Bed: A Novel by David Whitehouse - Reviews, Discussion, Bookclubs, Lists

Dec 15, 2011 Kristina rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, library-book, literary-fiction

First, I warn you to NOT read this book while eating. Also, if you are getting lazy and need motivation to hit the gym, this book is good for that. In fact, if I were marketing this book, I would publicize it as a weight-loss book because when you read about Mal, you get seriously grossed out and I don't care how healthy and in-shape you are. You think, "Damn. I'm going to hit the gym today and never eat carbs again." That's how gross parts of this book are.

This is the book about a dysfunctiona...more First, I warn you to NOT read this book while eating. Also, if you are getting lazy and need motivation to hit the gym, this book is good for that. In fact, if I were marketing this book, I would publicize it as a weight-loss book because when you read about Mal, you get seriously grossed out and I don't care how healthy and in-shape you are. You think, "Damn. I'm going to hit the gym today and never eat carbs again." That's how gross parts of this book are.

This is the book about a dysfunctional family. Well, a group of people since I consider Lou also not quite right either. In fact, all of the main and supporting characting characters are daft. This is the story of Malcolm Eade and his unnamed younger brother and their family and all the other people who get caught up in Mal's orbit. The book goes back in forth in time to tell its story and presents Mal on Day Seven Thousand Four Hundred Eighty-Three of being in bed then flips you to Mal at eight or so when he is an odd child and likes to run around naked (everywhere). Mal is the ultimate individual; even at a young age he is impervious to others' opinions and advice. As he grows up, he tries to conform to what he thinks life should be (getting a job, moving in with his girlfriend Lou) but he fails and on his 25th birthday takes to his childhood bed and decides not to leave again: "I couldn't sit back and be content with a life of ings. Saving. Paying. Breeding. Working. But never living" (245). Twenty or so years later, he is still in his bed. He has grown to a huge size (over 100 stone, whatever that translates to in American pounds)and is cared for slavishly by his mother who waits on him literally hand and food and makes huge amounts of food for him.

Here's a passage in which the brother is describing Mal's weight gain:

"Mal didn't read the letters. His fingers had grown too fat and stiff to hold something with the fragility of paper. He'd once worn a silver ring on his right forefinger but it had long since been swallowed up, his skin and flesh having grown over it, incorporating it into his all-consuming mass. He was part jewelry. I looked at his chin. It blended almost seamlessly into his shoulder blades, and I imagined his body consuming itself, the edges smoothing out. There was no outward evidence that he even had bones in there anymore. If he were to live forever, perhaps he'd eventually become one huge, amorphous pink blob. A globe without oceans" (161).

When Mal decides that life wasn't worth living the (normal) way and takes to his bed, his decision affects not only his family, but others around him. His girlfriend Lou, who the nameless brother has been in love with for years, and a woman in Ohio who sends the family a trailer, are also drawn into his orbit and affected by him--even though all he does is refuse to leave his bed. I wasn't crazy about this book, but it is well-written and would be a good book for a book club discussion. Why does the mother dedicate her life to taking care of Mal? Why does he have this magnetic hold on the family? The brother says several times that when Mal is "on," his love and attention are special, magical. Problem is, I see no instances of Mal ever being "on." I see a highly unconventional guy (which I can respect, being an oddball myself), but I never see what is so special about him that makes everyone decide Mal in bed as a giant lump of flesh is still a delight to be around. And what did Mal think he was solving by becoming a giant lump of disgusting flesh? How is life any better by getting so fat you can't move? I mean, working in an office with people you don't like is not fun, but that's the challenge of life: find something that makes it worthwhile to leave your bed. Granted, some days I really could just stay in bed because I'm warm and comfy and safe, but eventually I have things I not only have to do but want to do. Plus all the food's in the kitchen. So how is being a giant lump of flesh better than working a life of drudgery? Why didn't he just kill himself?

As much as I didn't like this book or the characters, it's a good book to discuss and think about. Plus, there's that whole gym/dieting motivation factor. I recommend this book just because it is odd and interesting and quick read. (less)

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Sep 23, 2011 abo added it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

In due parole, David Whitehouse è un esordiente, ma scrive come un veterano. Parte da una buona idea, quella del ragazzo che decide di non alzarsi più dal letto, e ci costruisce attorno una serie di personaggi profondi e sfaccettati (in primis il narratore, ossia il fratello del ragazzo autoesiliatosi a letto).
A condire il tutto, qualche sequenza esilarante, parecchi momenti struggenti, e un talento per le similitudini che la seguente citazione riesce a suggerire solo in parte. Fatevi un favore...more In due parole, David Whitehouse è un esordiente, ma scrive come un veterano. Parte da una buona idea, quella del ragazzo che decide di non alzarsi più dal letto, e ci costruisce attorno una serie di personaggi profondi e sfaccettati (in primis il narratore, ossia il fratello del ragazzo autoesiliatosi a letto).
A condire il tutto, qualche sequenza esilarante, parecchi momenti struggenti, e un talento per le similitudini che la seguente citazione riesce a suggerire solo in parte. Fatevi un favore e leggetelo.

