged from his wife and children, disgusted by his own body, and holds no motivation for a better life. But a deeply-flawed-Flip is portrayed to us through Graham, who provides an exceptionally insightful approach, helping our character beyond the oddly relateable to one we empathize with, even in the face of self-sabotage.
Set in an intentionally generic middle-America, Good For Nothing addresses a too-familiar turmoil. Financial crisis has led to an unhidden misery in the day to day lives of work-a-day (or out-of-work) America. Alongside this harsh reality Graham's supreme wit and turn of phrase had me laughing through tears. From one festive neighbor at Lakeside to an extremely odd run in with a Rubenesque store clerk, every character has their quip.
This darkly uplifting turn of events refused to be put down. The first pages prove Graham to have an uncanny knack for humorously reminding the reader it could be worse. And as we begin to sympathize with a hopeless Flip, the foolishness of his actions reminds us brilliantly, it's not what happens to us, it's how we react. Will Flip's reactions serve simply as a continuity of tantrum toward a prolonged suicide? Or will he take the time to find personal redemption in the rubble of his life? Good For Nothing Pick one up before you let yourself down. You will not be disappointed.
And to Graham: we look forward to more.
In Good For Nothing, we meet Flip Mellis. A middle-aged, overweight under-achiever. Good intentions or none at all, he’s given up and made a decision: one more week and he will end his nightmare.
Faced with unemployment, a failing family life, and a court-appointed psychologist appearing more smug than accredited, Flip promises to “turn it around” in seven days, believing this adequate time for him to plead his macabre case and gain their approval to end his own miserable existence.
Brandon Graham's debut novel is a bitterly funny story. Initially, Flip Mellis' acceptance of failure is a bit too casual. He's estranged from his wife and children, disgusted by his own body, and holds no motivation for a better life. But a deeply-flawed-Flip is portrayed to us through Graham, who provides an exceptionally insightful approach, helping our character beyond the oddly relateable to one we empathize with, even in the face of self-sabotage.
Set in an intentionally generic middle-America, Good For Nothing addresses a too-familiar turmoil. Financial crisis has led to an unhidden misery in the day to day lives of work-a-day (or out-of-work) America. Alongside this harsh reality Graham's supreme wit and turn of phrase had me laughing through tears. From one festive neighbor at Lakeside to an extremely odd run in with a Rubenesque store clerk, every character has their quip.
This darkly uplifting turn of events refused to be put down. The first pages prove Graham to have an uncanny knack for humorously reminding the reader it could be worse. And as we begin to sympathize with a hopeless Flip, the foolishness of his actions reminds us brilliantly, it's not what happens to us, it's how we react. Will Flip's reactions serve simply as a continuity of tantrum toward a prolonged suicide? Or will he take the time to find personal redemption in the rubble of his life? Good For Nothing Pick one up before you let yourself down. You will not be disappointed.
And to Graham: we look forward to more.
February 11, 2016
Full disclosure: I'm friends with the author and I read a lot of escapist fiction. With that in mind, I wasn't sure I could honestly review this book nor escape into the characters or situations. But after 30-40 pages, I was surprised to find myself forgetting I know the author. I also was surprised that I was interested in what was happening to this sad sack character, despite a lack of empathy towards him at first.
The pratfalls device at the beginning of the book did little to endear the main character (Flip), and often I cared more about the other people in the story. As characters, they seemed a little more fleshed out, or at least definable and relatable, which made following Flip's story a more clinically interesting read. I found I didn't have to care for him at all, but was interested in how he handled a series of black events in his life. So as he seemed a blank slate, it was a little unnerving to be able to easily slip into his skin and ask myself what I'd do in those situations.
I found the book a bit sweaty in a nervous way, as the older I get the more I realize how shaky and temporal life can be, and Brandon's exploration with disaster, personal ruin and reconciliation hit a little too close to home for me at times. Perhaps I read too many stories where the heroes ride off into the sunset, but it's nice to read something every now and then that remind you to find quality, purpose and meaning in your daily trials. While reading this book, I was reminded of this line from a Lennon song:
"Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans."
The pratfalls device at the beginning of the book did little to endear the main character (Flip), and often I cared more about the other people in the story. As characters, they seemed a little more fleshed out, or at least definable and relatable, which made following Flip's story a more clinically interesting read. I found I didn't have to care for him at all, but was interested in how he handled a series of black events in his life. So as he seemed a blank slate, it was a little unnerving to be able to easily slip into his skin and ask myself what I'd do in those situations.
