Overdrive

by David Haight

"Overdrive" is the account of two people whose efforts to discover themselves are undermined by their internal compulsions to do things that they don't understand and that don't make them happy. "Overdrive" explores issues of self, morality, and creativity against a setting of society unyielding in its demands of conformity.

305 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

It is difficult to get the news from poems, yet men die miserably every day for lack of what is found there.
- William Carlos Williams.

I’ve been a writer since the seventh grade when I discovered with the help of a wonderful teacher the power and beauty of words. Since then I have looked at writing as my calling. I grew up in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, raised by my mother in a double, bungalow (what I lovingly refer to as “half-a-house”), surrounded by endless rows of small houses, bowling alleys, ponds, woods, malls, gas stations and strip malls and this suburban jungle informs all of my work. Other backdrops, from my youth, such as a cabin in Alexandria and later my travels throughout Italy and France and most of Western Europe appear in various forms throughout my books.

I earned an undergraduate degree in Philosophy and English from Hamline University and later an MFA in writing where I was distinguished by the Quay W. Grigg award for Excellence in Literary Study. I briefly taught in the for-profit college system but decided quickly that it wasn’t for me. Since 2000 I have been a full-time writer and salesman, publishing novels and a short story collection (see Books section on this website). I have been married to Lynn Haight, who has been in social services, since 2007. I have two children, Emily Whalen (stepdaughter) and Sean Whalen (stepson). I also have three dogs (Coco, Sophie and Jack) and one very overwhelmed cat (Lola). I lead a life devoted to writing, family, friends, travel, music and discovery.

Reviews

[David Haight · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first novel. I published it six years ago. Frankly I learned a lot about writing a long form novel through the process of writing Overdrive. Before switching to prose (thank you Mr. Joyce) I had been primarily a poet. Now of course I write strictly prose. As such I have a soft spot for my first child. If you read Overdrive I would love to know your experience of the novel: what worked for you, what didn't, what you liked and what you didn't. And of course I woudl really love for you to check out my newest novel Me and Mrs. Jones.

[Kim Ⓥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as a First Reads Giveaway.
I had a hard time getting into this book at the beginning. It started out a little slow, but I pushed through and really ended up enjoying it. It is mainly about one character and his relationships with various women. One of these women is the other main character in the book. I liked the connections the author made between the characters and why their lives have lead to the way they are now, but the way he did this was very confusing. If I didn't already know that the book was about 2 characters, I think I would have been even more confused. Overall, I did like the book. Not really my style, as I typically read fantasy and science-fiction, but it's good for what it is.

[Ben Siems · Rating 3 out of 5]

David Haight's debut novel definitively establishes his place among excellent up-and-coming American writers to be watched. I was particularly impressed by the vividness of many of the descriptions, especially in scenes where a single, lone character interacted with his or her surroundings. The quiet but potent philosophical observations offered by the narrator on life and love are also deeply resonant and thought-provoking. Most of all, I liked the subtle but artful use of metaphor — for example, the humorous, "Free Beer Tomorrow" sign as a symbol of the tenacity of (irrational) hope; the floor waxer as a reflection of the endlessly droning circularity of Lipman's life and/or his position as the "eye of the storm;" and "Overdriving" as a representation of the functional blindness most people impose on themselves by rushing headlong into situations they do not understand.

Like most first works by artists, of course, Overdrive does have some flaws that I expect the author will address in his future books. The dialogue at times lacked "functional believability" — that quality of seeming realistic but actually revealing far more about the inner workings of the characters than the words of a real-life conversation ever would. In other words, there are several conversations that seem extremely realistic, but do not seem to reveal anything new about the characters or their situations.

The phrase, "character development," doesn't properly apply to this novel, since one of its major themes is the main characters' lack of growth and self-actualization. However, one wishes there were more mystery and depth to what might be called the "character revealing" as the book progresses.

Finally, improvements could be made in the area of plot movement, in the sense that more events should be presented in such a way that the characters' driving motivations would be discernible without narrator comment.

I must also add, with frustration, that the manuscript was very poorly proofread, as there are an abundance of typographical errors. But that, of course, is not within the author's domain. I sincerely hope the publisher releases a second edition with these errors corrected!!

Above all, Haight has given the world a book rich with insight and points of interest. He is clearly a keen observer of human behavior and a deep and imaginative thinker. Those attributes, combined with his obvious mastery of using the English language both artistically and forcefully, lead me to expect that his future writings will be very much worth reading.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book as a Goodreads giveaway. I was really into the book for the first half, and it is well written overall. I was especially intrigued with the conflicts of the characters and how meticulously their inner turmoils were revealed. Especially when the characters were all alone, I felt drawn to their desires and fears.

As the book went on, I found the characters to become tedious--maybe this is appropriate, given that this is a book about characters that just can't seem to find satisfaction and get their lives to go forward in any way. A person that's stuck in that rut for years will grow tedious and frustrating. So, I'm not sure that I'm critiquing that quality in the characters as much as I'm saying that I just personally got tired of reading about them. I stopped caring about them, because I knew their would be a lot of reflection, but seemingly no personal growth or change.

Also, much of the dialogue between characters seemed really unbelievable to me. I have never heard anyone speak like this to each other about their lives in real life, save for overhearing a bunch of philosophy majors debate with each other at parties in college. Sometimes their monologues were just so long, and it didn't mirror any conversation I could really imagine happening.

Overall, however, this isn't a bad book; it's a pretty good read. There were a lot of moments that I could relate to.

[Sarah Wexler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was recomended to me from a friend. There was a lot going on - not really with the plot per se but with the characters and yet it was still fun to read. It never felt too heavy or bogged down. However the story and the characters pulled you a long and kept you wanting more. I did want to know what was going to happen to all three of the characters. The longer descriptions and inner monologues were very well thought out and poetic and the dialogue was very real. I was espceially drawn to Caroline, the female protagonist. I was drawn and repulsed by her at the same time. I felt she kept repeating the same cycles of behavior that kept her trapped - in bad relationships, etc, and from moving forward with her life. If you're looking for a book that is interesting and has something to say I would tell you to read this book.

[David Mcdonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came across OVERDRIVE several years after it was first published. I was surprised at the pacing of the story. Often first novels suffer from the proper lack of pacing. While Overdrive does suffer from this flaw at times, power of the author and his sense of pacing.
I found it to be more of a life study of the characters,and in particular how they view themselves and are forced to face the consequences of their decisions.
As a first novel OVERDRIVE offers a glipse of a powerful new voice, One that will hopefully mature and work through the flaws of the first. I am looking forward to the next work by the author.

[Staci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting story. Solid 4 stars from me.

My rating system is as follows:

5 stars - Excellent, Worth Every Penny, Made It Into My Personal Library!
4 stars - Great book, but not a classic.
3 stars - Good overall, generally well written.
2 stars - Would not recommend based on personal criteria.
1 star - Difficult to read, hard to finish, or didn't finish. Wouldn't recommend purchasing or reading.

In accordance with the FTC Guidelines for blogging and endorsements, you should assume that every book I review was provided to me by the publisher, media group or the author for free and no financial payments were received, unless specified otherwise.

[Bobby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Philisophical morality is not my usual genre of reading but I thought I'd give this one a try and it wasn't too "out there". Took a while to get into it but the characters sort of grow on you. Joe is one of the saddest protagonists I've ever seen and the pity and disdain he brings out simultaneously is hard to read about at times. The ultimate loser with no one to blame but himself. His crying jags had me cringing in hopes that he'd find a backbone, somewhere. A worthy effort and I'm glad I "stuck with it".