Ci accomodammo in sala d’attesa. Quando fu il turno della mamma e di Mal io ne approfittai per gettare un’occhiata furtiva all’interno dello studio. Era marrone e di pelle e mi fece venire in mente Sherlock Holmes. Un falangio in vaso dall’aria tristissima faceva la guardia a soprammobili in ottone che vibravano lucidi di cera. C’erano dettagliate immagini anatomiche di bambini alla parete e un vetro smerigliato con una scritta sopra la porta. Tremò quando l’uomo coi baffi e l’aria importante la chiuse dietro di sé e continuò a vibrare come se avesse divorato la mamma e Mal e li stesse masticando trasformandoli in un impasto, per poi sputarli fuori e restituirmeli.
Mi spostai nell’angolo della stanza, dove le sedie allineate lungo le due pareti si incontravano in un mucchio di giocattoli buttati lì a casaccio per prevenire i capricci dei piccoli pazienti. […]
E l’automobilina radiocomandata era senza il telecomando. E la bambola di plastica aveva una gamba spezzata da cui usciva un frammento così acuminato che ti ci potevi tagliare la gola.Giocattoli rotti per bambini rotti.
Giocattoli rotti per bambini rotti […]
Il terzo bambino si chiamava Ron.Era tutto un «Siediti, Ron!», «Calmati, Ron!», «Fa’ il bravo Ronald, per favore fa’ il bravo!». Sua madre si torceva la pelle delle mani mentre colonie di formiche invisibili le si radunavano tra le dita. Era rigida, le spalle dei nodi colossali e il cervello un tiro alla fune.
Ronald fa’-il-bravo stava sfondando il mucchio di giocattoli,. Li calpestò, sollevando bene i piedi e marciando come un generale vittorioso che festeggia la fine di una terribile battaglia sanguinosa aprendosi un varco tra le ossa rotte dei nemici. Prese tra le manine paffute il grande camion rosso dei pompieri che aveva perso da tempo i suoi piccoli pompieri, lo issò sopra la testa e lo scaraventò con forza sul pavimento, dove si schiantò in mille pezzi. Le guance gli si gonfiarono di gioia. Sua madre si tastò i contorni del viso con dita tremanti. E poi Ronald, quel piccolo furfante di Ronald-fa’-il-bravo, rese la scheggia aguzza di una piccola recinzione gialla una volta appartenuta al cortile di una fattoria di plastica senza animali e con forza straordinaria la piantò nella mia coscia. Mi perforò i pantaloni, mi lacerò la carne e quando poi la estrasse si trascinò dietro il mio sangue. Cercai di non piangere. […]
Quando tornammo a casa gettai i pantaloni direttamente nella lavatrice e mi misi seduto sul letto in mutande, stuzzicando per ore il lembo di pelle sulla coscia. Poi Mal venne a prendermi. Io guardai in basso, aveva ricominciato a sanguinare.
«Vieni» disse. «Ti faccio conoscere la mia ragazza».

http://mondobalordo.wordpress.com (less)

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May 01, 2012 Kinga rated it 4 of 5 stars

‘Bed’ is about Mal, a man who weighs a hundred stone and hasn’t got up from his bed for the past twenty years. Yet, the book is not about being fat. Just look at the author’s photo – what would HE know about being fat?

If you are looking for some sort of self-help motivational book then I wholeheartedly recommend ‘Run, Fat Bitch, Run’ by Ruth Fields. Read ‘Bed' if you want a piece of good contemporary literature about people who are just not very good at life. I know I could now say ‘but who real...more

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Oct 27, 2012 Judith rated it 3 of 5 stars

David Whitehouse possesses a wonderful gift of language. Unfortunately, in BED, his gift serves little purpose other than to garner praise for his syntax. You find yourself focusing with admiration on his descriptions. Even that becomes a chore as you struggle to the end because the story, what little there is of it, lies inert like 1,400 lbs. Mal on his bed. As to the point of Mal's discontent, it might be that there is no point to life, so why live it? Or, perhaps, if you can't rise above the...more

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Sep 14, 2012 Jo rated it 1 of 5 stars

Good writing? Give me a break. This is one of the most appallingly over-written books I've ever dragged myself through. I don't know which editor approved this for publication, but they should be sacked. I quite liked the idea of the book; man takes to his bed on his twenty-fifth birthday and stays there, but everything about the way it is written revolts me. Unconvincing dialogue. Unappealing characters. Implausible, even. Love-interest Lou and the boys' mother are so ridiculously self-sacrific...more

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Apr 01, 2012 Jim rated it 4 of 5 stars

What makes life worth getting out of bed for? Mal isn't like the other kids. So remarkable is his childhood that his family wait for the incredible things he seems born to do. Then one day he goes to bed, never to get out again. Recounted by Mal's younger brother, Bed is a coming-of-age story like no other. It chronicles the metamorphosis of one extraordinary man, and explores what love, loss and family can do to you in a lifetime. Enchanting, funny, surreal and heart-warming.

