Code for Failure

by Ryan W. Bradley

What are life experiences for if not writing novels? Based on his experience of getting unceremoniously kicked out of college and going to work as a gas station attendant in Oregon, one of two states where pumping your own gas is illegal, Ryan W. Bradley’s debut novel, Code for Failure is a story of excess at its most self-destructive.

Excessive drugs, sex, and failure is not the usual recipe for redemption, but Bradley’s narrator is hell-bent on living life his way, even if it takes a Shiva-like path of destruction to do it.

“Imbued with the vast free-floating sadness and cosmic potential of the American Northwest, this novel charts a zigzag path for its hero from slacker nihilism to some kind of nascent maturity, leaving a trail of naked bodies and spilled gasoline all the way.” –Paul Di Filippo, author of Roadside Bodhisattva and Fractal Paisleys

Genres: Fiction

260 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 27, 2012

About the author

Ryan W. Bradley has pumped gas, changed oil, painted houses, swept the floor of a mechanic's shop, worked on a construction crew in the Arctic Circle, fronted a punk band, and managed an independent children's bookstore. He now works in marketing for a library system. He received his MFA from Pacific University and has been published widely online and in print.

He is the author of eight books, including Prize Winners, Code for Failure, and Winterswim. His latest book, Nothing but the Dead and Dying is out now!

Reviews

[Meg Tuite · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ryan W. Bradley’s novel “Code For Failure,” is a potent, gutter-blast of existence with all its hellish memories of those first post-college jobs. The novel is straightforward. Short sentences and dialogue that belt these characters alive.

“I’m the guy who pumps your gas.
Oregon is one of only two states where it’s illegal to pump your own gas. The other is New Jersey. Go figure. Great company for us.”

This sets the tone for the novel. It is brilliantly packed in with pathos, sex and that feeling that there is nowhere else that awaits. The narrator knows that he’s in a shitty reality, but it is that shitty reality that gets him up and into his uniform and on to the next day without thought of why the hell he is doing this.

He is a disarming protagonist who flows with whatever comes his way. He becomes a man-whore, a flirt, anything his customers want but he never belies his integrity in speaking the truth, no matter if it’s a deaf woman, some corporate doucebag or an ex-lover stalker who is relentless. He is aware of the limits he has set on his existence and yet he doesn’t apologize for his actions.

“Code For Failure,” is a seamless novel that shoots fast and furious. Each chapter is its own tale in a flash fiction piece that delivers another day in the life and yet it gives much more. Each flash chapter stands alone and yet works together to create not only the semblance of the narrator’s world, but an entire world in the life of any of our lives. It is a novel that doesn’t leave us bankrupt. It allows us to go back to those moments in time we may not want to remember, but know, oh so well.

Order a copy of “Code For Failure,” if you haven’t already. Ryan W. Bradley is moving us into a new genre of flash chapters that are woven together without missing a thread. Mesmerizing and insufferable in their homage to our angst.

[Jason Pettus · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted illegally.)

I'm proud to count author Ryan Bradley, who's also the owner of Artistically Declined Press, as a friend of mine, which would make it an ethical conflict if I tried to pass off my review of his latest book, Code for Failure, as "objective;" I did however want to get a mention of it posted here online anyway, because this little book turned out to be really quite great, and I wanted to make sure it came to your attention as well. So consider my positive bias now announced! In reality a sneaky memoir of Bradley's time as a go-nowhere slacker at a small Oregon gas station, after leaving school but before taking up literature as a profession, it's designed as a series of one-page mini-stories about the weird and interesting experiences he had while there; but don't let these funny little anecdotes fool you, in that the manuscript added together paints a rather devastating emotional portrait of alienation, ennui and bad decisions, rife with the kinds of casual-sex disasters you would expect when sad small-town middle-aged women clumsily try to seduce beefy 22-year-old gas pumpers. Greater as a whole than as a sum of its parts, this fast-paced book affected me more profoundly than I was expecting it to, and I'm looking forward to the day that Bradley finally sits down and writes that masterpiece of a full novel that we all know he has in him. It comes strongly recommended today, despite my personal connection to the author.

