Genre:
Literary Fiction
Description:
Chester
feels he’s a failure. He’s a disappointment to his family in
America. He drinks too much. His life is mundane, going nowhere. He
has repeatedly made the wrong life decisions, and so he escapes to
Cork, Ireland, just before his fiftieth birthday and vows to change.
On or before midnight of the last day of his forty-ninth year—he
will never be “normal” again.
Author:
“Chris
Coulson had a lot of jobs before writing this book; golf caddy,
bartender, obituary writer and morgue attendant (simultaneously,
night shift and day shift - had 'em coming and going), newspaper
reporter, actor and other jobs less romantic. And he always carried a
50-cent Bic pen in his pocket.” Learn more about him at his website.
Appraisal:
This novel
was a lot of fun. Funny, poignant, deeply introspective, and yet hope
filled.
The work
may be more accessible if you’ve ever drunk alcohol and had one or
two too many or know someone who does or has, but that isn’t
necessary. The author does a fine job of outlining the benefits and
the pitfalls of booze.
It may also
help if you’ve been to Ireland or maybe know someone who has told
you tales of the Emerald Isle. Again, that is far from essential in
order to enjoy the story as the descriptions of the people, the
culture, the pubs, the weather, and the scenery are so vivid.
The writing
is lyrical, full of fresh imagery and James Joyce-like streams of
consciousness (although I don’t personally enjoy Joyce, so that
isn’t a prerequisite either).
If you are
a fellow author, and I know many of Big Al’s subscribers are, then
cast aside any bias you have against the present tense. I often find
present to be an awkward tense for a novel, but in this case it
pulled me inside of the story and imbued the characters with a
tangible warmth and closeness.
The writers
among you may also have to check your internal editor at the door,
because Mr. Coulson happily breaks many of the normally expected
rules relating to point of view. Expect to inhabit every character in
the book at one stage or another, including a pepper-colored terrier.
Yet, as though to prove the adage of the exception proving the rule,
the head-hopping works and delivers a kaleidoscope of viewpoints and
internal perspectives that add colorful layers to the tale.
In my
humble opinion, this is an exemplary example of why self-published
books add hugely to the body of writing out there.
Highly
unusual, and highly recommended.
FYI:
English
spelling.
Format/Typo
Issues:
I found
only one minor typo, but on my Kindle there was a translation issue
on quotation marks, which appeared as a strange non-keyboard
character. Because the problem was consistent throughout, it didn’t
spoil my reading enjoyment.
Rating:
***** Five Stars
Reviewed
by: Pete Barber
Approximate
word count: 60- 65,000 words
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