The Bookseller call...more

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Mar 07, 2012 Katie rated it 3 of 5 stars

OK, this review contains some spoilers, so be warned.

I find it impossible to talk about this book without revealing something about the ending, although I usually try not to do that. This book is about a very eccentric guy (used to be obsessed with taking off his clothes in public as a child) who decides not to leave his bed on his 25-th b'day, and then becomes morbidly obese. It's a mystery for the entire book as to why, and when I found out why, I must say I was sort of irritated.

The upshot i...more

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Feb 21, 2012 Michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

(See more of my reviews at www.insearchoftheendofthesidewalk.com)

Bed by David Whitehouse
Any book that, on page one, includes the sentence, “He was an enormous meat duvet” is a winner in my opinion. I need to go no further than that initial few paragraphs to know I am hooked!
Bed is the tale of an obese, bed-ridden man named Malcolm, who weighs it at over one hundred stone. (For all of us living on the rebellious side of the Pond, one stone is equal to fourteen pounds.) While Mal is the central fo...more (See more of my reviews at www.insearchoftheendofthesidewalk.com)

Bed by David Whitehouse
Any book that, on page one, includes the sentence, “He was an enormous meat duvet” is a winner in my opinion. I need to go no further than that initial few paragraphs to know I am hooked!
Bed is the tale of an obese, bed-ridden man named Malcolm, who weighs it at over one hundred stone. (For all of us living on the rebellious side of the Pond, one stone is equal to fourteen pounds.) While Mal is the central focus of the story, the narration is given by his younger brother, who, like all of the characters in the book, has been drawn into Mal’s orbit, unable to break away from the strong gravitational pull his lifestyle choices have created.
This book could easily have veered into the realm of mockery and disdain for a person who has made the conscious choice to never again leave his bed, but instead, the heart of the story lies in pondering what exactly it means to love another human. Each of the characters feel love for others, but the way that emotion is expressed (or hidden) varies widely, as do the results of that love.
Mal decides on his twenty-fifth birthday that he doesn’t want all the “ing’s” life has to offer. He doesn’t want to be a part of marrying, buying, working, parenting, etc. The view he holds of his future is one in which he is expected to follow in the footsteps of the generation before, just plodding along until death finally comes for him. Rather than partake of those unwanted “ing’s” for several more decades, he resigns himself to his bed, and, as it turns out, his food.
While some parents would be horrified by this turn of events (I highly doubt mine would be thrilled if I were to move back in full-time), Mal’s mother sees her only purpose in life as caring for others. She cared for her mother until disease took her away. She cared for her husband and family for years. Once her two boys are grown, she was at a loss as to who she really was, until Mal moves back in that is. Now, with Mal ensconced in his childhood room, his mother can devote her time and energy to his constant care, which becomes a huge task as he grows larger and larger, loosing mobility and the means to complete even simple personal hygiene tasks on his own.
Mal’s father, younger brother and girlfriend are also forced into lives that are dictated by Mal. All seem to have lost the ability to break the chains that connect them to this aging anchor of a human being. While physical escape (to the attic, to a tent in the yard, to America even) is attempted, all are soon sucked back into the vortex of Mal’s needs- “selfish obesity,” rather than just morbid obesity, as it is referred to at one point in the novel.
Each character is connected to others through unique relationships, yet the binding tie throughout the book is the question of whether these relationships are healthy. All are love. There is no doubt about the emotion behind the ties that keep them together, but it seems that love on its own may not always be enough for a healthy relationship to exist. Love pushes each character to do the things s/he does, but the results of those choices aren’t always the best for that individual in the long run, nor are they pointing people in positive directions. Whitehouse does a great job of taking an emotion usually associated with affirmative and progressive interactions and casts it in a light where the reader is forced to look again. Is there something a bit malevolent lurking in the shadows of the family’s love for one another?
The tale is an odd one, I must admit. A book about a man weighing in at over a half ton is not something I would normally gravitate towards, but the dust cover was intriguing enough to make me want to know where the story was going to lead. The writing of this book is great! The descriptions are superbly written, not only of Mal’s condition and the physical toll it take on his body, but of how each family member struggles to make a place for themselves in world shrinking as Mal’s corporal domination continues. David Whitehead’s Bed earns:

3 SHELLS(less)

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Oct 20, 2011 Eleni rated it 3 of 5 stars

I find it hard to recommend this book because it is such a peculiar story written from a particular perspective that you are either going to be intrigued or bored by it. I was intrigued because, of course, I have never read the story of a man, Malcolm, who decides at age 25 that he will stay in bed and eat till he becomes 1400 pounds over the next twenty years.... The story is told from the perspective of Malcolm's younger brother, and we get detailed descriptions of what happens to a body that...more

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Oct 23, 2012 Bookguide rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Read in Dutch. I also originally wrote the review in Dutch, but Goodreads lost it because it had logged me out overnight. I'd already deleted the Dutch, but still had the English in a Word document. Not very happy! So here is the English review for the time being.

