SERVICE by John Tottenham Semiotext(e) May 6th 2025 A book review by Alexander Laurence

SERVICE by John Tottenham

Semiotext(e)May 6th 2025

Abook review by Alexander Laurence

Serviceis the first novel by John Tottenham. He is known for his four booksof poetry. Service is a plain title that doesn’t give much away.Service? I was guessing that it was supposed to be a neutral titlelike Post Office or Closer. But it turns out that it is named afteran obscure song by The Fall.

Thenovel begins with what I call “a bookstore set piece” where themain character, Sean, a writer and journalist, interacts withcustomers at a bookstore/cafe. It’s a section that shows him in thewild. Bookstores are a place where lonely people and misanthropesmeet. There are fake smiles, unwanted phone calls, stupid questions.In this toxic situation I suppose that Sean provides a “service.”He spends most of his time worrying about yelp reviews and beingcompetitive with other budding writers. In this first section, heencounters a dandy writer named Cyrus Fapper who is currently writinga memoir. Many writers and books are mentioned. Sean thinks it’sall crap. He likes Barbara Pym though. As it says in this book: “Lifeis plotless.”

ThePart B that follows here talks about how writing is useless. If the“Set Pieces” take place in the bookstore, there is anothercontrasting part, that takes place in the narrator’s apartment. Heoften meditates about living as a writer and money and bills. Inthis first Part B section, Sean notices a drunk Mexican who is passedout on the lawn. He talks to a neighbor who is on the cell phone. Hethinks about the neighborhood and gentrification, and young peoplemoving in, and joggers everywhere. He can’t relate to it.

Hewalking and ends up at the bookstore again for Set Piece 2. This timehe meets his boss Gilbert. They talk about the yelp reviews. Acustomer talks about a “man with gray hair.” Sean doesn’t careabout the reviews. Gilbert is off to an AA meeting. Sean then has anencounter with Greg Roach, who is an old musician who now works atthe cafe. Sean seems disappointed that this guy has some minorsuccess in music, and gets to go to Japan.

Thesecond time we go to Part B, now Sean is thinking about his lack ofsuccess as a writer, and the dying art of journalism and magazines.He looks as his life as a slope. Writing was a “service” thatpeople used to be paid for. Then comes all the credit card debt. Seangot a part time job at this bookstore. He thought it was a temporarything, but he is still here after five years. His friend Mitchellcalls and tells him he’s going out with an actress Lyn Lamrock.Sean is a flaneur and lives a bohemian life.

SetPiece 3 starts with a litany of book names and questions: “D’youhave the new Patti Smith book?” etc.

Seandecides that he is going to give up writing.

Afriend Jackson Valvitcore wrote a book The Death of The Novel.

SetPiece 4 starts with making coffee. Sean pushes the book cart out thedoor. He makes a 200 song mix of Bob Dylan. He thinks about Dylan.People comment on the songs. Some homeless guy tries to sell somemediocre books. The set pieces take place in the bookstore. Part Btakes place outside the store. It gets more complicated as he hasreveries about writing and music.

Thenext Part B takes place during a hangover at home. He starts to walkaround in Downtown LA and Grand Central Market. He thinks about food.He worries about creditors and credit cards. Most of this part isabout Downtown.

SetPiece 5: we are back in the store. He thinks about the singer JacksonC. Frank. He decides that he only likes dead artists. He thinks thatonly young people romanticize the dead. Sean buys some drugs and triesto write. He reads more yelp reviews about himself. He notices somewoman from Brentwood. A friend talks about having a sexual encounterwith another girl.

Inthis part the narrator is worried about gray hairs and being old. Ashe gets older all his friends are getting into long termrelationships and having kids. He runs into Bill and his wife. She ispregnant. He later goes to a Whole Foods and sees a friend of hisex-girlfriend. He avoids her. He celebrates writing 20K words. It’sa third of a potential novel. Maybe the one we are reading now?

SetPiece 6 starts out with twenty boxes of used books. Some friend diedand this is his collection that Gilbert buys. There is talk about anold friend Joe who went to Portland and now has a kid. He encountersTeddy Morbid who wrote a memoir about addiction.

Hehas a drink with Jackson Valvitcore. He starts worrying about writingand getting writer’s block.

Backat the bookstore for Set Piece 7, he notices a friend named Cindy. Heis visited by Paul the millionaire. This is a wild part of the bookwhere almost all the previous characters come in the bookstore or arementioned. That ends part one.

Sectiontwo begins at home. Weeks have passed. More time spent writing. Hestarts to calculate page counts. He pads the story.

SetPiece 8 he is back at the bookstore. He meets Greg Roach and hisJapanese girlfriend. He thinks about Robert Walser and someminimalist writers that he likes. This is a very long section withconversation that would happen in a bookstore.

Hebegins to review what he has written. He think of ways to waste timeat home.