I found the book a bit sweaty in a nervous way, as the older I get the more I realize how shaky and temporal life can be, and Brandon's exploration with disaster, personal ruin and reconciliation hit a little too close to home for me at times. Perhaps I read too many stories where the heroes ride off into the sunset, but it's nice to read something every now and then that remind you to find quality, purpose and meaning in your daily trials. While reading this book, I was reminded of this line from a Lennon song:
"Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans."
March 13, 2017
Brandon Graham's "Good for Nothing" provides a classic example of a figure I consider iconic: the American Chump. American literature and cinema is littered with example of this kind of guy (they're always male): basically good-natured, but with a dark side, given to making rash decisions that have harsh consequences. There's quite range of them out there: from Ignatios J. Reilly to Humbert Humbert to George Bailey and even Jay Gatsby. All of them have strange resonances with Graham's main character, Flip Mellis. Flip Mellis doesn't think of himself as much of a man, or much of a father, or much of anything. What he did best was earn money to support those he loved. The loss of that job has put him into a tailspin, where his lack of confidence and even greater lack of coping mechanisms, leaves him floundering for a way to "fix" things in his life. Torn between the polarities of turning his life around and just cashing in his chips, Flip experiences a series of (largely self-inflicted) calamities, all hilariously conveyed in Graham's direct narrative. What makes the Chump such an appealing type is that we have the combined satisfaction of feeling superior to him (that hand-to-face sense of "I can't believe he just did that") and the lingering suspicion that, given the circumstances, we might well have done the same thing ourselves. When parking next to a car that splays across two spaces, who hasn't secretly wanted to leave a dent in the offender's door? (I could give numerous other examples, but don't want to be accused of "spoilers.") The reason we simultaneously shake our heads at Flip's behavior and inwardly cheer him on, is that all of us feel the pressure of having to modify our impulses. As Lacan might say, our selves are ongoing negotiations between our id's desire for gratification, and the Superego's social pressures to behave. Flip Mellis's id is a little too close to the surface for him to completely keep it under control: his failed attempts at maintaining normal behavior are what make him both funny and endearing.
June 22, 2017
It’s a tough act to pull of; creating a disagreeable sad sack of a character, so deserving of his lot in life and so unwilling to pull it together when necessary, that it can make or break a novel. Should you go all-in on bleakness and risk alienating an audience that can’t empathize, or do you resolve everything with a pat moment of redemption? In the case of Flip Mellis, a train wreck come to life, author Brandon S. Graham opts for neither, leaving this reader disappointed and feeling as if the time invested was wasted.
“Good for Nothing” is a trying read that has the overly eager feel of inexperience. Graham has a penchant for excessive description, littering the pages with minutiae that neither serves a purpose nor drives the plot, but only seems to hint at self-indulgence. I mean, he describes the character going to the bathroom, among countless other passages that describe the obvious, the benign, and the unnecessary. This book could’ve been a novella for all the wasted words.
As for the plot, as I mentioned, the protagonist is a mess, almost inexplicably so, with little to explain why he went from a strong albeit distant provider, father, and husband to a self-absorbed, self-pitying, utter screw-up simply because he lost his job. The rest of the supporting cast is largely two-dimensional stereotypes. What’s arguably worse is these stereotypes (save his temporary next door neighbor) are painted as horrible, angry, and selfish. In the end, I’m not even sure what the author was trying to say in this rambling, highly unoriginal, and lightweight novel. Skip this one.
“Good for Nothing” is a trying read that has the overly eager feel of inexperience. Graham has a penchant for excessive description, littering the pages with minutiae that neither serves a purpose nor drives the plot, but only seems to hint at self-indulgence. I mean, he describes the character going to the bathroom, among countless other passages that describe the obvious, the benign, and the unnecessary. This book could’ve been a novella for all the wasted words.
As for the plot, as I mentioned, the protagonist is a mess, almost inexplicably so, with little to explain why he went from a strong albeit distant provider, father, and husband to a self-absorbed, self-pitying, utter screw-up simply because he lost his job. The rest of the supporting cast is largely two-dimensional stereotypes. What’s arguably worse is these stereotypes (save his temporary next door neighbor) are painted as horrible, angry, and selfish. In the end, I’m not even sure what the author was trying to say in this rambling, highly unoriginal, and lightweight novel. Skip this one.
June 21, 2022
This story starts and ends dark with some uplifting moments in between. "Flip" or Phillip, the story's main character, was unemployed for six months, let go of his health, became fat, depressed, and started living an inactive life. His wife, Lynn, asks for a separation until Flip can get his life together.