Despite the disturbing descriptions of the more than obese Mal, I couldn’t put this book down. We know from the word go that Mal has stayed in bed for years. The flashbacks and stories from the past build up an incremental picture of th...more Read in Dutch. I also originally wrote the review in Dutch, but Goodreads lost it because it had logged me out overnight. I'd already deleted the Dutch, but still had the English in a Word document. Not very happy! So here is the English review for the time being.

Despite the disturbing descriptions of the more than obese Mal, I couldn’t put this book down. We know from the word go that Mal has stayed in bed for years. The flashbacks and stories from the past build up an incremental picture of the motivations of the people in his family and their various ways of dealing with the situation. His father retreats to his workroom in the attic; his mother becomes his personal cook, nurse and carer; his girlfriend Lou stays away, but is unable to break free. The story is told from the viewpoint of his younger brother who is also in love with Lou and keeps hoping that she will finally leave Mal behind her and notice him.

The central question of the book is why Mal takes his radical decision. If we look back at the boys’ childhood, we see that Mal behaves strangely and negatively influences the lives of his family. I had a strong suspicion that Mal had a form of autism, with his hate of wearing clothes and his extreme reactions, his stubbornness and his obsessive behaviour. He wanted to be the first one who did things, not only at home or school, but the first in the world.” If he does something, he does it to the extreme, including becoming fat, including never getting out of bed again. In spite of this, he was flexible enough to adjust himself to an office job and a relationship with Lou, but when the job turned out to be boring and his relationship hit problems, he withdrew in the most radical way possible. His later explanation that he sacrificed himself to save others seems simply an excuse to excuse his own selfishness.
As the book progresses, various reasons emerge which explain the behaviour of the people who are close to Mal. His mother has a pathological need to take care of somebody, his father is trying to free himself from the shadow of a terrible event; Lou needs somebody to need her. Mal’s brother is trapped by his unreasonable love for Lou, paralysed and without feeling, unable to choose a career or a direction, eternally waiting for Mal’s permission to continue his life and waiting until Lou finally notices him.

All the relationships in this book are unhealthy and nobody stays happy. The story isn’t about somebody with extreme obesity. It is about depression and obsessive love, love which strangles, hopeless love, unrequited love. About how love can destroy.

Well-written and well-observed. A book which leaves an impression. I enjoyed it.(less)

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Jan 26, 2013 Chelsea rated it 3 of 5 stars

When I first grabbed this book off of the shelf at my local library and looked over what it was about I was immediately intrigued and I somehow overlooked the fact that the book was narrated by Mal's brother instead of Mal himself. So when I got home and began reading I was immediately disappointed. I wanted to read about Mal. I wanted to know his thoughts. I wanted to know deep down why he decided to just one day lie in bed and let himself expand into the fattest man in the world. I continued t...more

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Aug 12, 2012 Beverley rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favourites, haunting, important-books, read-in-2012, would-read-again, prizewinners-and-nominees

Bed is almost too good. Every once in a while I read something so special and unique to me that I want to hide it away from a world of prying eyes, criticism and make it mine. Despite being long listed for the Desmond Elliot Prize this novel hasn't got the critical acclaim it deserves, and it's 3.19 rating on Goodreads is quite frankly a disgrace.

So what went wrong and why is this book so misunderstood?

Bed is about Mal, a discontented 25 year old who hounded by an unbearable ennui, decides he's...more Bed is almost too good. Every once in a while I read something so special and unique to me that I want to hide it away from a world of prying eyes, criticism and make it mine. Despite being long listed for the Desmond Elliot Prize this novel hasn't got the critical acclaim it deserves, and it's 3.19 rating on Goodreads is quite frankly a disgrace.

So what went wrong and why is this book so misunderstood?

Bed is about Mal, a discontented 25 year old who hounded by an unbearable ennui, decides he's going to bed, and staying there. After 20 years laying naked in bed doing nothing but watching TV and eating food cooked by his over-zealous mother he weighs 100 stone. But this isn't a book about being fat and if you're reading it in the hope of an insight into obesity then you should look elsewhere.

