jim added a quote:
"Blessed are the dumbfucks." — Christopher Moore

jim added a quote:
""Nobody's perfect. Well, there was this one guy, but we killed him...."" — Christopher Moore

jim read and liked William D. Prystauk's review of The Paperboy:

"This book has the personality of a carcass. Long, drawn out and convoluted, Dexter paints a lame picture in white-washed colors. Brought to us in first person from Jack, who’s father owns a Moat County, Florida paper, the book is slow, tedious, lon...more This book has the personality of a carcass. Long, drawn out and convoluted, Dexter paints a lame picture in white-washed colors. Brought to us in first person from Jack, who’s father owns a Moat County, Florida paper, the book is slow, tedious, long-winded and reserved to the point of absolute boredom.

Though the first person narration is consistent, Jack, our storyteller, is lackluster and doesn’t seem to have a pulse. The only part of the novel I enjoyed was the attack on Ward, Jack’s brother. Not because of the violence, but because of the drama, interactions with Charlotte and the police, as well as the subsequent recovery at the hospital. There was finally a little vivacity and imagery with impact.

Worst still, this was another tale about a dysfunctional family with ultra-poor communication skills – snooze. And Dexter failed to bring anything new to the table. Overall, the characters were unlikable and their dialogue wasn’t really distinct. I didn’t feel a thing for Ward after the beating or his death later on. And Charlotte’s demise came as no surprise, and once again, I was unaffected – and that’s most likely because the end of the book was rushed and Charlotte was virtually mentioned in passing. Then again, Jack had the emotional investment of Milne’s Eeyore. The protagonist was too repressed and depressed, creating a flat narrative that kept me at an emotional distance.

Worst still, Dexter told more than he showed, and getting through the exposition and summarizing was like trudging through thick cement. And there were no surprises and no reason to keep reading.

Overall, I was again reminded to get to the story. Keep it fresh and moving. And to make certain I have a character with life in his blood instead of another monotone robot (like Block’s Scudder). Moreover, even if the characters have no redeeming qualities, make certain they’re interesting enough to satisfy the reader.

Interestingly, the book had no chapters, just little page breaks. But since the novel was such a burden, this did not move the story ahead by any means.

This was as dull as sterilized dirt.
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