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All About Lulu

by Jonathan Evison (Goodreads Author)

3.68 of 5 stars 3.68 · rating details · 688 ratings · 157 reviews

Weakness has always been a concern for William Miller: growing up vegetarian in a family of bodybuilders will do that to a person. But William is further weakened by the death of his mother, the arrival of a new step-mother, and his irrepressible crush on his new step-sister, Lulu. As Lulu faces down her own challenges, William watches his life shift into tumult and despai...more

Paperback, 344 pages

Published May 28th 2008 by Soft Skull Press

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Sep 26, 2008 Bob Redmond rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is the inverse of Ms. Hempel Chronicles (see my review). It lacks the literary polish of Shun-lien Bynum's writing (though it's plenty accomplished), but it DOES recognize that THE story is not the obvious story. Evison gets it, since the title of the book is ALL ABOUT LULU but it's also bigger than that.

Lulu is the narrator's siste (STEP-sister, that is) on whom he has a crush beyond crushes: he's totally in love with her. This love is returned but in complicated ways. That's the cent...more

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Nov 20, 2008 Jason Pettus rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, hipster, emo

(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted here illegally.)

I've talked about this subject here before, but it seems to be one that comes up again and again at CCLaP, regarding how much of the incidental details of our lives influence what we think of any given book -- how old we are when we read it, what in life we've been exposed to already, what kind of moo...more (Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted here illegally.)

I've talked about this subject here before, but it seems to be one that comes up again and again at CCLaP, regarding how much of the incidental details of our lives influence what we think of any given book -- how old we are when we read it, what in life we've been exposed to already, what kind of mood we're in, whether we're single or in a relationship, etc. For example, as someone who came of age within the early-'80s punk/zine community of the American Midwest, I have been drawn over the years to plaintive quirky coming-of-age tales set amongst such people; but after two decades of them now, plus simply getting older and wiser and now worrying about a whole new set of issues in my life, I find my mind wandering anymore whenever tackling such contemporary tales. And that wouldn't be an issue if I weren't a book critic -- I would simply skip these books otherwise -- but since I am a book critic, and since I do like to do as fair and balanced of reviews here as possible, it's important for me to understand all these ways my own personal life influences what I think of a project. A novel isn't necessarily bad just because I in particular find large parts of it tedious, and only because of consuming a massive amount of similar projects in my past; that's my problem as a reader, not theirs as a writer, and it would be unfair of me to have it unduly influence my finished essay.

And the issue has come up yet again this week, after reading Jonathan Evison's novel All About Lulu; because as you can imagine, it's the exact kind of quirky plaintive youth-culture coming-of-age story I've been talking about, and sure enough I ended up liking it in general but finding large parts of it tedious, and indeed I am having a hard time now determining whether this is a legitimate problem with the general pacing or my particular growing intolerance for the usual tropes of this genre. It's a book I can safely recommend, and have no ethical problem doing so; but it's also one of those books for a select audience only, a younger audience who hasn't been exposed to as many of these kinds of stories yet, perhaps current students who like The Catcher in the Rye but wish a version existed full of their own generation's cultural references. The farther away you are from this type, the more problems you will probably have with this manuscript, although as mentioned I doubt that anyone would call the experience out-and-out terrible.

In fact, this is Evison's first-ever novel, put out by our subversive friends at Soft Skull Press (DISCLOSURE: I am personal friends with several of the company's staff members); it's the story of Will Miller Jr, son of professional bodybuilder Bill Senior, brother to twin budding teenaged musclemen themselves, with a biological mother who has died and a "step-girlfriend" who was formerly a family acquaintance, who has brought with her into the extended family her own teenage daughter, the Lulu of the book's title. And for sure, the entire first third of this novel is an extremely charming, very well-written account of young budding love (perhaps better described as a stomach-churning combination of lust, fear, admiration and frustration), told through a series of magical, awkward set pieces and late-night conversations, which like I said you will find either profound or merely well-done, depending on your own age and how many projects like this you've already been exposed to.

But here's the problem, although it actually looks like an asset to the story at first, and I'm sure was a big part of why this first-time novelist came to the attention of Soft Skull in the first place; that roughly a third of the way in, Lulu finds out something that immediately brings a halt to this budding flirtatious relationship she's been having with Will, news we know came from her mom and Will's dad together, news that we know somehow concerns the entire family, but that for some reason is being deliberately withheld from Will himself. And unfortunately, the entire remaining two-thirds of the book relies on this giant dark unknown secret in order to sustain both the plot and our interest; but I in particular was able to successfully guess the secret a mere page or two after it was first mentioned, something I never try to do on purpose which is why it p-sses me off even more when it accidentally happens anyway. And seriously, besides that running thread, the entire rest of the story is a sorta meandering look at how the young adulthoods of these two progress, presenting rather ho-hum anecdotes about rather drab lives, that just so happen to match up with the various pop-culture movements of the Pacific Northwest in the '90s and '00s.

