Cake

by Michael B. Edwards

You must disclaim yourself from reason and whatever complacency you've retained in order to abscond the world for Edwards' dominion of imprudent divulgence. A bizarre tale of a troubled childhood and the gamut of sexual disappointment. With a sour mixture of erotica and his own brand of grotesque humor, Edwards opens questions about the consensus of our thoughts on sex and relationships and follows through with a perverse finger pointed right back at you, forcing you to reminisce and re-examine your understanding of the opposite sex. The nameless protagonist will at once endear himself to you and piss you off as he explains how he carries forward the spoils of his tribulations in a succession of outrageous relationships.... and then pleads with you to extrapolate knowledge from your own.

362 pages, Paperback

First published September 10, 2009

Reviews

[Liza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sure, the narrator has a pottymouth. Sure, he’s a sexist jerk. Sure, his storyline is a bit confusing at first. But hey, he knows he’s a jerk. He knows he objectifies women. He thinks you might have some experience with that too, and he invites you, the reader, to look into your own “relationship” history, your sexual escapades, and see if you don’t see something a little bit familiar in there.

Now, now, reader, don’t get all riled up and mad at the narrator because he’s an ass. Don’t get disgusted because he’s crude and crass and uncensored. It’s not like he’s YOUR boyfriend. You don’t have to take him home to meet your parents. You don’t even have to finish the first date with him. You can close the book at anytime and walk out on this (literary) relationship. But wouldn’t you always wonder at least a little bit about what might have been? What could have been?

How many descriptive adjectives can one come up with for this narrator and his story? Crude, crass, insulting, appalling… And HILARIOUS! Let's not forgetting touching, at times. If this novel were autobiographical, we would applaud the author for his candor, for his fearlessness in treating his sexual history and the unaccountably ridiculous escapades and scrapes he has gotten into with women throughout his life. In many chapters the author’s descriptive language reaches incredibly imaginative depths of similes and metaphoric comparisons.

The anecdotal chapters are hilarious and touching because they read so true. He is Everyman. He represents the common man, with all his basest urges, motivations and disreputable behaviors. The overall structure of the novel is cyclical as the narrator recounts the inevitably disastrous progressions of various relationships. However much the recounting of relationships may seem somewhat redundant, the author presents through his protagonist a kaleidoscope of male–female interactions in which the women are the variables, while the man in this story never seems to change much. Importantly though, as a human being this unnamed man does experience some emotional growth after all, and although a moment of something like epiphany strikes him in a somewhat clichéd way, I concede that clichés have often come into existence from an initial spark of real meaning.

The stories told throughout this book have a very oral quality to them, as though the narrator were drunkenly recounting each incident of sexual debauchery to his pals the night after it happened. As the reader and the narrator’s audience, we become those drunken pals who are listening to, laughing at, and ultimately facilitating the telling of this man’s stories. As he shares his escapades with these imaginary drinking buddies (who in reality are we–the–readers, a realization that acknowledges our shared human nature, even those basest elements that we normally wish to gloss over or pretend don’t exist), the narrator constantly communicates a subtle sense of self–deprecation. He comments about blindly following his urges, about the diminutive size of his member, about his inadequacies and about his inabilities to please or even understand women. He is you. He would be me if I were a man, but I can see myself in him anyway.

In many cases the language that He uses to describe women, particularly the negative descriptions, often seem more of a reflection of the narrator’s apparently indiscriminate sexual pursuits than of the woman’s actual undesirability. Essentially, in the stories with these types of descriptions, the narrator seems to be saying, “I know, can you believe I even went there? And I did go there. I went all the way there!” As I read his words I can almost see him shaking his head in disbelief at his own choices, decisions and actions.

This narrator is not just a callous sex–driven asshole. He’s a disillusioned, disenchanted man who has been raked over the relationship coals time and time again. His own inadequacies have led to his own heartbreak. He is capable of feeling love, but seemingly like many men he does not know how to show his love to the women in his life so that they recognize it for what it is.

