Friday, May 15, 2009

Work Shirts for Madmen

by Geo. Singleton

Somewhere in the last chapters of the book the "hero" Harp goes looking for this buddies. (A bizarre group of alcoholic interventionists hired by his wife to help Harp stop drinking). He locates them at the local watering hole and is told that he is just not that interesting anymore, almost fully recovered from his 25 year drunk.

And so it goes, the book was interesting and full of the most bizarre characters and circumstances and happenings as any book I have read in a long time. Gonzo type fiction writing. But it lost speed and interest at the end and as I had about 10 pages left to finish the book, I went to bed to finish it in the morning, which I just did.

I ramble, I liked it to a certain point. I did not understand the significance of the spider vein incident that involved his wife and obviously her vanity. Why include it? To show us his love for her, her vanity, introduce us to yet another cast of incidental characters? I liked his wife a lot up until that point. Didn't get it.