Bed is a book about love, the bonds between family, how one persons selfishness can bring people together and at the same time tear them apart. Told from the perspective of Mal's younger brother (we never learn his name) he describes Mal as a planet which the family are orbiting. An ambitious young man, Mal left school telling the careers officer he wants to change the world, but like so many of us 2 years later he finds himself working a 9-5 office job with a steady girlfriend. This isn't the life Mal wants, he hates the banality of the weekly grind but feels that there is no way out.

I view Mal as the ultimate individual, a man with a voracious appetite for the extraordinary who is unable to find fulfilment in the real world outside his dreams. So he goes to bed. The only rightful protest he can make against the cruel disappointment of living in a society that raises its children with an expectation of future greatness, and fails to deliver.

You may not like Bed, a lot of readers hated the graphic descriptions of Mal's obesity. It's certainly not a book for the squeamish and some scenes will probably shock you. But if you can get past the imagery and read Bed with an open mind it will repay you in buckets. Some books feel like they can tear a fissure in your life leaving an invisible before and after, it's an unsettling experience but also quite mind blowing. I love this book, a day later i'm still reeling.
(less)

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Sep 20, 2011 Cliff Thompson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Just started after reading a review in The Guardian UK online edition. A man who, at age 25, decides he is not going to get out of bed ever again. Completely hooked by the end of the first page, we'll see if it holds up.

And now I'm done... Who would've thought that the premise of a man who, on his 25th birthday, decides he is never going to get out of bed again, would be such a page-turner? The man (Malcolm Ede) is not the center of the story, which is told by his younger brother; instead the st...more

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Apr 19, 2012 Katie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult-fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 14, 2011 Jean rated it 4 of 5 stars

Bed is about a family that has built their entire lives around the eldest son, Mal, whose need to be different ruins many planned family events. As a young adult, Mal has great disdain for the standard goals of getting a good job, marrying and having children. At the age of 25, he decides to never leave his bed. He doesn't see the point. After that, his parents, brother and girlfriend live their entire lives around Mal. Mal's mother shows her love by feeding him. Constantly. 20 years later, Mal...more

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Oct 13, 2012 Erica rated it 3 of 5 stars

Ho acquistato questo libro con le migliori aspettative, conquistata dalla veste grafica e dall'estratto stampato sulla quarta di copertina. L'ho finito in un pomeriggio e, come un pasto troppo abbondante, ho impiegato un po' di tempo a digerirlo. Non posso dire che non mi sia piaciuto, perché non è che non mi sia piaciuto, ma... non mi ha convinta al 100%.

Leggere David Whitehouse è come, effettivamente, rimirare il corpo straziato di un uomo grasso. E non un grasso qualunque, ma quel grasso disg...more Ho acquistato questo libro con le migliori aspettative, conquistata dalla veste grafica e dall'estratto stampato sulla quarta di copertina. L'ho finito in un pomeriggio e, come un pasto troppo abbondante, ho impiegato un po' di tempo a digerirlo. Non posso dire che non mi sia piaciuto, perché non è che non mi sia piaciuto, ma... non mi ha convinta al 100%.

Leggere David Whitehouse è come, effettivamente, rimirare il corpo straziato di un uomo grasso. E non un grasso qualunque, ma quel grasso disgustoso che si vede ogni tanto in qualche brutta trasmissione TV dedicata ai più assurdi record del mondo. Ha il fascino del morboso. Concordo con una recensione che ho letto su Goodreads: "Vi avverto, NON leggete questo libro durante i pasti". La scrittura di Whitehouse è carnale a dir poco. Carnosa. Malcolm, che dopo vent'anni passati a letto è diventato l'uomo più grasso del mondo, ci viene descritto in tutta la sua mostruosità, in tutta la sua fisicità trasfigurata. La descrizione del corpo perde il senso d'insieme della totalità e lo sguardo dello spettatore sembra riuscire a focalizzare solo "pezzi" di Malcolm per volta, proprio come se fosse troppo grosso da guardare e da prendere in considerazione tutto insieme. Da questo punto di vista, la lettura di Buon compleanno Malcolm è sicuramente affascinante. Ovviamente la dimensione fisica assume caratteristiche mostruose e nella sua mostruosità c'è bellezza.

I personaggi del romanzo fanno parte di un quadro emotivo disfunzionale, dove la gente non si parla e se si parla non si capisce e se amano amano troppo e se non amano abbandonano. Il cuore della storia sembra essere il terrore della solitudine, o del vuoto in generale, che viene riempito con cibo e con grasso, e quando rimane vuoto fa l'eco. Non mi è piaciuto questo disperato bisogno di caricare di un disperato significato emotivo ogni singolo gesto dei personaggi. Non c'è un episodio, di quelli raccontati e ricordati dal fratello di Malcolm senza nome, che non grondi di sotto testo emotivo. Un silenzio non è mai un silenzio normale, una parola non è mai una parola normale, nemmeno una pacca su una spalla è solo una pacca sulla spalla, ma è tutto amplificato, ingigantito, proprio come un enorme uomo grasso che trangugia quintali di cibo. Mi sono sentita come se l'autore volesse farmi provare delle emozioni a tutti i costi, in maniera a volte anche un po' indiscreta, sottolineandomi l'importanza di gesti che forse, lasciati così com'erano, nudi e crudi, avrebbero reso anche meglio.