I recommend this book to anyone who has ever been sexually motivated to find another person for that certain connection. I recommend that anyone who has ever been dumped or dumped someone else should read this. I think anyone with a heart full of confusing emotions or a life full of conflicting forces read this novel and see yourself in there in places. And for god’s sake, don’t take everything so seriously. It’s a work of fiction.

[Charissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I turned over in my head how to review the book for quite some time. The crass and explicit part of the book isn't as shocking as the author might have wanted it to be, perhaps. I'm certainly not very easily shocked. My main impression is that the crassness and explicitness is over used in the story and therefore loses it's potency pretty quickly. I appreciated the intent of the story, which seems to be to show the arc of a character who is a sexually promiscuous misogynist and who comes to understand his own nature and to develop more respect for women as human beings. Perhaps the story is aimed more at men who are capable of making that shift rather than a woman who already sees both men and women with a humanized eye.

All in all I think it's a good first effort. I think the author possesses the talent of truth telling, which is a valuable commodity as an artist. He has a solid sense of rhythm in his writing, and an obvious grasp of language. I'd like to see another effort in the future as his sensibilites mature.

[Michael Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not a book for the easily offended, especially little girls. It is for young ADULTS, not teenage drama queens who think they are. I apologize to those with lives of which Cake might have ruined. It wasn't intentional...

O.K. Maybe it was.

[Lisa Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not one of many words..but i love this book! I find myself looking back on my life as I read through the stories of the author. The hummor is at times laugh at loud! Crude but amazing! A must read if your love life has been interesting!

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I encourage you to pick this book up and give it a shot! You will be pleasantly surprised by the emotions and memories this book will stir inside of you. The author connects with us through this books unnamed protagonist as he talks about the past love and relationships he has gone through, most comical, yet some bittersweet, and some that are just downright nasty! You will laugh till it hurts and cry till it feels better. This is a book of fiction, and might not be for all. To Quote Bukowski, “There is only one final judge of writing and that is the writer. When he is swayed by the critics, the editors, the publishers, the... readers, then he's finished”
The author of Cake is not writing for us, he is writing to us. Please keep an open mind and enjoy, I know I did!

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Back in the 70's, I was full of that youth and zest all my friends got into, and well into the 80's, I was still in it. By the time I started a family, I stopped, knowing my children wouldn't understand me anymore. I read "Cake," and within days, my life spiraled into that obscenity once again. I'll never be the same. I don't know how to be clean anymore. My life has been corrupted and now is in shambles since I picked up and read all 400 something pages of this malarkey. Shame on Edwards! Shame on his deviance! Shame, and disgust! He’s manipulated my very soul, brother. I doubt anyone who reads this will ever feel as molested and destroyed as I do. Please help."

[McKenzie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Exceptional read - 5 star review!!!

Please disregard the one star - I was in able to click on the other four successfully. I found the authors words to be inspiring, honest and compelling. This book is a page turner. I couldn’t put it down! The author’s story is a journey of sadness, pain, hope and despair yet he finds himself through all of it. You’ll laugh along the way and quietly send words of encouragement as you read. Get your copy today. You won’t be disappointed!

[bethanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I got this book in the mail directly from Michael himself (after he emailed me one day and asked me if I wouldn't mind reading his book) and it was on the shelf for a while as I had other stuff going on.

And then I read this in the span of one day (it was a long shift at work where no one came in the store for about three hours. I was able to read it all over the course of the afternoon shift!)

At first, some of the imagery was just plain......wrong. (I'll leave that to the brave readers to discover for themselves) BUT this book does have heart at the end. It's like the shock value runs off and the sweetness comes out. Which was fantastic. One man's journey finding love and acceptance and seeing who he is in regards to the women he's dated - and the twisted upbringing he had to endure to get to the point at the end of the novel.

I will say that even though there are some scenarios that made me question this book, it's got charm. And it's not bad for a first novel too. (If Goodreads offered half or quarters, it'd get a least a 3.75. but this is a high 3)

[Nicholas Beck · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of one man's struggle through life, and the women with whom he has relationships. The unnamed, main character of the novel shows the reader many feelings through this book, some of which make you want to throw a rock at the character's face. This shows something when a writer can arouse such a passion in the reader.

