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350th out of 661 books
—
557 voters
This is Just Exactly Like You
by
Drew Perry (Goodreads Author)
A darkly humorous debut novel of suburban survival and life's occasional miracles
When Jack Lang impulsively buys a second house directly across the street from his own, his wife Beth leaves him-and their six-year-old autistic son, Hendrick-to move in with Jack's best friend, Terry Canavan. Jack tells everyone in his life he's okay, but no one believes him. Not his employ...more
When Jack Lang impulsively buys a second house directly across the street from his own, his wife Beth leaves him-and their six-year-old autistic son, Hendrick-to move in with Jack's best friend, Terry Canavan. Jack tells everyone in his life he's okay, but no one believes him. Not his employ...more
Hardcover, 336 pages
Published
April 1st 2010
by Viking Adult
(first published 2010)
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Autism, mulch, giant putt-putt golf course figures, chainsaws and unintentional partner-swapping (in the "it just sort of happened" way). Parenting challenges, relationship challenges, business challenges. Frustrated academics, fulfilled academics. Excellent dialogue and slightly off-beat, unpredictable plot of going around in circles. Who doesn't need a backyard tricycle racetrack in their identical home across the street?
A few bits:
"He puts Hendrick in the papoose carrier and leashes up Yul Br...more
A few bits:
"He puts Hendrick in the papoose carrier and leashes up Yul Br...more
I think this is one of those novels where people read it, don't understand a bloody thing it says, because it's convoluted blubbering nonsense, but they're afraid to say it's crap because "it must be good because it's incomprehensible"!
One reviewer stated that what Drew Perry did "wonderfully" with this novel, is to accurately capture how people interact with each other. I am more stunned by the ridiculousness of that statement than I am with the ridiculousness of this book. Accurately captures...more
One reviewer stated that what Drew Perry did "wonderfully" with this novel, is to accurately capture how people interact with each other. I am more stunned by the ridiculousness of that statement than I am with the ridiculousness of this book. Accurately captures...more
It was a great wild wacky and weird read. Just the kind of off center book that has you wondering what is happening with the characters still. This is Just Exactly Like You is a great debut novel from the man's view of wonder when a marriage starts falling apart. Jack Lang does not understand why his wife is gone. Or how she can not see how life is never going to be all pat and nice. But that instead the house will be unfinished, the marriage will not always work and their son will never be like...more
There's so much melodrama involved in Drew Perry's This is Just Exactly Like You that you're inclined to think it can't possibly be as good as it is: the autistic son, the failing marriage, the over-the-top theatricality of the characters' mistakes. And yet it does work. Really, really well, as a matter of fact.
I think the reason is simple: this material, in the hands of a less able writer, wouldn't read nearly as wonderfully as it does in Perry's. The pleasures here are many, but his gift for m...more
I think the reason is simple: this material, in the hands of a less able writer, wouldn't read nearly as wonderfully as it does in Perry's. The pleasures here are many, but his gift for m...more
This was actually a pretty good book. It was an impulse grab at the library, but completely worth it. Every character is flawed, which is nice. Only the kid is completely innocent and it was interesting to see him learning Spanish. I wanted to kick the wife throughout the story. Every time she had some dialogue, I wanted to kick her. I think that was the point, though. The main character was compelling, and I agree that a mini-golf course or racetrack in the back yard would be wonderful. Mini-go...more
I started this on Sunday night and the only thing that kept me from reading it in one sitting is knowing I had to get some sleep before work on Monday. What an engrossing story!
Jack is not having a good time. His wife has moved out and is shacking up with his best friend. His son is autistic and developing new savant abilities without any warning. His life is out of his control and he's not sure how to put it back on course.
How does he react? By doing some crazy stuff that I won't get into becau...more
Jack is not having a good time. His wife has moved out and is shacking up with his best friend. His son is autistic and developing new savant abilities without any warning. His life is out of his control and he's not sure how to put it back on course.
How does he react? By doing some crazy stuff that I won't get into becau...more
I was completely charmed by Drew Perry's funny and honest first novel. It's the story of a married couple, Jack and Beth, their autistic son, and a whole lot of mulch. Perry's writing is so true about the ways couples communicate -- or fail to -- and about the ways marriage is changed by children, but these truths don't come like lightning flashes of insight but more quietly, shruggingly, leaving the characters still a bit puzzled, but awkwardly trying to make things better. Jack accidentally bu...more
So I didn't realize this author was from Greensboro, UNCG grad, I honestly just grabbed this off the shelf - the title grabbed me and when i saw the cover I was on board. I'm 2/3 through and I have to say this is a campy little ride and many of the streets - if you are from Greensboro - you will recognize. Anyone know this author? he teaches at Elon and lives in Greensboro according to the jacket.
