Play Book Tag discussion

Larry Darrell is an American recovering from injuries in WWI. He's spent a year recovering and is now facing pressure to "make something of himself". Instead he sets off on a journey of self-discovery. The 1960's had nothing on Larry's efforts to find himself.

The timeframe of 1920's and early 1930's coincides with Ernest Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises (Fiesta) and F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, with very similar characters. Americans who are thoughtlessly wealthy, focused entirely on entertaining themselves, and living in a social bubble populated only by other people exactly like themselves.

The fact that Larry is the central character is not immediately clear but only emerges over the course of the book. He's the clear counterpoint to the lazy pleasure-seeking of all the other characters. He's held up as "good," but honestly, I found his character a bit tedious.

Maugham writes this in a gossipy sort of format, telling tales of a small group of Americans he encounters first in Chicago, and then again over time in London and Paris. Maugham includes himself by name as the narrating character and starts the book by stating the other characters are based on real people, with details changed to protect their privacy. I have no idea if the "real people" statement is true, but I'm sure it caused everyone who ever met the author to buy a copy of the book.