Not So Fast

by Mark Kamine

Not So Fast tracks its narrator and friends from rampantly amoral New Jersey whose gamblers and insurance scammers are omnipresent to film-industry-saturated Los Angeles struggling with school busing and other remnants of its unsavory past; from rapidly gentrifying 1980s New York City to France in the midst of a wave of terrorism. The novel features fictional cameos by key figures of the era including scene-making gallerists and their titled, moneyed clientele; a literary luminary and his eager acolytes; and the lawyers, brokers and indie filmmakers of the era.

180 pages, Paperback

Published January 23, 2020

About the author

Mark Kamine has written for the the Times Literary Supplement, The Wall Street Journal, The Believer and The New York Times Books Review. He works in the film business, where he has been an executive or co-producer on 21 Bridges, American Hustle, Silver Linings Playbook and other movies.

Reviews

[Kevin Sacco]

I greedily devoured “Not So Fast” and with MUCH relish.

I feel that Mr. Kamine has captured that hazy, undefined nature of some men coming of age

in the 70’s/80’s .

The women the protagonist struggles to understand his relationships with and the

surreal characters ( Dr. Johnson, His mother’s boyfriends, Ronald Fein, the shrink, Chertok)

that he sought direction/ employment from are rendered so WELL. I found Mr. Kamine's descriptions

of these people to be so much fun. They reminded me of the best of Ronald Searles “Rake’s Progress”.

This book likewise had me rolling with tears of laughter,

Having said that, I know that Mr. Kamine painted ( no pun intended) a larger canvas and in the

sweetness of the closing pages in which the protagonist seems to meet the light of his life

there is a detectable “click” of rightness about it .

For me this book is a testament to the value of life in formation evolving from kid to mensch and a

tip of the hat to optimism.

[Star · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book reads more like a journal or memoir. There is not so much a story but more of a record of events that spanned a number of years (the 70's through to the late '80's) in the life of the narrator and all the emotions, feelings and angsts that accompanied those events. I felt as if I went along on his journey from New Jersey to Albuquerque through to Sante Fe. From living at home to getting his first job at the local motel, to pursuing his passion in a writing and meeting all the literary luminaries who influenced and guided him. I felt his self-doubt and lack of self-esteem as he measured himself against other writers who came across more self-assured. I felt the narrator's psychological struggle in law school as he tried to measure up to his parent's expectations. I felt the frustration with the lack of progress and direction and the consequential ebbs and flows in his personal relationship. I was back in New York with him and his partner and accompanied him on a foray to Rambouillet, France on the outskirt of Paris. Then there was the mystics of yoga, ashram buddies, esoteric out of body experience. I went with him to LA onto the movie-set adventure. It was an interesting and slow to unravel journey - with everything ranging from love triangle, rape, abortion, drugs, panic-attacks, to medical scams all thrown in - but I enjoyed having gone along for a ride.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t read autobiographies or semi autobiographical work generally, as I always feel that they are somewhat self indulgent, and again this was a little how I feel about this book. I also understand some of this is fictionalised, which I found a bit confusing.
I really enjoyed the earlier part of the book about his childhood, and liked the cultural references etc which really made me remember the era.
I struggled a bit to maintain my interest later on, when I found that I just wasn’t bothered about a particular relationship that seemed to drag on for too long!
I would say that he paints a good picture of the 70s and 80s though, and I did enjoy remembering those times.

[Catalina · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book that wasn't going anywhere, just like the narrator's life. Snappy writing that I just didn't care for, but luckily it was very short and easy to read, just what I needed for my middle of the night awake time. I did enjoy bits: like his Paris spell and the last part when he meets his wife, but just when it was getting a bit enjoyable he either returned to his annoying 'no purpose' life or end the book (huge eye roll)

*Serialization on ThePigeonHole

[Gail Danks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good start to the book but quickly becomes monotonous.
I gave up half way through

[CLAIR Withers · Rating 2 out of 5]

Found it strange. As it wasn’t based on whole truth. It was an ok read. Found parts confusing.

[Kevin Sacco · Rating 5 out of 5]

A literate fun ride I did not want to end

Kamine is perhaps a latter day Philip Roth—but one who stops short of objectifying women before it’s too late. When I finished the book, I thought about what a long time it takes to grow up—to appreciate what it means to be human. Especially for those of us who grew up in Roth country—the bizarre cultural space where there were plenty of amenities but where the tragic turns (that lead to wisdom) were sometimes only known to our therapists. I loved this book and can’t wait to read Kamine’s next.