Amy's review
Ham on Rye: A Novel
by Charles Bukowski
Amy's review
Ham on Rye: A Novel by Charles Bukowski
Amy's review
rating:
It was a quick read, a first hand account of an abused child growing up during the depression. I can maybe see the appeal for teenaged boys: it had the same type of humor as the movie "Superbad," with more crudeness and violence added in. However, it was little too adolescent and immature for my taste. The first half was basically potty humor interspersed with moments of Henry either getting into fights or being abused by his dad. The second half described Henry's life of self-loathing, drinking, gambling, and more fight instigating. There were moments of Henry trying to better himself (e.g. through writing or sports) but overall the plot didn't really go anywhere, there was no climax, the ending was neither happy nor tragic. It just sort of ended. It is sad to think that this was an autobiographical account of Bukowski's own youth, and maybe I would appreciate this book more in the context of his other work - I'll have to check it out sometime.
