Genre:
Contemporary Fiction
Description:
“Thomas Copeland has just turned forty
years old, but unlike some men his age, he's not going to have a midlife
crisis. Sure, he works at a small grocery store on the North Carolina coast, he
doesn't have many friends, and he's unmarried and childless, but he's content
with his simple life.
Others, however, are not so content, and
they want to make sure Thomas knows it. Between a family curse,
wanderlust-filled (and lust-filled) co-workers, a dangerously unhappy sister,
and a vindictive ex-friend-with-benefits, Thomas finds himself in an exhausting
battle to maintain his idyllic lifestyle.
Will Thomas be able to resolve – or at
least survive – these dramas? Will he find love, or just tepid one-night
stands? Will his boss ever notice he's cleaned the bathroom? What will he get
his Secret Santa giftee? And what will be the ultimate fate of the grocery
store where he works?
The
Clerk is both satirical and poignant, a riveting exploration of the choices
people make in the pursuit of freedom and success. You'll never look at a
grocery store the same way again.”
Author:
“Matt Cowper lives on the North Carolina coast, where he gazes
rapturously at beach sunsets, bikes on residential roads without spandex or a
helmet, and spends too much time looking for something to watch on Netflix.
Prior to this self-publishing adventure (misadventure?), he washed
dishes, delivered pizzas, worked as a VISTA, and explored New Zealand in a 1990
Toyota Corona.
He also has a degree in English, but MLA formatting and ‘genre theory
have not been helpful in any areas of his life.”
For more, visit Mr Cowper’s website.
Appraisal:
Who knew that a story about a clerk in a grocery store
could be fun to read. After all, there are no major conflicts, no dastardly
villians, no mass shootings or personal tragedies--well there could have been,
but there weren’t. At its heart, the novel is a character study of ordinary
people, and an examination of what constitutes a happy life. The author delved
long and deeply into the characters. In doing so, he brought me close to their
lives. And isn’t the purpose of a story, to take the reader into another world?
For a first novel, this is a well written. The prose
flowed, the dialog is sharp and believable, and the pages turn quickly. The
only technical criticism I have relates to the frequent point of view switches.
In parts, this worked as a technique to give a more complete perspective of how
the characters were viewing a situation, but too often it became head-hoppingly
confusing and tiring on the eye.
FYI:
A few F-Bombs and sexual references that may be unsuitable
for some readers.
Format/Typo
Issues
Clean copy.
Rating: **** Four Stars
Reviewed
by:
Pete Barber
Approximate
word count:
80-85,000 words
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