Now granted, the origins of these literary problems becomes an interesting intellectual exercise if you stop and think about it; is it that I've simply read too many of these stories already, was able to guess nearly the entire plot well in advance, and was also not able to enjoy the smaller string of youthful developments that hang off this central mysterious question (for example, the whole string of philosophy term papers Will supposedly writes in college -- dear Lord, all those philosophy papers)? Will readers younger than me end up liking this book a lot more, precisely because they've never pondered the kinds of issues that are brought up in the second half? Or is this a more universal problem on the part of Evison himself, certainly a forgivable sin for a first novel but for sure the very definition of "weak second act?" Whatever the case, I have to confess that large parts of this storyline simply bored me, an even more frustrating thing because of the first third being so promising. (And as a digression, as I've mentioned here before, let me also admit that I detest the so-called "Forrest Gump" literary gimmick, in which a character just happens to be a witness to a whole string of rare and special events and communities over a certain period of history, and that this book is guilty of that in spades. "She's in Seattle dating a musician when grunge hits! Then after Cobain dies, she sobers up and becomes a slam poet! And then she becomes a feminist stripper! And then she goes on Prozac!" Okay, Evison, jeez, enough! Life is like a box of heroin-injected chocolates, I freaking get it!)

Ultimately All About Lulu has a lot more good things going for it than bad, which is why I don't hesitate to recommend it today, despite me thinking it a good idea to ask yourself beforehand what kind of reader you are when it comes to this kind of stuff. Like such previously reviewed books as Joe Meno's Hairstyles of the Damned, Ben Tanzer's Lucky Man, and Monica Drake's Clown Girl, how much you like this novel is going to directly depend on where in life you yourself are at, not so much with the writing itself (although admittedly somewhat with the writing itself). It is at the least without a doubt a great literary debut, something that announces the arrival of a powerful new voice to the scene, an activity Soft Skull excels at; needless to say, I'm highly looking forward to Evison's next project. (less)

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Nov 11, 2008 Brian rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2008

As I greedily read All About Lulu, with the wit dripping from my chin and philosophical musings staining my favorite t-shirt, I finished this meal feeling full and satisfied.

All About Lulu is a book exploring the American psyche from the 1960's up to the 1990's through the mind of Will Miller, a runt in a family of bodybuilders. And though the main protagonist is Will, it really is all about Lulu, a force that not only changes Will's life, but kind of changed mine too.

Mr Evison weaved this tale...more

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Aug 26, 2008 Christi rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-group

OK, so I read this book for my book group and really enjoyed it. I would have given it 3.5 stars, but I couldn't because I can't figure out how to do that .5 on this thing.

I was really into the book until things started getting a little convoluted. I'm usually one of those people who can totally suspend my disbelief, but when the secret at towards the end was revealed (I won't ruin it for anyone)I was really disappointed. I just didn't buy that no one would have told the kids etc.

Other than that...more

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Nov 03, 2008 Pete rated it 2 of 5 stars

"All About Lulu" is Jonathan Evison's debut-- a light, easy readin' coming of age novel. A boy falls in love with his new stepsister, and then inexplicably becomes obsessed with her for the rest of his youth and into early adulthood. The family is quirky: they’re bodybuilders. And there are plenty of nicely written sentences throughout.

It's a beach read that aspires to literature. Evison opens with a reference to The Catcher in the Rye, which got my suck-dar up in a big way. He structures the ve...more

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Jun 03, 2008 Chris Swann rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone who's had to deal with unrequited love, which is pretty much everyone on the planet

This is what Wally Lamb wanted to do with "She's Come Undone." Honestly, I think Jonathan Evison has done one better with "All About Lulu." Outrageous, funny, heartbreaking, this is a must read.

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Oct 13, 2008 Rachel rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book was an overall pretty enjoyable read. I laughed out loud a few times at Will's strange body-building, meat-obsessed family. Not to mention his strange cast of friends: Acne Scar Joe, Immigrant Eugene, freaky school counselor, and ex-boyfriend Troy of Will's obsession: stepsister Lulu.