Down on his luck, Flip is eager to end his life at the slightest sign of a challenge or adversity. He makes a deal with his therapist however, that he will try to make strides to improve his life for one week before he does any harm to himself. During that time Flip encounters obstacles, set backs, but progressive moments as well. He buys a gun to hold himself to the deal he made with his therapist should he fail at making positive progress at the end of the week.
In a week's time he gets into violent, awkward, or otherwise negative confrontations with a police officer, his mother-in-law, his daughters boyfriend, security at his local grocery, customers at his local coffee shop, and at the fast-food drive thru. He eventually has a mental breakdown after an intensive job interview which he thinks he failed, thus strips down in front of the building and flicks it off as he drives away. To make matters worst Flip finds out his underage daughter has been knocked-up by his neighbor, and his young son got hit by a car while riding his bike.
All of this has cast a shadow over the progress that Flip has made. He reconnected with his neglectful father, made new friends, had some "make-up" sex with his wife after their son's bike accident, and at least had a job interview (whether it went well or not). Before confessing to his therapist that the week long experiment was a failure and ending his life, Flip confronts his neighbor that knocked up his daughter and threatens him with the gun he previously purchased.
Flip then confides to his therapist about how his past week had went, and that he was not optimistic about the future. After the appointment he sits in his car, ready to shoot himself when he gets a phone call. He received a call from the company he interviewed with and they would like to make him a job offer. Overjoyed, Flip puts the gun away and immediately buys flowers for his wife to present the good news to her. Everything was going to be alright, things were starting to turn around.
In an ironic twist of fate however, police were waiting for flip when he got home. They arrested him for the threatening his neighbor with the gun. Flip would be going to jail, taken away in cuffs in front of his family and neighborhood. This is the dark ending to Flip's week and where the author chooses to leave end his tale. Flip's life experiences and struggles are relatable to many readers that are down on there luck. How the story ends is a warning of how stress and misfortune can spiral together like two tornadoes dancing together, destroying everything beneath them. Just when Flip thought he was about to escape free from the spiral, the actions of his past swept him up back into the storm. Had he focused on all that went well during the past week, instead of the negatives, he may have avoided making a bad situation worse.
Down on his luck, Flip is eager to end his life at the slightest sign of a challenge or adversity. He makes a deal with his therapist however, that he will try to make strides to improve his life for one week before he does any harm to himself. During that time Flip encounters obstacles, set backs, but progressive moments as well. He buys a gun to hold himself to the deal he made with his therapist should he fail at making positive progress at the end of the week.
In a week's time he gets into violent, awkward, or otherwise negative confrontations with a police officer, his mother-in-law, his daughters boyfriend, security at his local grocery, customers at his local coffee shop, and at the fast-food drive thru. He eventually has a mental breakdown after an intensive job interview which he thinks he failed, thus strips down in front of the building and flicks it off as he drives away. To make matters worst Flip finds out his underage daughter has been knocked-up by his neighbor, and his young son got hit by a car while riding his bike.
All of this has cast a shadow over the progress that Flip has made. He reconnected with his neglectful father, made new friends, had some "make-up" sex with his wife after their son's bike accident, and at least had a job interview (whether it went well or not). Before confessing to his therapist that the week long experiment was a failure and ending his life, Flip confronts his neighbor that knocked up his daughter and threatens him with the gun he previously purchased.
Flip then confides to his therapist about how his past week had went, and that he was not optimistic about the future. After the appointment he sits in his car, ready to shoot himself when he gets a phone call. He received a call from the company he interviewed with and they would like to make him a job offer. Overjoyed, Flip puts the gun away and immediately buys flowers for his wife to present the good news to her. Everything was going to be alright, things were starting to turn around.
In an ironic twist of fate however, police were waiting for flip when he got home. They arrested him for the threatening his neighbor with the gun. Flip would be going to jail, taken away in cuffs in front of his family and neighborhood. This is the dark ending to Flip's week and where the author chooses to leave end his tale. Flip's life experiences and struggles are relatable to many readers that are down on there luck. How the story ends is a warning of how stress and misfortune can spiral together like two tornadoes dancing together, destroying everything beneath them. Just when Flip thought he was about to escape free from the spiral, the actions of his past swept him up back into the storm. Had he focused on all that went well during the past week, instead of the negatives, he may have avoided making a bad situation worse.