Per me è stato difficile provare empatia per la voce narrante, il fratello senza nome di Malcolm, che mi ha impedito spesso anche di avvicinarmi alle motivazioni che facevano muovere i personaggi che lo circondavano, a volte spiattellate (come la madre che vive per potersi prendere cura degli altri) altre volte oscure, ma che ruotano tutte più meno attorno al macro argomento dell'eccesso di amore, che però non riesce a compensare altri tipi di vuoto.

Lo stile del romanzo è interessante, divorante, trangugiante, come lo è tutto il libro in generale, ma c'è qualcosa, una freddezza di fondo, un occhio forse troppo clinico, un tentativo troppo spinto di suscitarmi emozioni, che mi ha impedito di godermi il romanzo fino in fondo.(less)

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Apr 18, 2012 Amy rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

"What life is this, giving you the wonder of a heart that beats and then smashing it to a million tiny pieces? When everything you're taught to expect comes to nothing? If this is life, then why get out of bed?" (p226)

that about sums up this one. A young man decides that a life of working, bill paying, reproducing, recreating etc just isnt for him, so on his 25th birthday he stays in bed. And stays there for 20 years. His family also seems to suffer from that same "what's the point", since they...more

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Mar 17, 2012 Simon Lipson rated it 3 of 5 stars

The first person protagonist is a steady-Eddy plodder living in quiet, unambitious suburbia with his mum, dad and brother Mal. Mal is a maverick, a kid who dances to his own tune, admired, feared, unique. Everyone loves him, especially Lou, who he later marries. But the younger brother worships and yearns for Lou. After Mal and Lou marry, they settle for the same kind of nothingy existence as their respective parents until Mal, yielding to the pointlessness of it all, decides he's going to go to...more

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Sep 07, 2011 Judith rated it 3 of 5 stars

The story was intriguing: Mal goes back to his childhood home and his childhood bed at the age of 25 and gives up on life, never getting out of bed for the next 20 years. He is fed endlessly by his mother until he weighs 100 stone. ( i think that's 1400lbs.) You have to suspend disbelief and view this through Kafkaesque goggles. (If a boy can turn into a cockroach, a man can weigh 1400lbs.)

Mal is not the main character or narrator. That task falls to his younger brother who idolizes and detests...more

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Dec 19, 2012 Ian rated it 4 of 5 stars

Often it takes absurd, out-of-this-world scenarios to bring across seemingly simple lessons in life. Bed does exactly that; as Whitehouse introduces Mal's queer behavior and its astounding circumstances, one is led to ponder if Mal's unique take on the world has an unseen validity. Bed takes us through half a lifetime of coping with family, love and loss, through the eyes of Mal's younger brother. The book is littered with a number of thoughts and observations which one might relate to from the...more

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Nov 05, 2012 Anne rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm really in two minds about this book. On the one hand, I enjoyed the concept of the story, and the humour. On the other hand, I struggled to 'get the point'. Mal is an incredibly difficult child who turns into an incredibly selfish man, when things don't really go his way, he gives up. He gives up big style - on his 25th Birthday he goes to bed, and doesn't get up again.

Twenty years later, Mal is dying. His younger (unnamed) brother lies by his side, with two broken legs and tells the story o...more

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Aug 04, 2011 Charlotte rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: advanced-readers-copy, nook

http://charlotteswebofbooks.blogspot....

Bed is a very unique novel about one of the most dysfunctional families in literary history. Mal's brother escapes for a short period time, yet he is still pulled back into the orbit of dysfunction. Will Mal ever get out of bed or is he going to go the route of every large man before him? Will the family be able to survive or will they be destroyed by Mal's decision.

I would say that Bed is one of those novels that you can compare to a train wreck. You just...more

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Dec 05, 2011 Sherry Saunders rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a relatively short book, but an intriguing read. It is a story of Mal Ede and his family, told by his younger brother. Mal is an odd child/young man, with a propensity for taking his clothes off in inappropriate situations. At age 25 he takes to his bed and does not get up again, until more than 20 years later when the story concludes. The book shows the effect of Mal's decision on his father, his mother, his brother, and the woman who loves him. I do think the characters were well-deve...more

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Aug 26, 2011 Kim rated it 3 of 5 stars

The book was well-written, but I felt like it tried too hard to be profound. Halfway through, you still don't even know why Mal has stayed in bed all these years. So, I flipped to the last couple pages, where you finally find out. His reason makes sense, but in a very vague sort of way, and only raised more questions for me.