That being said, when I finally find out the BIG secret (which was pretty easy to spot much earlier on in the book), I had a hard time seeing 1)Why was it such a big deal that it had to be kept secret, and...more

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Oct 07, 2008 Paul rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2008

Lulu has all the makings of a good book. It's a complexly woven and somewhat original love-and-loss tale with emotion-inducing characters told by a seemingly warm and friendly narrator named Will. Unfortunately, as things progress, the author amasses more and more of the makings of a bad book. Awkward turns of phrase, cliched plot-turns, and even bouts of just plain boring filler. Things are more or less OK until Part Two (of two), when Lulu sort of disappears and leaves Will to fend for himself...more Lulu has all the makings of a good book. It's a complexly woven and somewhat original love-and-loss tale with emotion-inducing characters told by a seemingly warm and friendly narrator named Will. Unfortunately, as things progress, the author amasses more and more of the makings of a bad book. Awkward turns of phrase, cliched plot-turns, and even bouts of just plain boring filler. Things are more or less OK until Part Two (of two), when Lulu sort of disappears and leaves Will to fend for himself as the book's protagonist. This is of course a symbolic move by the author to show that Will is weak and unable to define himself without Lulu, but what we soon learn is that Will is actually an asshole, with very few redeeming qualities, which is bad news for a narrator/protagonist. He's immature and self-serving and completely wayward, and when Evison spends pages and pages describing a pick-up basketball game featuring Will and his brothers against three black kids (a chapter Evison calls "Brothers Against Brothers" -- am I wrong in interpreting this as vaguely racist?) or his landlord's starting a hot dog stand you start to wonder why you're still reading. Also awkward is the decision to describe Will as a nascent philosopher, since this doesn't REALLY go anywhere aside from a few impotent quips about the nature of truth and the meaning of life. How Evison does it, however, is even weirder, and pretty lazy -- instead of describing Will in school, he simply tosses in Will's purported papers on Descartes and the like. There's some really cringe-inducing stuff here, including the professor's comments, which come at the end of the paper, and, just in general, the obviously cringe-inducing stuff you'd expect to find in a junior college student's page-long paper on Descartes. But Will is supposed to be smart -- everyone's always telling him how clever and how quick he is, so something doesn't really add up. You don't feel sorry for him, because he's a selfish, wayward, and immature asshole, and you don't care about his job at the hot dog stand or his RX-7 or, really, anything. Also, Evison for some reason feels the need to constantly name drop restaurants, street corners, concert venues, and bars in both Seattle and Los Angeles. I'm very familiar with both cities, and this didn't add anything for me -- not authenticity, not realism. Just distraction, like a hot girl with a facial tic.

Again, there's a lot of pathos here, and the book isn't a complete waste. It's got a lot going for it, and I did enjoy reading it. With a more exacting or demanding editor at perhaps a larger publishing house, this may have been a better novel. Evison has a really big heart for his characters, and you can tell he put himself into Lulu. Aside from the philosophy papers, it's rarely lazy or underdeveloped. It's just got that feel of the first several chapters having been workshopped quite a bit and the latter parts being left to simply waver and flop about in the wind. Too many times I was torn away from the otherwise intriguing narrative by poor diction or overt and miserably failed cleverness. Worth a read on the beach in the summer, perhaps. If only for the cover, which I think is really stunning, if a bit of a Nabokov cop. Especially when considering the title. Will definitely check out Evison's next novel.(less)

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Aug 29, 2008 oriana rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to oriana by: the L magazine (among many others, which I forget)

Shelves: read-2008, the-new-new-new-new-thing

post-read: All About Lulu is a really really good book. Really! It's one of those books that moves so fast and smoothly, it really pushes you along, hurrying you toward brink after brink; though really it's always the same brink, it's just delayed for over three hundred pages. Plus it's really funny. That's super hard to do well! Humor is so subjective, especially in book form, but I was smiling about every other page, and actually chuckling – aloud, on a crowded subway – at least once per chapt...more

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Jul 31, 2008 Rebecca rated it 4 of 5 stars

In the early pages of "All About Lulu" we follow Will through the death of his mother and his father's subsequent remarriage to his grief counselor, Willow. His new stepmother also brings with him the attractive-in-her-own-way Louise (nickname: Lulu). Will, with his abnormally low voice for a 9-year-old, had stopped speaking after his mother's death, and it is only through Lulu that he rediscovers his voice.