September 19, 2017
While browsing through the "New Books" section of my public library, I spotted the distinctive cover of GOOD FOR NOTHING, by Brandon Graham, with the image of a heavy-set (read: heavy) man in a Hawaiian shirt falling face first into.... nothing.
Intrigued by the cover, I read a page or two of the book, felt that the writing style was something I could spend time with, and checked it out. When I did finally start reading, I tore through this book in a two-day bender.
The story follows the downward spiral of Flip Mellis, a husband and father who after losing his job of twenty years completely loses his footing in life. Flip joins the class of the permanently unemployed, putting off applying for a new job, gaining lots of weight, and losing the respect of his wife and children. When Flip's wife finally kicks him out of the house, he's forced to decide whether to try to turn his life around or end it altogether.
This book is well-written, with descriptions of what Flip is doing and thinking over the course of nearly every minute of a single week; it's a style that builds tension and empathy for the character, without feeling tedious. Flip, himself, is a really annoying guy, but he's also endearing. I grew to care about him and kept wondering how it was all going to turn out for him. And this is my biggest complaint about the book. At the end of 300+ pages, I still don't know the answer. Does Flip turn it all around and regain his wife, career, and dignity? Or does he end it all? The author, Graham, leaves the resolution up in the air - and that has left me feeling unsatisfied with this book.
Intrigued by the cover, I read a page or two of the book, felt that the writing style was something I could spend time with, and checked it out. When I did finally start reading, I tore through this book in a two-day bender.
The story follows the downward spiral of Flip Mellis, a husband and father who after losing his job of twenty years completely loses his footing in life. Flip joins the class of the permanently unemployed, putting off applying for a new job, gaining lots of weight, and losing the respect of his wife and children. When Flip's wife finally kicks him out of the house, he's forced to decide whether to try to turn his life around or end it altogether.
This book is well-written, with descriptions of what Flip is doing and thinking over the course of nearly every minute of a single week; it's a style that builds tension and empathy for the character, without feeling tedious. Flip, himself, is a really annoying guy, but he's also endearing. I grew to care about him and kept wondering how it was all going to turn out for him. And this is my biggest complaint about the book. At the end of 300+ pages, I still don't know the answer. Does Flip turn it all around and regain his wife, career, and dignity? Or does he end it all? The author, Graham, leaves the resolution up in the air - and that has left me feeling unsatisfied with this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 2, 2014
Brandon Graham's novel is a masterful blend of despair and hilarity. The main character, Flip Mellis, is a middle-aged family man who is unemployed, overweight, disgusted with himself and his circumstances, and spiraling deeper into clinical depression.
Graham's characters and dialogue are rich, real-life, and evoke a visceral, visual glimpse of a life gone awry - some through situations beyond their control, but others through rash, ill-conceived decisions born of desperation. This novel felt like cinema verite' in printed form.
As a therapist, I found Graham's depiction of Flip's depression very convincing. He's a sensitive, intelligent, kind man hounded by depression into a deep, dark hole of despair and inertia where there's only room for one. His wife tries to prod him back to health, telling him, "your family needs you to snap out of it." Graham captures Flip's struggle in all its unvarnished desperation, frustration, confusion, and hopelessness in his darkly hilarious attempts to regain health and hope.
I highly recommend this book and I'm eager to see what Brandon Graham creates next!
Graham's characters and dialogue are rich, real-life, and evoke a visceral, visual glimpse of a life gone awry - some through situations beyond their control, but others through rash, ill-conceived decisions born of desperation. This novel felt like cinema verite' in printed form.
As a therapist, I found Graham's depiction of Flip's depression very convincing. He's a sensitive, intelligent, kind man hounded by depression into a deep, dark hole of despair and inertia where there's only room for one. His wife tries to prod him back to health, telling him, "your family needs you to snap out of it." Graham captures Flip's struggle in all its unvarnished desperation, frustration, confusion, and hopelessness in his darkly hilarious attempts to regain health and hope.
I highly recommend this book and I'm eager to see what Brandon Graham creates next!
June 5, 2014
Brandon Graham's debut novel is an entertaining and all-too-relatable story of modern America.
Flip is who we all could end up being and hope we don't. Downsized (a euphemism that we've all gotten way too comfortable with), Flip knows what he's doing wrong, but is powerless against the natural inertia -- the world is telling him he's 'good for nothing,' and it's easier to believe that than to fight against it.
Flip's plight is what happens when we know what to do, but we'll start changing tomorrow.