[Laura]

Code for Failure is kind of a slight book, but it is really full of good stuff. I read and reviewed Ryan's short story collection Prize Winners last year, which struck me as the work of a very capable writer, and so I was excited when Lori asked me to be on the tour for this book. The novel is a semi-autobiographical portrait of a year in the life of a college dropout/gas station employee. The narrator is sort of typically apathetic, surprisingly popular with the ladies (do women really hit on gas station attendants this much?), and totally confused about what to do with the rest of his life. Working at a gas station is, in his mind, "code for failure," but he has little to no motivation to do anything else. So, he goes to work, gets drunk, listens to and ruminates on lots of cool music, goes on some really bad dates, sleeps with kind of a lot of women, and finally goes on a good date.

I thought the book was great. I also thought that although the book was pretty dirty, in the end it was a pretty lovely story about romance and falling in love (you'll see my question for Ryan about this below). It is totally real, and the characters easy to become attached to. I didn't really want the story to be over, although I was certainly satisfied with the ending. If you aren't opposed to some adult language and content, definitely pick up a copy of this one

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

from author for review

Read 2/12/12
4.5 Stars - Highly Recommended to readers who don't mind getting a little grease under their nails
Pgs: 255 (eBook format)
Publisher: Black Coffee Press
Release date: March 27th, 2012


"Don't ever get comfortable here," ... "This place will steal your soul."


I'm about to admit something that you may end up holding against me. Although I bet you are guilty of the same exact thing, so just go ahead and hold that mirror up against yourself before you get too judgy... ok?

I've always kinda felt sorry for the people who work at gas stations. There. I've said it. But I've also spent a college semester working at one for some extra cash, so I do have some personal experience here too...

I feel like they must've been handed an awfully raw deal to end up pumping gas and handing over cigarettes at some mini-mart. Surely they didn't set their sights on this sort of occupation when they were younglings, right?

An imagined conversation - (Stranger): So, Mack, what do you want to be when you grow up? (Mack): I want to be a gas station attendant, sir!

Or, if this was their choice and not some cruel hand the world had dealt them, they certainly had set very low expectations for themselves and didn't count "initiative" among their top priorities in life.

Another imagined conversation - (Stranger): So, how'd you end up here? (Mack): Well, I wanted a job where I could just roll outta bed, throw on a uniform, and not have to think for 8 hours. Plus, I secretly kinda dig the smell of gasoline!

While reading Ryan Bradley's upcoming release and debut novel Code for Failure, though, I started to see things a little bit differently. I mean, sure, the pay is pathetic and the hours suck. You gotta deal with know-it-all assholes and people who don't even acknowledge you. But if the guys pumping my gas are seeing half as much action as Ryan claims they do, they might not have it so bad after all.

Let me break this down for you. Ryan's narrator is a college drop out who takes up a position at the local gas station. He's almost perfected the multi-pump (his station's pumps can't be set to stop at a certain dollar amount for those who require anything less than a "fillerup"), works for a boss who seems like a half decent dude, and doesn't seem phased by the high turnover rate of his co-workers. He keeps his head down and his nose clean and without really trying, he secures himself the Assistant Manager's position in no time - along with its measly 5 cent raise and a shit ton more responsibility.

There are women who come into the picture, and out of the picture, and sometimes back into the picture (and when that happens, it's never a good thing, trust me)... So many women overall that I just want to run up to this guy and pat him on the back for a second, with a knowing smile, before giving him the number to an STD specialist. For someone who's not exactly thrilled with his station in life, he's certainly found a way to make the most of it!

The story is told in a series of short chapters - ranging anywhere from a few pages to a mere paragraph or two - and reads like lightening. After downloading the book to my smartphone I sat down on the couch and, without meaning to, managed to read the entire thing in a matter of hours. The chapters practically encourage you to keep reading... taking you from moment to moment in our narrator's career as a gas station attendant cum grease monkey cum ladies man... and before you know it, you've read the entire thing in one sitting and you're running to the bathroom to pee for the first time in hours (and possibly to take a shower too).