Lulu and Will forge a seemingly unbreakable friendship and eventually become pseudo-girlf...more In the early pages of "All About Lulu" we follow Will through the death of his mother and his father's subsequent remarriage to his grief counselor, Willow. His new stepmother also brings with him the attractive-in-her-own-way Louise (nickname: Lulu). Will, with his abnormally low voice for a 9-year-old, had stopped speaking after his mother's death, and it is only through Lulu that he rediscovers his voice.

Lulu and Will forge a seemingly unbreakable friendship and eventually become pseudo-girlfriend and boyfriend. They develop their own secret language and depend on each other almost completely for friendship and understanding. That is until Lulu leaves for cheerleading camp the summer before they begin high school. Will is distraught that he won't have Lulu with him for a full month, and this turns to complete devastation when Lulu returns completely changed. She no longer responds to their secret language. She locks herself away in her room most days. And, worst of all, she acts as though Will is invisible.

Throughout the rest of the book Will seeks to figure out what caused this change in Lulu. What happened while she was away? He spends years obsessed with her (and I have to admit it got a little creepy after awhile), but finally begins putting his life together. He gets his dream job as a radio announcer and even starts his own hot dog stand business with his Russian-immigrant landlord. Everything is running smooth until the last few chapters when he learns of events in Lulu's life and is pulled back into her orbit and finally learns what it was that pushed her away from him all those years ago.

I really enjoyed this book, if only because of its loveably oddball cast of characters. First, there's Will's father and twin brothers who are all body builders. Evison takes the term "meathead" literally with these three, making light of the fact that they eat meat. Will, a vegetarian, laments several times that he thinks his dad believes the world is made of meat.

Then we have his Russian-immigrant neighbor, his ghost cat (Frank), and his philosophy teacher, who I particularly love because he enabled Evison to use his Sweats to Pants Ratio, of which I've always been a huge fan:

"I'm developing something I call the sweats to pants ratio (SPR), by which success is measured relative to the days one spends in formal versus casual attire (formal being anything with pockets). By this measure, seven days a week in sweats is the pinnacle of success. I'm at about five-to-two right now. Pretty damn succesful."

This is a quick and fun read. I also like that it's a new author, published by a small press.(less)

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Jun 22, 2008 Josh rated it 5 of 5 stars

Jonathan Evison's newest book "All About Lulu" is the one of those brilliant coming of age novels that make you agonize and adore everything about maturity. The story's narrator Will is a characters who is not beautiful or extraordinary. However he is incredibly real and every page in the book has Will slapping the reader in the face or making him fall out of their chair laughing (and occasionally weeping).

I was given the book as a gift as I had not heard of it before. I cannot explain how much...more

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Nov 14, 2008 Dennis rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is the review I posted on Amazon ... my first. It's worthy.

This is true love ...

Jonathan Evison's pain is our gain. ALL ABOUT LULU reads like a poem, all rhythm and grace. Effortless from the reader's end, which makes the mastery all the more impressive.

But beyond being so damn readable, it's one of those rare moments in literature where an author wrestles Eros onto the page and leaves us all nodding with bittersweet understanding. Anyone who's ever fallen hard will know what Will's going t...more

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Jul 22, 2008 Modern Times Bookstore rated it 5 of 5 stars

So, the title pretty much gives it away: Will, our runty, brooding, vegetarian protagonist, is hopelessly obsessed with Lulu. Too bad she's his stepsister. C'est la vie. The character development throughout the novel is stellar, from Will's lovable, meat crazed, bodybuilding dad, to his knucklehead twin brothers, to Will's assortment of friends, or – if I'm permitted a trashy magazine moment, frienemies. And don't be surprised if in the course of reading, you find yourself obsessing over Lulu. A...more

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Nov 20, 2008 Marfita rated it 1 of 5 stars

What's the big effing secret?! Just TELL people!

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Apr 16, 2012 Travis rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a very, very quick read. As in WEST OF HERE, which was probably my favorite discovery last year, Evison keeps the reader engaged as the sentences whir by, and the pages keep turning. It's engaging, sometimes funny, and always entertaining. If writing an entertaining book were all Evison is trying to do, this would be a five star read. But Evison's ambitions are greater that that, and the book doesn't quite rise to the occasion.

I made the mistake of putting LULU down about fifty pages in...more This is a very, very quick read. As in WEST OF HERE, which was probably my favorite discovery last year, Evison keeps the reader engaged as the sentences whir by, and the pages keep turning. It's engaging, sometimes funny, and always entertaining. If writing an entertaining book were all Evison is trying to do, this would be a five star read. But Evison's ambitions are greater that that, and the book doesn't quite rise to the occasion.