Through the many faults of the narrator, the reader can visualize times in their own life when they felt insignificant and bothered by something in their past that they wish could be changed. Somehow, despite all the failures with women in his his life, the main character is hopeful to somehow correct his ways.

This is a novel for anyone trying to find a purpose to life, when that has seemed to be lost. Although not a story about an exceptionally good human being, this is still a novel about a human being. One who knows he has made mistakes and knows that he will make them again, just hopefully not the same ones. The main character is someone who knows by the end of the story that he cannot have his 'CAKE' and eat it too.

[Bev · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a 66yr old woman who loved this book. I plan to give my copy to my grandson when he turns 18 if the pages hold up. My daughter can't get mad at me when he's of age. I laughed out loud at times but then again the truth is much funnier than fiction. Women and men can relate to something in almost every chapter if they are honest. I have passed my copy so far to four of my employees and 'highly' recommend they read it. By the time my grandson gets it, I hope to have signatures on all the blank pages for him to laugh about even more as he gets older. No matter what the emotion or condition at any moment in his past, Michael lived his life and good for him. We all should and be proud we did. It's too damn short anyway.

[Bebop]

The author is a DICK! But god damn this is funny. It isn't exactly Catcher in The Rye, although it tries to be. Like it or not, I defy you to read this ridiculus thing and not laugh until yer belly hurts. It is a little gross though, not everyone is going to like that part about it. The author seems to have spen a lot of time in the gutter to come up with some of his descriptions. For any females out there that really want to see themselves from man eyes, this book does it better than any other I've ever read. But I warn you, some of it is going to piss you off. But you will probably laugh and not understand why, or even damn yourself for it.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

A story about a man’s search to fill a void in his messed up life by going from one woman to another, hoping to gain something without giving anything back in return. Up until page 28, I listened to the angry rants of a drunken madman and wanted to put the book away without reading any further. Sometimes the anger even seemed to be directed at me, the reader. But maybe the author wanted me to be as angry as the long string of women that were abandoned.

Edwards has a talent for using his adjectives in very descriptive detail, much to my horror. His words were dirty, nasty, offensive, disgusting and sometimes hilarious.

[Saamiah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wasted my time reading this thing. The only substantial thing in the book was the protagonist's observations of ego,society,life,and relationships. Those were overshadowed by the rest of the book which is disgusting and decrepit. It makes you wonder if the authors purpose was to make this guy come off as an asshole to everyone. If so then he was successful I could barely stomach past the half way point. The ending was trite and well overdue. I see the author's writing talent in only about 20 pages of it. I honestly didn't know something could leave such a bad taste in your mouth

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well...i must say, everytime I picked up this book to read it I knew I was in for a good time. When I read the first chapter, I wasn't sure what kind of book I was getting myself into, but I am so glad I finished it. It made me luagh out loud in about every chapter. It's one of those books where you can't really pick a favorite part, it was all really fascinating! Can't wait for more from this author. :)

[Georgiann Hennelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one mans story of his struggle through life and the women with whom he had relationships. The main character who is unnamed shows the reader many feelings through this book' Some how' despite all his failures with women inhis life the main character is hopeful to somehow better himself. This is a book for anyone who is trying to find a purpose in life' when all seems to be lost.

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cake is certainly atypical. Out of the ordinary, but an interesting read. Much like “A Confederacy of Dunces,” the main character is certainly not always endearing, but you remain interested in him and the novel. This novel is full of many questionable morals, but I guess that does make it a fascinating read.

[Ken · Rating 5 out of 5]

A "fictional" account of growing up, with plenty of alcohol, sex and drugs. Sometimes funny, never boring, a few times sad. I liked the style that Michael Edwards employs. He lets it all hang out, so occasionaly crude and not for the easily offended.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this crude, crass outlook on sex, relationships and even love!!

[Claire]

I won this copy on Goodreads from the author and I am excited to recieve it!!

[Mechele McDaniel Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not quite sure how to describe this book. At times it will annoy you, make you down right pissed off, but yet it is full of some really great humor. It is certainly entertaining.

[Fatimah]

GREAT BOOK!