Update - finished it last night. It gets increasingly uncomfortable as many dark comedies do, but I...more
Update - finished it last night. It gets increasingly uncomfortable as many dark comedies do, but I...more
My son, Anthony Sanders, bought this book yesterday at the NC College Booksellers Conference in Winston-Salem. Mr. Perry had spoken at their evening get-together. He brought it home and I have spent the day devouring it.
A husband and wife have separated -- they have an autistic child, Hen, who prefers his father. It focuses on the challenges of raising a brilliant autistic child--could read at two. Jack. the Dad, has his 10 year old dog, Yul Brynner to keep them company. The story begins when Ja...more
A husband and wife have separated -- they have an autistic child, Hen, who prefers his father. It focuses on the challenges of raising a brilliant autistic child--could read at two. Jack. the Dad, has his 10 year old dog, Yul Brynner to keep them company. The story begins when Ja...more
I picked this because of the cover. I liked the idea for the story and most of the characters, especially Butner and Hen, but I found the author's writing a bit confusing in places. I found myself reading parts again, not because I loved the beauty of the language but because I'd gotten lost in the action. For instance, several times I thought, "Wait, how did they get here? Weren't they just (in the kitchen or in the yard) a second ago?"
Overall, it wasn't bad. It was just a different way of con...more
Overall, it wasn't bad. It was just a different way of con...more
I wanted to like this book - I really did. The blurb on the flap was intriguing. Alas, it turns out you can't judge a book by its cover or its flap. I just finished its three hundred pages of trite material that is tethered to an unstructured plot that ended up going absolutely nowhere. The characters were woefully undeveloped past tired stereotypes of men and women. This book's biggest flaw is that I just didn't care about any of these characters, the autistic kid included. And no, I'm not evil...more
Your enjoyment of a book often depends on how much you like the protagonist. In this case, I very much enjoyed Jack, the owner of a mulch store, whose wife has left him and moved in with his -- now former -- best friend. Jack is left alone to contend with their seven-year-old autistic son, Hendrick. Jack's struggles to be a good father, and his efforts to win his wife back -- while trying to figure out why she left -- make for very compelling reading. The Publishers Weekly review listed here say...more
Aug 22, 2011
Kia
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
from-the-library,
nook-books
This a pretty interesting story about Jack a man who's wife Beth walks out on him and their autistic 6 year old son Henderick. The story opens up on a few days after she leaves. what makes it strange is she leaves and goes to his best friend's house Canavan. She still continues to see their son dropping by and scolding jack about Hen. This book pretty much takes you thru from there to about 2-3 weeks out as Jack processes and neglects to deal with what has happened to him.
Its very clear that Ja...more
Its very clear that Ja...more
Jack Lang is not great at being in the world. At the start of this quirky and original book, he has impulsively purchased a second ranch house – right across the street from his original house – at an auction. His wife Beth, a teacher at a local college, his just left him for his good friend Terry Canavan. Terry’s long-time girlfriend, Rena, may or may not be coming on to him.
To really complicate things, he is left in charge of his autistic savant son Hendrick, who has a penchant for memorizing...more
To really complicate things, he is left in charge of his autistic savant son Hendrick, who has a penchant for memorizing...more
I have to say I loved this book. I couldn't put it down--I read the whole thing in two days. Perry has a gift for language, for keeping both the plot and the words moving forward, and a real gift for dialogue. You can really hear these characters talking, and the story is so quirky and interesting that you care what they're saying. The prose is beautifully written, wryly funny, and, frankly, captivating. I was rooting for Jack at the same time that I was really glad not to be married to him myse...more
This was really a 3 1/2 stars, but I don't get that option. A really good piece of fiction. This book focuses on a 2-3 week period in the lives of troubled suburban couple, Jack and Beth,their son, Hendrick and their friends, Rena and Terry. My favorite character was definitely Hendrick, the autistic son of the main couple. You get to see him through his parents' eyes with all their love and frustration. I don't know too much about austism, but I have done some reading and the author seems to po...more
A quirky novel about a dysfunctional young family that is loaded with good details and interesting characters, yet there is nothing filling about this book. Lots of time spent on the attributes of a modern marriage but the author does not write relationships well. I kept thinking that marriage is really not as convoluted as the author is trying to make us believe. I will most likely read Drew Perry’s next book knowing he will probably improve the flow and pace of his sophomoric novel.