What sets Graham's novel apart is that the author never takes the easy outs. This could be a dime-a-dozen story of American life, yet Graham makes the realistic choices for his character that stay true to Flip and his situation. You feel like you see what's coming next, yet, it's never quite what you think it will be. You laugh with Flip's situation as much as you cringe. 'Good for Nothing' is an entertaining, funny and yet poignant look at modern American life, especially what it means to be a father, a husband and a son.
Flip is who we all could end up being and hope we don't. Downsized (a euphemism that we've all gotten way too comfortable with), Flip knows what he's doing wrong, but is powerless against the natural inertia -- the world is telling him he's 'good for nothing,' and it's easier to believe that than to fight against it.
Flip's plight is what happens when we know what to do, but we'll start changing tomorrow.
What sets Graham's novel apart is that the author never takes the easy outs. This could be a dime-a-dozen story of American life, yet Graham makes the realistic choices for his character that stay true to Flip and his situation. You feel like you see what's coming next, yet, it's never quite what you think it will be. You laugh with Flip's situation as much as you cringe. 'Good for Nothing' is an entertaining, funny and yet poignant look at modern American life, especially what it means to be a father, a husband and a son.
March 22, 2014
This book had me laughing out loud at times! The writing was so realistic, that I could see what was happening as if it were right in front of me. I was pulling for Flip from the line "Then he tried as hard as he can to be dead". I'm glad his nostril didn't rip! I love that he got to see his gay evil twin. As upset as I was with the book ending the way it did, I realize now that it ended in a way that the door is open to many possibilities.
Great book! I've recommended it to EVERYONE!
Great book! I've recommended it to EVERYONE!
December 16, 2013
I loved the book. I could picture the scenes in my head as Brandon described them. A must read. Pre-order it on Amazon.
September 11, 2018
This book was okay. Not sure it'll be one I remember later but it was an okay story. I'm not even sure I'd recommend it because of the fact that I'm not sure if it's one of those books that will be enjoyed or disliked but it can be tried if one is interested or curious enough to pick it up.
*won as a GoodReads Giveaway*
*won as a GoodReads Giveaway*
June 22, 2020
Brandon Graham's writing style is clear and enjoyable. I found myself sympathizing with Flip - a cog who has fallen out of job-oriented capitalist America. While none of the characters were particularly likeable, I stuck around to see how it would turn out in the end. My reward for sticking out through the end was a disappointing and unclear conclusion.
June 18, 2017
I won this book on a Goodreads giveaway, but it took me a while to get into this book. I enjoyed the way it was written and the plot was semi interesting, but I was unable to relate to the characters, so I did not completely enjoy this book.
June 13, 2023
This one is definitely open for interpretation... one interpretation might be that this book is completely depressing, while another could say it’s a particular capture of life for some people in the world.
July 4, 2017
A difficult read about a man who loses his job, gains weight and gets the boot by his wife. I stuck with it just to see if he recovers. The ending is not clear weather he does or not.
November 23, 2017
Considering all art subjective, I rarely push my opinion in the form of a book review, but I'm doing so in hopes of saving someone both time and money. This book is downright awful, on all levels.
October 30, 2020
Too depressing to continue.
May 16, 2023
Dull. And it’s not because the theme is about the suicidal, middle aged, obese man, but the writing is irritatingly shallow.
April 18, 2014
This may be the author's first published novel, but it is evident that Graham has been honing the craft of storytelling for decades. It took a few chapters for the story to hook me, but once it did, I was utterly engrossed with Flip Mellis, an Everyman facing a critical juncture of mid-life. When we meet Flip, he has lost his job and his marriage is on life-support. He can't seem to catch a break - no matter how small.
It NOT a spoiler when i tell you that his wife asks for a separation, setting Flip off on an odyssey that is both thrilling and full of surprises. Our protagonist soon becomes a living three-dimensional character that you can't help but root for ... and relate with.
The character development, story and language make this a book you shouldn't miss. There were numerous scenes and passages that I loved ... here is but one: "He imagines that people must feel sickened by him when they see him eat. And when he takes a pizza order through a crack in his door, dressed only in a bathrobe, the driver must take the tip and make an oath to never, ever turn disgusting like *that guy*. It's a sobering thought and it makes him feel hungry again. *I'm not that heavy, though, am I?* He tries not to give himself an honest answer." Ouch. Try NOT relating to that! (Not necessarily to the weight issue, obviously, but to TRYING to lie to one's self.)