I made the mistake of putting LULU down about fifty pages in, and then thinking about it for a minute. At about the 50 page point, there's a fairly major plot turn. And, putting the book down at that point, I figured out the big secret almost immediately. And I realized that X and Y had to happen for said secret to have the maximum emotional impact. And then it took X and Y leading to the big reveal almost 300 more pages to happen, with at least a hundred hints dropped along the way. So by the time I got to the big moment all the lead-up had grown a little tiresome. I couldn't help but imagine more gut-wrenching and interesting things that could have happened (without changing the big secret), so that I was a little disappointed when things ended so tidily, with so little emotional blood spilled (at least on Will's part). And I also questioned why there was so little screen time for Lulu in the final act. When what's coming is so obvious, all of the filler in the final 100-200 pages gets to seem a bit like filler (I'm talking about the philosophy stuff, the hot dog stand, etc.--though, again, it was well-written, entertaining stuff).

Also, I thought there was a bit too much showing instead of telling on a character level. Will's relationship to every single character can be summed up like this--"I thought so little of so and so, but he turned out to be so much more!" Which, in itself is a good thing--it's nice to see an author be generous with his characters. The problem is that Evison established that so and so was so much more by just coming out and saying exactly that--I thought the scenes without the telling would have been enough.

And Will never quite reaches an emotional rock bottom, which seems almost necessary to the story. And there are probably 60-80 chapters in this 300 page book, which seems like a few too many. But I'm nitpicking a bit now, which I really shouldn't do to a book I enjoyed so much.

All in all, 3.5 stars leaning toward 4, and I'll be anxiously awaiting Evison's next book. (less)

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Apr 10, 2012 Sara rated it 3 of 5 stars

MY TAKE:
The flow of this was smooth, and the familial relationships are enjoyably interweaving and complex. Poor Will and his isolation from his body building family – “Sometimes the fruit does fall far from the tree, and sometimes it rolls down the hill and into the brook and sometimes it’s
washed downstream, or gets caught in an eddy.” Will, who was born into the world “like you already knew something, like you brought something into this world with you.” His twin brothers, just like his fathe...more MY TAKE:
The flow of this was smooth, and the familial relationships are enjoyably interweaving and complex. Poor Will and his isolation from his body building family – “Sometimes the fruit does fall far from the tree, and sometimes it rolls down the hill and into the brook and sometimes it’s
washed downstream, or gets caught in an eddy.” Will, who was born into the world “like you already knew something, like you brought something into this world with you.” His twin brothers, just like his father who “wasn’t a bad guy, he just had a low threshold for weakness.”
Will’s only grace was his mother, who lived “like she was dancing with life and let life lead, doing everything life did, only backwards and in heels. Nothing seemed to disrupt her balance or upset her equilibrium. She absorbed whatever came at her.” I wish that I could be more like that – more balanced, and less reactionary. It is sad how the family just crumbled when she died, their connection, their glue, severed.

QUOTES:
“My life began again the moment I met Louisa Trudeau.” She opened his imagination, his voice, and his heart. “And the closer I got to her, the more I know that she was the only person I cared to know. Lulu was an entire population. You could string adjectives together like daisy chains and not describe Lulu.” His infatuation, his savior, his life – it was all corralled into the Book of Lulu. Their secret language was beautiful and fascinating – “And there was no word for apart, but there was a word for together, and when you saw it written down it was the most beautiful word you ever saw, and to hear it aloud was to hear a chorus of angels singing.” None of his pain or isolation mattered as long as there was Lulu to keep him “warm through the nuclear winter.” She taught him how to see. And then she went away to cheerleading camp – and everything changed. Her subsequent shunning of him shaped his life, and their family’s life innumerably and irrevocably, rendering their new growth and happiness asunder. Ross begins wearing eyeliner. Doug turns out to be gay. His dad and Willow eventually split. Through it all, he still continued his Book. “It was not a body of work, it was a vessel, a heart, the place I stored all the emotions I didn’t know what to do with – a gathering place for all my unshaven affections and battle-weary defenses.” Through it all, you never know why Lulu changed, you can only see Will’s pain, anger, loss and bewilderment. And when you do find out why at the end, it is wrenching but understandable – her separation and pulling away, despite her love for him as well. A sweet, sad tale of star-crossed love, true love never allowed to be.

“The universe really was expanding. I could feel it for the first time: heavenly bodies hurtling through space, drifting farther and farther apart.”

