Merlin P.'s review
The Average American Male: A Novel by Chad Kultgen
Much in the tradition of American Psycho, this book sees the world from one man's idiosyncratic, shallow and selfabsorbed perspective, but where Ellis offers thought-provoking insight in the juxtaposition between the aestethic and the destructive, Kultgen offers just dirty words and juvenile sex fantasies - though it must be said, that he is both frank and very spot-on in his portrait of the suppressed male sexuality, it doesn't provoke much more than a lazy erection. His language is repetetive and numbing - which again offers a good portrait of the male mind at its worst, but doesn't lend itself to good storytelling or provocative debate. It's just fuck and sperm. The story doesn't really go anywhere before the wonderful breakup scene (the best part of the book - a great moment!), and though it does provide a very brief twist, it dissolves the dilemma quickly and ends just as you would have guessed. I give points for the frank and blatant description of male fantasies, for keeping the...more