It's not just the story of one man trying to stay afloat in modern America ... it's the story OF modern America. A GREAT read!
It NOT a spoiler when i tell you that his wife asks for a separation, setting Flip off on an odyssey that is both thrilling and full of surprises. Our protagonist soon becomes a living three-dimensional character that you can't help but root for ... and relate with.
The character development, story and language make this a book you shouldn't miss. There were numerous scenes and passages that I loved ... here is but one: "He imagines that people must feel sickened by him when they see him eat. And when he takes a pizza order through a crack in his door, dressed only in a bathrobe, the driver must take the tip and make an oath to never, ever turn disgusting like *that guy*. It's a sobering thought and it makes him feel hungry again. *I'm not that heavy, though, am I?* He tries not to give himself an honest answer." Ouch. Try NOT relating to that! (Not necessarily to the weight issue, obviously, but to TRYING to lie to one's self.)
It's not just the story of one man trying to stay afloat in modern America ... it's the story OF modern America. A GREAT read!
September 8, 2016
“Good for Nothing” presents a deeply conflicted portrait of humanity in middle class America. I found this book completely engaging. It reminded me that everyone has a backstory. Whether they are stories of delight or heartbreak, they still hide behind the masks we wear in public.
Graham touches on an honesty that is both brutal and comic. The characters are real in a way that we don’t often want to accept. The protagonist, Flip, embodies a human spirit that is simultaneously deeply flawed and profoundly insightful. A family man, with his previously “perfect” life crumbling down around him, struggles somewhat painfully as we watch him stumble through his new reality. He’s lost his job, and he is quickly losing his wife and his kids, and everything within his comfort zone is dissolving fast. At times he strips down to a nakedness we don’t always want to admit is there, beneath our façade. Love, lust, heartbreak, prejudice, anger, envy, and all the emotions in between are presented with a witty flare and drawn with the precision of an anatomical illustration. From coffee shops, to big box store shopping, through fast food drive-thrus, and all the way to corporate America, his story will take you on a colorful ride along some mundane (and some extraordinary) encounters we could each experience with ourselves and with an imperfect society through an imperfect lens.
I highly recommend this book. I could hardly put it down, and read it straight through in two days.
Graham touches on an honesty that is both brutal and comic. The characters are real in a way that we don’t often want to accept. The protagonist, Flip, embodies a human spirit that is simultaneously deeply flawed and profoundly insightful. A family man, with his previously “perfect” life crumbling down around him, struggles somewhat painfully as we watch him stumble through his new reality. He’s lost his job, and he is quickly losing his wife and his kids, and everything within his comfort zone is dissolving fast. At times he strips down to a nakedness we don’t always want to admit is there, beneath our façade. Love, lust, heartbreak, prejudice, anger, envy, and all the emotions in between are presented with a witty flare and drawn with the precision of an anatomical illustration. From coffee shops, to big box store shopping, through fast food drive-thrus, and all the way to corporate America, his story will take you on a colorful ride along some mundane (and some extraordinary) encounters we could each experience with ourselves and with an imperfect society through an imperfect lens.
I highly recommend this book. I could hardly put it down, and read it straight through in two days.
April 12, 2018
A little bit of a disappointment for me, personally. I really like the concept, and where it was trying to go; Plus I understand the beginning of the novel was supposed to drag a bit and really flesh out that Flip can do absolutely nothing right. But I genuinely find someone being THIS much of a screw up hard to believe. I mean, he'd have marginally good intentions, then mess it up a ton and then intentionally mess up a bunch of other stuff. Repeat this about a dozen times for the first 100 pages. And he didn't feel relatable to me, as he didn't seem to even care much about anything. I mean, yeah he acted like a depressed person, but his actual emotions didn't come across to me at all, leaving it feel a little hollow.
Around halfway or the 3rd quarter, he starts to really turn his life around, but even that felt kind of weirdly hollow. I didn't get the feeling he was striving super hard to be better, it almost felt more like I was just told he was doing things better now.
Also, the book felt like it relied a strange amount on dialogue, to be honest. It made sense for Flip to be a rambly buffoon, but a lot of other characters also ramble or have long bouts of dialogue. I would have thought Flip being so rambly would have been a good point for self-awareness, but it seemed to just be everyone.
If you already read the first 100 pages, it gets better and you might as well continue. But if you haven't started reading it... see what you think of the first 30 pages I guess. It's more of the same for a long time.
It's not a bad book, just a bit of a missed opportunity.