“He held onto it with the greatest strength of all, and that is the strength of holding on to something without being able to touch it.”
(less)

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Dec 24, 2011 Santiago Valdez rated it 4 of 5 stars

Jonathan Evison presents a story about the worst and best of obsessions; the one of love. Will, a smallish vegetarian boy with an enormous voice, growing up in a family of meat devouring body builders; alone after his mother’s death, his only ally in enemy territory. Then one day Lulu comes into the picture changing everything for Will from the inside out, in the way that only love can ignite a revolution. Will and Lulu become brother and sister through their parent’s marriage; Lulu retreats, Wi...more

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Aug 01, 2010 Jim Thomsen rated it 5 of 5 stars

This debut novel deserves the avalanche of praise it's received. It's crazy but controlled, exhilarating but never exhausting, outrageous but not outlandish, introspective while exhibiting plenty of external life and reach. And Evison, through fictional doppelganger William Miller, displays a blazingly original voice that's hilarious, touching and thoroughly arresting. I don't want to be Will Miller, but I sure as hell want to go bowling with him and listen to him ramble about music and fast foo...more This debut novel deserves the avalanche of praise it's received. It's crazy but controlled, exhilarating but never exhausting, outrageous but not outlandish, introspective while exhibiting plenty of external life and reach. And Evison, through fictional doppelganger William Miller, displays a blazingly original voice that's hilarious, touching and thoroughly arresting. I don't want to be Will Miller, but I sure as hell want to go bowling with him and listen to him ramble about music and fast food and philosophy.

The story: Will Miller's Southern California upbringing ain't no "Brady Bunch" episode: His mom dies early of cancer, his dad is an obsessed world-class bodybuilder and his twin younger brothers are oblivious "ass-munches" cut in their dad's mold. Enter Willow and her daughter Lulu, who becomes much more than a friend and confidant to her stepbrother as they enter their precarious teen years. Will falls in love with Lulu, becomes consumed with her, and his teen years are an open sewer of alienation and confusion as she abruptly shoves him away and never lets him back in. Can Will find his way in the world as he stumbles into reluctant adulthood ... with or without Lulu? Can Lulu find her own way, period?

Evison uses Will to mine deep and lasting truths about how we get along with ourselves and each other, about loss and loss, about finding one's way through day. Any man who grew up in the 1980s will recognize bits and pieces of himself and his own staggering self-doubts in Will Miller, and every tossed-off bit of startling insight never rings less that painfully, palpably authentic.

I might ding "All About Lulu" half a star for its deus-ex-machina ending, which features a disturbingly convenient twist that serves to explain years of pain and misunderstandings, and serves to heal old wounds between people who love each other in their spectacularly inarticulate ways. But it's a minor quibble, and doesn't derail the devastating — and delightful — impact of this shambling, rambling, sweet-natured, soul-satisfying coming-of-age story.

One hopes Evison doesn't fall prey to the sophomore slump as many great debut novelists have before him, because "All About Lulu" is so good, so full of life, that it has a left-it-all-on-the-field quality about it. Here's hoping that Evison has plenty left to say ... and a long, long time to keep on saying it.

(less)

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Apr 25, 2011 Jb rated it 5 of 5 stars

I recently flipped through a copy of Poets and Writers and found myself annoyed to the point of incoherent muttering. Picture after picture of writers (published writers who I am certain are wonderful people in many respects) who, judging by their picture alone, took themselves and their art seriously. Very serioulsy. Painfully serioulsy. Unsmiling, brows furrowed, arms crossed, they leaned against columns and brick walls, glaring into the camera’s lens as if we were disturbing their inner peace...more I recently flipped through a copy of Poets and Writers and found myself annoyed to the point of incoherent muttering. Picture after picture of writers (published writers who I am certain are wonderful people in many respects) who, judging by their picture alone, took themselves and their art seriously. Very serioulsy. Painfully serioulsy. Unsmiling, brows furrowed, arms crossed, they leaned against columns and brick walls, glaring into the camera’s lens as if we were disturbing their inner peace, their—as George Costanza once put it—delicate genius. Why shouldn’t they be published, respected, called to sit on panels, give readings, receive awards? Dare we doubt their delicate genius?

My brain meandered its way to this review of Jonathan Evison’s All About Lulu. Given the aforementioned muttering and annoyances, I thought of the only picture of the author I have seen, which happens to be on this website. He is wearing the type of hat one might wear on any number of outdoor adventures—it has a strap, is casual, and offers no pretense. Sunglasses hide his eyes, and a seemingly spontaneous grin welcomes a joke and a good time. In short, the picture shows someone you would want to talk to. He looks fun. Which brings me to the novel?