Whitehouse is obviously very intelligent, and knows how to write well, but his metaphors within metaphors within yet another metaphor was a bit too much for me. And maybe th...more

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Aug 19, 2011 Olga rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2011

Bed is a story of a family where the older son, the eccentric Mal, decides at 25 to never again get out of bed because he is disappointed with the idea of the conventional life of job, mortgage and family. Mal's brother is the narrator and he goes back and forth in flashes telling anecdotes of his own and Mal's childhood, youth and adulthood that led up to the last few days of the present, when it was finally time for the morbidly obese Mal to leave the house, two decades after he entered it tha...more Bed is a story of a family where the older son, the eccentric Mal, decides at 25 to never again get out of bed because he is disappointed with the idea of the conventional life of job, mortgage and family. Mal's brother is the narrator and he goes back and forth in flashes telling anecdotes of his own and Mal's childhood, youth and adulthood that led up to the last few days of the present, when it was finally time for the morbidly obese Mal to leave the house, two decades after he entered it that last time.

This was definitely a book unlike anything I've read before. I didn't particularly like it, but it made me think about things that don't usually occupy my mind and that gives it value outside of the realm of pure entertainment. Whitehouse has a gift of witty and to the point observations that make you understand exactly what was going on and how everybody involved felt, or mainly how Mal's brother felt. Sometimes after reading a paragraph I couldn't help but silently exclaim "Exactly! That's exactly how it is!" because his characters, who are definitely the highlight of the book, are very ordinary people with simple lives and what happens to them can and often has happened to any one of us at some point. His descriptions don't shy away from anything and his writing style is almost journal-like.
I keep referring to Mal's brother as "Mal's brother" because we never find out what his name is and that gave me some of that food for thought I was referring to earlier. On one hand how often do we talk about our own lives and address ourselves by our first name? On the other hand, why doesn't anyone else ever address him by his first name? Another thing I couldn't help but think about was whether Mal was selfish in making himself the focus of his family in such an unusual way or whether he was the glue that kept this family that would've fallen apart otherwise together. Did he destroy their lives or did he give their lives meaning, like he said he wanted to do in the beginning of the book.
The reason I didn't especially like this story lies in that as clever as Mr. Whitehouse is too often the book feels like a bunch of one-liners put together and called a novel. The "present" chapters felt tedious and with every meticulous description of Mal and his fat and how their mother cared for him I couldn't help but feel slightly nauseated, wanting to find out more about the past instead of focusing on the present that didn't seem to go anywhere. Another reason for my lukewarm opinion of this book is that I didn't really understand what happened to Mal in the end. The big climax was getting him out of the house and then he just... vanished from the story. Are we to understand that he died? But how? Did he pull the plug or simply didn't make it? I'm all for endings that aren't all cut and dried but there was just too much left unsaid in this book.
It all ends well for the main characters of this tragic story. They find love, they find themselves and things work out for them despite everything. I was glad that they were able to make a life for themselves in the end, although I wouldn't want to spend any more time with them than I did. They were all just too messed up. Then again, aren't we all messed up in our own ways?

Book received courtesy of Simon & Schuster GalleyGrab program. (less)

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Sep 01, 2011 Laala Alghata added it · review of another edition

“I saw it on her face that day, a look like her heart would float upwards through her throat, topple from her mouth, clip her front teeth on the way out and drift into the sky. It wasn’t love, nor lust, she was too young. But it was something, a seed of a seed that would become something one day.” — David Whitehouse, Bed

I had heard absolutely nothing about this book before I picked it up, I didn’t know the premise and I didn’t know the author. It turned out it was a debut novelist, which perked...more “I saw it on her face that day, a look like her heart would float upwards through her throat, topple from her mouth, clip her front teeth on the way out and drift into the sky. It wasn’t love, nor lust, she was too young. But it was something, a seed of a seed that would become something one day.” — David Whitehouse, Bed

I had heard absolutely nothing about this book before I picked it up, I didn’t know the premise and I didn’t know the author. It turned out it was a debut novelist, which perked my interest. I like reading the first book of an author just emerging, just like I enjoy buying first albums by bands or artists who are beginning to find their feet. Anyway, after reading a couple of pages and skimming the blurb very quickly (I loathe blurbs), I decided to buy it.

I found the book quite interesting. It’s well-written, and I think you can even find Whitehouse’s unique overtures in certain parts of the novel, which I always love. The book poses fascinating questions (though the issues raised) of ethics and family dynamic, and how true the German proverb, blood is thicker than water. To what extent is a family like an elastic band? Do you always fall back, no matter how far you ago?

