I Understand Why the Main Character's Wives Dumped Him

I very much enjoyed individual sentences, and sometimes whole paragraphs, of this book, but never bought into the characters, the plot, or the point. And that's O.K..

Richard is a burned out alcoholic misanthrope who gets a reprieve when his failed Vietnam novel is resurrected and published as a consequence of the interest in combat memoirs that was generated by the Iraq war. (This is a deeply jaded and gleefully edgy burn on publishing and the public's fickle appetites, and the kind of knife twist that pops up throughout the book). Because Richard is the kind of character who is a loud and proud self-made jerk, the plot demands that Richard fall in with the shy college admirer who is assigned to drive him to an author appearance, and who decides to stay on for the balance of Richard's book tour. The cross-country road trip commences. It's a misanthropic Harold and Maude, or maybe Harry & Tonto, but with many more tedious hangovers.

The good part is that if you put all of that aside, (or take it to heart if you are so inclined), great stretches of this book are extremely funny. Some of the humor is broad, some is surgical, some is obvious and aimed at easy targets, but some is fresh and arresting. Everyone is awarded a very generous supply of one-liners, and the book is peppered with dry and deadpan throwaway lines.

That said, the book doesn't aim for "feel good", which is a plus, but it also begins to wear down as it goes, which I guess should be expected. I admired the author's craft and wit, and command of world-weary funny/sour monologues, and was happy to have had a chance to enjoy both.

(Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)