All About Lulu is fun. And it is good, with funny lines (for instance his view on a co-worker: “Some guys were born to hold a hot dog, I guess”; or the opening obvious echo of Holden Caulfield: “First, I’m going to give you all the Copperfield crap, and I’m not going to apologize for any of it, not one paragraph . . .”), and characters that may appear clunky and gimmicky in the hands of other writers (muscle man father, wannabe muscle-men sons, and our main character: a third son—a non muscled wannabe who does, however, take pride in oiling down his father before muscle man competitions--darn near carnivalesque).

On the surface, the story could be silliness grasping for serious straws, but Evison’s touch works. We believe the characters and their situation. And while there is fun, there is not silliness for silliness’s sake. And a very serious story pushes this thing from beginning to end. Lulu (from the title) is an enraging and passionate character. There is a great deal of humor (some dark and some light) in these pages, but beyond that are sadness and desire, broken relationships with awkward limbs flailing alongside those that struggle to grow legs (and some do!).

Overall, Evison seems to enjoy his writing and his role as a writer. Clearly, with two good novels to his credit, Evison takes his art seriously, and although I have never spoken with him, I can’t imagine his picture in a magazine ever exuding artistic woe and pathos with delicate genius seething beneath the surface. Evison’s writing (and his picture) suggests a not-so serious attitude towards himself but certainly one towards his product.
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Sep 29, 2008 Eliza rated it 4 of 5 stars

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

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May 09, 2013 Svenja rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Will wächst in einer recht chaotischen Familie auf, in der er immer das Gefühl hat nicht so recht hinzugehören. Als dann seine Mutter stirbt, ist er allein mit seinen Vater und seinen Brüdern, alle drei haben nur Fleisch und Bodybuilding im Kopf, während Will selbst Vegetarier ist und mit Krafttraining nichts anfangen kann.
Als Big Bill, Wills Vater, dann eine neue Frau findet und die auch noch eine Tochter in seinem Alter hat, ändert sich das Familienleben und mit Lulu findet Will, keine Schwest...more

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Feb 14, 2011 Lauren rated it 3 of 5 stars

Can I say I "read" a book when I skimmed the last third?

Book summary: Narrator is in love with his stepsister Lulu. This book charts their relationship from Age 10 to adulthood.

This book started out promising -- kind of cute, quaint, quite funny at times. And I liked the narrator's sweet obsession with his stepsister. I can definitely identify with adoring someone so deeply that you log their every movement. So, in that way it was a sweet love story. Oh, and I liked the trajectory of Lulu into a...more

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Sep 07, 2010 Doug rated it 3 of 5 stars

I had mixed feelings about All About Lulu. There’s a lot to like: Evison’s prose is fresh and vivid, with lots of unusual metaphors (the first chapter, “The World Is Made of Meat,” is a stunner). The dialogue is crisp and credible, and Evison gets compellingly deep into his narrator’s head. I loved how the Cabazon Dinosaurs figured in the story (and also loved learning that they really exist).

On the other hand, this is a pretty creepy book. Narrator Will crushes hard unsurprisingly, on his step-...more I had mixed feelings about All About Lulu. There’s a lot to like: Evison’s prose is fresh and vivid, with lots of unusual metaphors (the first chapter, “The World Is Made of Meat,” is a stunner). The dialogue is crisp and credible, and Evison gets compellingly deep into his narrator’s head. I loved how the Cabazon Dinosaurs figured in the story (and also loved learning that they really exist).

On the other hand, this is a pretty creepy book. Narrator Will crushes hard unsurprisingly, on his step-sister Lulu in adolescence. Initially she seems — to him, at least — to reciprocate his unsiblingly feelings, but after the set-up chapters it becomes clear — to everyone except Will — that she doesn’t anymore. And Will. Does. Not. Let. Go. He’s gripped by the fallacious notion that there’s some magic formula that will rekindle Lulu’s affection for him. It leads him to do some pretty shitty stuff, and at times it was difficult for me to ride along in Will’s head. (Narrator Will is looking back from an unspecific older/sadder/wiser vantage point and frequently reminds the reader that he’s “not proud” of this or that; I read this as an attempt on Evison’s part to ameliorate Will’s unsympatheticness, but it didn’t quite work for me. And maybe I should admit that I’m not a stranger to the “find a way to make her love me again” myth, because that probably impacted my gut emotional reaction to Will’s transgressions.)