InSet Piece 9, he meets a successful writer, Melinda Waterform. She isa name dropper and just back from Italy. He begins to start thinkingabout writers and their travel. Did they have to work? Were they allrich? How could they all afford to live? Later, a young person wants to read his novel in progress.

Heis back at home. He looks at old notebooks and writings and becomesdepressed.

SetPiece 10 takes place at a bar. He talks to a kid about his novelwhich the kid has suggestions about. He meets with Mitchell. Mitchellis complaining about his relationship with the famous actress.Jackson Valvitcore talks about how easy it is for him to write. Seanbecomes jealous and competitive. JV will help Sean get published. Hethinks “Damaged Goods” is a good title for the novel. He readsabout an old friend, Bob McGilt, who is rich and bought an expensivehouse nearby and is moving to LA.

SetPiece 11: back at the bookstore. Gilbert tells Sean that he iswasting his time working at a bookstore. Sean needs the money.Gilbert thinks he should focus on being a writer. Sean notices onlinethat Teejays is closing and he’ll have to go elsewhere to buy food.

Athome, Sean worries about debt collectors, after defaulting on severalcredit cards three years previous. Mitchell is freaking out. He istrying to write a script and continue going out with an actress. Hegives the drugs to Sean.

SetPiece 12 at the bookstore. He gets a threatening letter. Thebookstore is filled with loud annoying people. Aaron complains aboutdogs. A successful journalist from the LA Weekly recognizes Sean andthey have a chat. Sean and the kid go to the bar and talk about thenovel again. The kid wants to know where all the sex scenes are?

Seanthinks that this is his last chance to write a book.

SetPiece 13 at the bookstore: Sean is getting annoyed with people’squestions. He think that it’s a dumb idea to get a liquor license.No one wants to drink in a bookstore. The kid mentions that there istoo much complaining in the book. End of part two.

Hehas his 49th birthday. He starts counting words again. Hegets locked out of the house. He finds a letter from a debt attorney.He thinks about hiring an attorney himself.

SetPiece 14: Bob McGilt has visited the bookstore. He doesn’t care.

Hetalks to a lawyer about how much money he owes and whether he shoulddeclare bankruptcy. He talks to the kid about the novel again. Hestarts to have first novel syndrome. He thinks about selling stuff onebay.

InSet Piece 15, Sean talks to an author who is reading at the bookstorethat night. He helps set it up. He is distracted by a Fall fan whoclaims to have all their early shows on tape. The chapter is moreabout The Fall. There is a bit about Narcotics Anonymous and recentlydead musicians. There are more yelp reviews.

Thereis a literary conversation with Jackson Valvitcore.

Seanstarts to feel lost as a writer. He has fears of debt. He talks aboutthe novel with the kid.

InSet Piece 16, he receives a late night email from Gilbert. There issome bookstore banter. He thinks about writers who start later inlife. Three people call about Yerbe Mate. It turns out to be a prank.

Seantries to write.

InSet Piece 17 Bob McGilt shows up and Sean avoids him. Mitchell callsand says he’s unable to deliver the drugs.

InSet Piece 18, Gilbert is looking for a fridge. He has bought a house.

Seantries to write the novel. He gets two negative emails from Gilbertabout work.

InSet Piece 19, Sean and Gilbert argue about the emails. Gilbertsuggests that he take off Sunday. He comes in anyway.

Seancalls a few people. He calls up Mona. They try to have sex. He thinksof deleting some descriptions of people in his novel.

InSet Piece 20, they discover that Mike Supper has written a book. Seangets switched to the Sunday night shift. Aaron is planning his ownsuicide.

Seanstarts to worry about his debt and his upcoming court appearance. Hecalls Mitchell about the drugs. He needs them to finish the novel.Mitchell has become friends with Bob McGilt who is his neighbor. Hetalks to the kid about the novel. He calls Mitchell’s friend to getsome drugs.

InSet Piece 21, he gets a slice of pizza. He notices the new book byJackson Valvitcore. Sean confronts a customer.

Seangets the drugs and tries to start writing again.

InSet Piece 22, Sean apologizes to Gilbert. There has been 25%reduction on wages by a debt collector. People start askingquestions. Sean starts throwing books at people and telling them toleave. Gilbert comes in, sees what happened, and tells Sean to go home.

Seancalls up a few lawyers. Gilbert sends him an email to confirm that hehas been fired. He has finished his novel, and he thinks about theending. He sells some books. He sells some to the bookstore andGilbert gives him some money. Another employee offers to help himpublish his book. It ends.

Thisbook is about bookstores and what it’s like to be a writer. It’sa satire. Bookstores are horrible places. The workers are unhappy.They are failed writers. Even the writers who are successful seemlike they are lucky and out of touch elites. To be a writer thesedays is to be disrespected. Bookstores are full of mediocre books andpeople who don’t read. It’s a losing battle. But this book takesall that on, and it is probably the most realistic portrait of what it’slike to be in the literary game these days.

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