Around halfway or the 3rd quarter, he starts to really turn his life around, but even that felt kind of weirdly hollow. I didn't get the feeling he was striving super hard to be better, it almost felt more like I was just told he was doing things better now.
Also, the book felt like it relied a strange amount on dialogue, to be honest. It made sense for Flip to be a rambly buffoon, but a lot of other characters also ramble or have long bouts of dialogue. I would have thought Flip being so rambly would have been a good point for self-awareness, but it seemed to just be everyone.
If you already read the first 100 pages, it gets better and you might as well continue. But if you haven't started reading it... see what you think of the first 30 pages I guess. It's more of the same for a long time.
It's not a bad book, just a bit of a missed opportunity.
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July 29, 2016Brandon's real talent is being able to put the reader right inside the head of the story's characters. In the case of this book, it's poor Flip Mellis, the most earnest loser I have ever encountered in fiction. Flip is a klutz, a self-medicater, a bit of a hypochondriac, and compulsive overeater. But beneath all that, he has a deeply etched sense of duty—there is a person he feels he must be—and a good heart.
After getting kicked out of the house by his estranged wife—her last straw involves a housepaint-drenched suicide attempt—Flip begins a journey to get it together, lose a few (or more) pounds, acquire a new job, and win back his place in his family. He doesn't do it alone; Brandon creates a variety of characters to support and nudge Flip along the hijinks-laden way.
The humor here balances between slapstick and awkward, providing more than a few smiles and chuckles, but the real strength of the book is Brandon's ability to create a unique, developed character. We get to stew in Flip's brain, warts and all, for 300 pages, treated to every internal working, every turn of a mental cog. And, even with all the cringes, misfires, spills, sweat, and itchy collars, it's a good time.
After getting kicked out of the house by his estranged wife—her last straw involves a housepaint-drenched suicide attempt—Flip begins a journey to get it together, lose a few (or more) pounds, acquire a new job, and win back his place in his family. He doesn't do it alone; Brandon creates a variety of characters to support and nudge Flip along the hijinks-laden way.
The humor here balances between slapstick and awkward, providing more than a few smiles and chuckles, but the real strength of the book is Brandon's ability to create a unique, developed character. We get to stew in Flip's brain, warts and all, for 300 pages, treated to every internal working, every turn of a mental cog. And, even with all the cringes, misfires, spills, sweat, and itchy collars, it's a good time.
July 12, 2014
Brandon Graham's first novel, of hopefully more to come, shows us the real, often blunt, unapologetic present day American. His writing is never flowery, but bold, fast-paced, and keeps the reader eagerly turning the page.
In this darkish comedy, Flip Mellis isn't the typical hero- he's inept, sweaty and luxuriating in a bath of self-pity for far too long. As we read, Flip grabs hold of us with his damp, meaty paw, and pulls us along the path to discovering the answer to the old question, "To be, or not to be?"
Hapless, but not quite hopeless, in the face of the tragic and absurd everyday life, Flip Mellis struggles with his own good intentions, rash actions and the extreme misunderstandings that result. While we stumble along with Flip, wincing, blushing and laughing at the vast array of characters playing their parts, we see Flip starting to peek into those dreadful mirrors. Then he holds them up to us. How do we react when all the tables have been turned? What motivates us to live on, to grow? Who is the core of our being?
This novel ended too soon for me. But the thoughts it has provoked will last for quite awhile. And I anticipate that Brandon Graham's future publications shall have that same effect.
In this darkish comedy, Flip Mellis isn't the typical hero- he's inept, sweaty and luxuriating in a bath of self-pity for far too long. As we read, Flip grabs hold of us with his damp, meaty paw, and pulls us along the path to discovering the answer to the old question, "To be, or not to be?"
Hapless, but not quite hopeless, in the face of the tragic and absurd everyday life, Flip Mellis struggles with his own good intentions, rash actions and the extreme misunderstandings that result. While we stumble along with Flip, wincing, blushing and laughing at the vast array of characters playing their parts, we see Flip starting to peek into those dreadful mirrors. Then he holds them up to us. How do we react when all the tables have been turned? What motivates us to live on, to grow? Who is the core of our being?
This novel ended too soon for me. But the thoughts it has provoked will last for quite awhile. And I anticipate that Brandon Graham's future publications shall have that same effect.
September 11, 2014
I read this book for my book club and although I didn't hate it, I didn't quite enjoy it - this seemed to be the general consensus when we met.
Flip is obese, depressed and without a job. He has given himself a week to turn his life around and get back his family. However, his poor judgement makes this an impossibility.