I think that it was interesting that the most relatable character in this novel was the one with autism. The main character, as well as his wife, and friends are infuriating on and off throughout the novel. There were several times that I just wanted to yell at one or the other of them and tell them to just get over themselves and act like an adult. I didn’t dislike this story. I liked how it was written and how the plot was woven together, but some of the characters were somewhat intolerable.
I thoroughly enjoyed this quirky look at a marriage falling apart. NC couple of with a 6 yr old autistic son, mother can't handle it any longer, story told from father/husband's perspective. Winsome. Odd conversations/arguments between the estranged couple; I never could figure out whether that was due to poor dialogue writing or intentional to show their surreal relationship and his lack of understanding about what was going on and why...
I grabbed this down at HWLC based on the cover alone and it was a wonderful book. Most unexpected, and one of the better books on relationships I have read in awhile.
I absolutely hated the character of Bethany and her annoying traits made the parts she was in really hard to read, but I think this was intentional.
PS-If you have a book club, this is perfect!
I absolutely hated the character of Bethany and her annoying traits made the parts she was in really hard to read, but I think this was intentional.
PS-If you have a book club, this is perfect!
I was really drawn into this book - the characters seemed believably flawed yet likable and I really loved what inherently good people the supporting characters are. If you're looking for a book about guys helping their buddy out during a tough time, this is it. The writing is strong and lean - some of the passages (especially the last paragraph) are outright beautiful.
That being said I was put off by the turn of events in the last thirty pages and a certain action seemed downright manipulative....more
That being said I was put off by the turn of events in the last thirty pages and a certain action seemed downright manipulative....more
I really liked this book. It could have been boring, but it wasn't. It could have felt too contrived and manipulated, but it didn't. It was just about people living their lives and making mistakes and trying to do the right thing even when they didn't know how. I couldn't have asked for anything more from this book.
Jack Lange's life seems to be falling apart when his wife, fed up with outbursts of irrational activity, walks out on him and his autistic son and goes to live with his best friend. Is it possible for someone who is spontaneous and unconventional to live happily with someone who is programmed and convnetional?
I don't know if many authors could get away with this stream-of-consciousness style, that at first presents as disjointed ranting. But, once I got into the rhythm of the book I didn't care. The characters are great, the observations and the dialogue hilarious, and the insights into family and human nature incisive. Strongly recommended.
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Borrowed from the library and liked it so much, I'm adding it to my wishlist. Hilarious and spot-on about its portrayal of marriage and parenting, and so convincingly voiced. One of the few books I've read with an autistic character that seemed "right." A pleasure to read.
I really liked this book. It is set in North Carolina, but it's the main character that you're drawn into. He seems to have made a mess of things, and it's fascinating to go along the ride with him, and see where he'll end up. All those choice made along the way.
Not exactly what I expected, but a satisfying read and very funny. A couple with an autistic son reevaluate their lives when the wife moves out and in with her husband's best friend. The husband then takes up with the best friend's girlfriend. It is a story about what we hope for our lives and the disappointments when they are not exactly what we plan.
Someone out there told me this book was funny. It's good, but not what I would call funny. So now I am just mad because I can't remember who told me that because I want to ask them what the hell they were smoking. Was it you?
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Drew Perry lives in Greensboro, NC, with his wife, a dog, and two cats. He has published fiction in Willow Springs, Black Warrior Review, Atlanta Magazine, Alaska Quarterly Review, and New Stories from the South, among other places. He teaches writing at Elon University. This Is Just Exactly Like You is his first novel.
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“It's what surprised him most -- not the overpowering love all the books required that he feel for his child -- just that he simply liked being around him. And even with the diagnoisis, or even since, there's something a little joyous, alongside all the disaster, about living with Hendrick. Some feeling he gets about being in better or closer contact with the things we need, the things we want. I want to run the controls on the dump truck. I want to touch the faucet. I want to open the drawer three hundred times in a row. Because who doesn't want that from time to time? To fall deeper in? Who doesn't do it? Some mornings Jack taps his own spoon a few extra times on the rim of the cereal bowl just for the sheer pleasure of it, and then he'll wonder what the space really is, after all, between tic and illness.”
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