It made perfect sense to me that one of the novel’s back-jacket pull-quotes was from Tim Sandlin. All About Lulu has a slightly similar dynamic to Sandlin’s Skipped Parts, particularly that the viewpoint character is dramatically less emotionally mature than the more worldly crush object. My reaction also followed a similar dynamic; I was initially charmed by Skipped Parts, but found it (and the following books) increasingly disturbing as they progressed.

I’m curious to see what’s next from Evison; I hope he explores some different thematic territory.(less)

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Jul 30, 2011 Les rated it 4 of 5 stars

4+
I just read Lulu this week and was very impressed. A fellow FFR member (Elizabeth) nicely summed up the core of what resonated with me: "I was really entertained by each character's combination of fears and bravado. It was human, wonderfully friendly and funny." Exactly.

Will is obsessive, but the secret languages and his myriad notebooks are also very sweet. There were many laugh out loud sections. Lulu felt like a composite of several beautifully troubled young women I have known--in the bes...more

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Oct 24, 2012 C rated it 4 of 5 stars

picked up after reading The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving.

"Mr. Potato Head beautiful" - I love this guy's writing.

Edit - finished it tonight. One of those "stay up late to find out what happens" books.
Some good twists and a great story, but where the book really shines is descriptive language and setting. He highlights mundane human details and those details bring it all to life.

I especially liked the segment on the Cabazon Dinosaurs in California. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabazon_......more

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Mar 29, 2010 Roxanne rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was an enjoyable read about an interesting family. I think I would have given it four stars if a) I'd cared a little more about Lulu or b) hadn't found the 'twist' so obvious.

For a book called All About Lulu the strengths of this read don't have much to do with Lulu and actually, because of his creepy preoccupation with her, not the main character either (not due to the creepiness, mind you, I can appreciate that in a novel, he's just a bit one note - er, and that note is essentially creep...more

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Jan 25, 2009 Jodi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2008-read

All About Lulu is so good that I am willing to forgive its author, Jonathan Evison, for being a little coy with the reader. This is saying a lot. Next to adverbs and Chuck Klosterman, coyness is my biggest literary pet peeve. But what Lulu lacks in upfrontness she sure makes up for in humor, emotion, and, as odd as it sounds, honesty.

All About Lulu is less about Lulu and more about William Miller (not the “Almost Famous” William Miller but nearly as nerdy) and his obsession with her. Lulu is Wil...more

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Jun 05, 2012 Emily Hill rated it 5 of 5 stars

A Hornet Sting to the Heart. Put down whatEVER the f**k you are reading now and pick up 'All About Lulu' . . .

Last month I attended 'Field's End' a writer's conference on Bainbridge Island at which Evison, the local writer-hero, waxed on hysterically as the conference Launch Speaker. He leaves an impression on you. I was compelled to check out his debut novel, All About Lulu.

Originally All About Lulu seemed to be about coming of age, then dysfunctional families, then tangled attractions, then...more

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Jun 06, 2008 Kathy rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book was good....maybe not as fantastic as Chris made it out in his review. What I really liked was really good character development. I figured out the conclusion well before the end, which was a bit disappointing, but overall, I thought it was an interesting and good read. A bit quirky, but that was part of the charm.

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Feb 08, 2010 R.a. rated it 4 of 5 stars

From the first chapter of All About Lulu, Jonathan Evison entices. All About Lulu is a heartfelt and thoroughly enjoyable journey from pathos through parabasis and back again.

Amidst a spreading American "plastic" culture, the rubble heaped from a previous generation's disillusionment, and a uniquely peculiar family dynamic, Evison's protagonist, Will Miller, with a Gatsby-like steadfastness, yearns for his Lulu and past to the point of obsession. Yet, unlike Romeo Montague and Florentino Ariza...more

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About Jonathan Evison

Jonathan Evison is an American writer best known for his debut novel All About Lulu published in 2008, which won critical acclaim, including the Washington State Book Award. In 2009, Evison was awarded a Richard Buckley Fellowship from the Christopher Isherwood Foundation. A second novel, West of Here, will be released in February 2011 from Algonquin. Editor Chuck Adams (Water for Elephants, A Rel...more

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“People really do change. Don't let anyone tell you differently. That the future does not conform to the past is not the exception, but the rule.” — 8 people liked it

“First, I'm going to give you all the Copperfield crap, and I'm not going to apologize for any of it, not one paragraph, so if you're not interested in how I came to see the future, or how I came to understand that the biggest truth in my life was a lie, or, for that matter, how I parlayed my distaste for hot dogs into an '84 RX-7 and a new self-concept, do us both a favor, and just stop now.” — 4 people liked it

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