I think those thoughts and musings, which the novel produced, were often the most interesting part for me. Another bit I quite liked was when the narrator writes, “They both laughed, reminding me that I could talk when I was in the mood. My obstacles were often my own.” It’s amazing how true that often is, and it’s definitely an invitation to step outside of one’s comfort every once in a while.

I didn’t have much patience for Malcolm even before his decision, and I definitely didn’t respect him. I’m not sure anyone in the book, apart from Lou (to a point) excites much regard or affection. Nevertheless, it is an interesting debut novel; while far from perfect, apropos of the type of novel it is, it makes the reader think. I would certainly pick up a future book by Whitehouse, but I would also be looking for him to improve.
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Sep 30, 2011 Silletta rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ebook, narrativa-inglese

Buon compleanno Malcolm: il titolo italiano in realtà è fuorviante, perché il protagonista di questa storia in realtà non è Malcolm. O almeno non dovrebbe essere lui, dovrebbe essere il narratore, ovvero "il fratello di Malcolm".
Il fratello di Malcolm non ha un nome, non ci è dato saperlo. Per tutta la vita si è sentito definito, fino a definirsi lui stesso, in questo modo. Mal ha preso possesso della vita del fratello e dell'intera famiglia fin dall'infanzia, con la sua sola presenza sempre ing...more Buon compleanno Malcolm: il titolo italiano in realtà è fuorviante, perché il protagonista di questa storia in realtà non è Malcolm. O almeno non dovrebbe essere lui, dovrebbe essere il narratore, ovvero "il fratello di Malcolm".
Il fratello di Malcolm non ha un nome, non ci è dato saperlo. Per tutta la vita si è sentito definito, fino a definirsi lui stesso, in questo modo. Mal ha preso possesso della vita del fratello e dell'intera famiglia fin dall'infanzia, con la sua sola presenza sempre ingombrante al di là del proprio peso. Le esistenze degli altri ruotano intorno alla sua, come se esercitasse una potente forza di attrazione gravitazionale, ancora prima di quel fatidico giorno in cui decide di mettersi a letto per non rialzarsi più, in una apparente protesta e arresa contro il mondo esterno che lo vorrebbe inserito in un percorso secondo lui senza senso.
E allora questa dovrebbe essere la storia di come il fratello di Mal abbia lottato per tutta la sua esistenza per conquistarne una propria, di come si sia a volte rassegnato, a volte dibattuto contro la costante ombra di Mal su di sé. In ogni caso, di come lui e il resto della famiglia altamente disfunzionale possano solo riadattarsi intorno alle scelte operate da Mal, che sembra essere sempre il padrone dei destini altrui nel bene e nel male.
Forse ben pochi avranno un fratello di seicento chili che si rifiuta di lasciare il letto, ma sicuramente tutti abbiamo o abbiamo avuto un qualcosa che ci attrae inevitabilmente nella propria orbita, in positivo e in negativo, in un circolo confusivo di abnegazione, senso del dovere, e in fondo piacere per non dover noi essere attori delle nostre vite, demandando le scelte a qualcun altro. David Whitehouse, con la sua scrittura allo stesso tempo profonda e pulita, ci apre le porte di questa casa, dei suoi fantasmi e dei ricordi appesantiti dal tempo che ciascun personaggio porta con sé; ci accompagna con leggerezza e introspezione nel percorso di ricerca di individuazione del fratello di Mal. (less)

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Jan 15, 2013 Marcio Rafael Maciel rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: i-own, indie

O livro é meio melancólico. A descrição que me levou a ler foi que se tratava de um livro de fantasia do absurdo e com humor negro e sarcástico.

Não é bem por ai. O autor tenta ser mais do que ele realmente é neste primeiro livro dele. O livro está recheado de comparações pedantes e desnecessárias e não há quase nada de humor nele. Por esse motivo, o começo da leitura foi muito lento, pois não era nada do que eu esperava, contudo, o livro melhora da metade para frente.

Ele continua melancólico, ma...more

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Dec 06, 2012 Harlene rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I finished this book feeling that perhaps I had not really understood the message it was trying to convey. I did think at the end well that was a good idea and a good story but what was the point? I guess you could say it was a reaction to how mundane day to day life can really be and one man's statement against it. But it's a pretty extreme way of stating it. I'd recommend it if only that it's the author's first novel and I like to give new authors a chance. One word of warning though, don't r...more

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Aug 17, 2012 Alison rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2012

I read some mixed reviews about this book but I found it fascinating in a very sad way. On his 25th birthday Malcom Ede goes to bed -0 and doesn't get up again. For the next 20 years his mother feeds him, washes him and cares for him while he gets fatter and fatter and fatter. Meanwhile his brother has to find some way to carry on his life in the shadow of Mal.

At first I thought the whole idea of the book was implausible but as it goes on, and when you find out why Mal did it, it kind of makes s...more

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