The novel is a series of gags and farcical acts where Flip keeps going from bad to worse. There are glimmers of something that could have been insightful and brilliant but they never develop. For instance, Flip's relationship with his parents and food is skewed to say the least. Although we get to see him interact with his father, it would have been better if those relationships were explored more deeply.
By the time I reached the end of the novel, I had very little sympathy for the main character and I would have preferred to have read Dean't story - his neighbour at the Lakeside seemed far more exciting and interesting.
Flip is obese, depressed and without a job. He has given himself a week to turn his life around and get back his family. However, his poor judgement makes this an impossibility.
The novel is a series of gags and farcical acts where Flip keeps going from bad to worse. There are glimmers of something that could have been insightful and brilliant but they never develop. For instance, Flip's relationship with his parents and food is skewed to say the least. Although we get to see him interact with his father, it would have been better if those relationships were explored more deeply.
By the time I reached the end of the novel, I had very little sympathy for the main character and I would have preferred to have read Dean't story - his neighbour at the Lakeside seemed far more exciting and interesting.
June 6, 2015
If Murphy’s Law could, by magic, be transformed into a human being, that person would be Flip Mellis. After years of a happy life with his family and a successful career, Flip loses his job and slowly but surely, his world crumbles around him. The more he tries, the less he can do, no matter what it is. A new job? Not happening. Helping out around the house? Too busy eating himself out of fitting into his clothes. Painting the home office? A Rube Goldberg disaster. But wait! Flip has a plan to free himself from all his troubles. You can probably guess how that is going to work out! Even while you are feeling sorry for Flip, you are wondering how manages to get himself in such a fix. You’ll want to yell at him to just stop and think, but all the while you can’t help laughing at him. Poor Flip! This highly entertaining satire is sure to delight you as Flip painfully navigates through life.
May 30, 2014
Good For Nothing is a story about a middle aged man who, overwhelmed by life, has basically stopped participating in it. He has lost his job and is well on the way to losing his family. Brandon Graham’s writing made me empathize with the main character to an uncomfortable level. By the end of the first chapter, with a wonderfully written scene that takes the main character through an unlucky chain of well-intentioned but ill-fated happenings culminating in a suicide attempt that felt like how one might turn off Solitaire on the computer when the boss walks in, I couldn’t put it down. The pace of the writing was great and many of the characters met in this story bring a surreal edge to it. This is Graham’s first novel and I’m looking forward to reading more from him.
March 8, 2014
I just finished the book last week! It was soo good! For the last week or so I've been narrating my own thoughts in my head because of how I was influenced by Brandon's writing style - the way he lets the reader really get into the head of his main character, Flip. It was all a bit cringe worthy, like watching Meet the Parents, but by the end of the first chapter I was really drawn in because I just felt so bad for Flip! I will say it did take me a while to really "get it", but by page 200 or so I was laughing out loud. Anyway, I hope there's more of Brandon Graham on the way. When's the sequel coming out!?
August 16, 2014
I liked it but....it also made me anxious and unhappy. Thus the rating. I really liked the voice and style it was written in and in general I'm not afraid of dark fiction. At some point I started being depressed by what was around the corner and inhabiting this guys life became difficult. I think it's because in many ways it's a little too real. There are a lot of people out there leading a life that runs like something out of the Lemony Snickets Series of Unfortunate Events novels.
So loved the voice it was written in and the story telling skills of Graham, and looking forward to the next novel where either the protagonist or I am in a better place to read it!
So loved the voice it was written in and the story telling skills of Graham, and looking forward to the next novel where either the protagonist or I am in a better place to read it!
August 12, 2016
I'd read some good reviews about this book, but was left feeling a bit disappointed with it. I didn't think there was really much of a story at all, and nothing memorable happened that captured my interest and made me want to continue reading it. I was determined to finish the book though and give it the benefit of my doubt. In fairness, the story comes to life in the last few chapters but it's just a shame the whole book wasn't as good. There were several characters who all had the potential to be interesting but they were never really well developed. The ending was abrupt and odd.
May 18, 2014
Since I left college and have had a family, reading a book is the last thing I have time for or doesn't keep me interested enough to keep reading. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and never wanted to put it down. Between laughing out loud in public really hard and near tears, I had to share some of the amazing lines from the main character, Flip, to whomever was sitting next to me. Then the end of the book wasn't what I expected and I wanted the story to keep going. I look forward to many more novels from Mr. Graham.
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