On the surface, it's certainly a fun, insanely honest read that will leave you feeling slightly dirty. If you're anything like me, you'll be dying to know just how much of this stuff was pulled from Ryan's own experiences during his gas station days. Then you'll realize that it's probably better that you don't know.

But even deeper than that, it's an ugly-duckling-turned-swan sort of story that exposes the darker human struggle - sex and drugs and all of the temptations in between - and our deeply ingrained need for companionship.

You're guaranteed to never look at a gas station attendant in the same way ever again.

[Kendall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ryan Bradley wants you to wonder what is fact and what is fiction in "Code For Failure", which is based on his experiences as a gas station attendant, but you want to believe everything that has happened in this terrific novel. It's a fast read, definitely for the internet generation, yet incredibly hard to put down. It almost makes you feel a little regret, that you might not have lived as hard or as impetuously as the main character. Through it all, you want him to find that one person who isn't just a distraction from his mundane existence of pumping gas, changing oil and cleaning windshields. By the end, you're left with a "good for you, man" kind of feeling, and almost of a sense of jealousy that no matter how hard he tried to not care, or to screw things up in his life, he still managed to land on his feet. It's almost perfect that there are no "what does it all mean" musings, as we all know that there is no definitive answer for that, and he never alludes to such, yet you still care about the character and keep pulling for him right to the end.

[Hosho · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bradley serves up a page-turner wherein a blue collar nihilism, punctuated by booze, broads, and the vagaries of a shit job schlepping gas, slowly gives way to a softer existentialism -- and even some hard-won redemption. Anyone who has ever been tossed out of school (or damn close to it) and who instinctually roots for the underdog will find plenty here to cheer for, and Bradley gives fine voice in short, punchy chapters. Had Bukowski pumped gas there might well have been similar yarns in a chapter in Factotum...or had Steve Martin's The Jerk been a more literary affair...we might have had something like Bradley's CODE FOR FAILURE. As it is, he's given us a book few could write and write well.

[Benoit Lelièvre · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a solid five stars. Rock solid, even. The reality of Ryan W. Bradley is the reality of thousand on young men in America and his nameless narrator deals with issues such as boredom (physical and existential), alienation, lonelines and confusion in such an earnest way, it's hard not to root for him. Half-way between Henry Rollins vignettes and slacker comedy, CODE FOR FAILURE is a unique novel. I could see myself reading it over and over again.

[Caleb Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always had a nostalgic association with gas stations, so reading this book, taking in it's non-stop sex capades, hit me strangely. But associations aside, this book is quick, super fun, and quite intelligent. A great intro to Bradley's work.

[Ben]

Ryan W. Bradley is the punk Seuss.

[Allison Renner · Rating 4 out of 5]

As Ryan says in his acknowledgments, this book is "a story about a screw-up gas station attendant written by a former screw-up gas station attendant." The book is a quick read, broken into short sections that will keep you saying "Just one more chapter, just one more" before you can attempt to put it down. It's a novel, but most pieces could stand alone as short stories; I felt like I was reading a collection that just happened to come together into a story arc at the end. Parts are crass, parts are funny, parts are punch-you-in-the-gut honest. It's a book about a college drop-out assessing the state of his life and what could possibly come next, but it's too easy to forget the narrator's age and apply his questions to your own situation. It's an entertaining book, yes, but it's also much deeper than that.

*I read an early release in advance of a blog tour that is coming up March 19th - March 27th.

[Amanda Deo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Half-way through reading Code for Failure I emailed Ryan with anticipation. I had one question. How much of this novel was fiction and how much of it was his reality? It was personal and universal in every paragraph.

I buzzed through this novel like an afternoon delight. I couldn't put it down. I needed to know what was to come of the gas station attendant. I needed to know what was to come of him because I want to know what is to become of me. In my opinion, Ryan's best fiction work to date.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's rare that I look forward to a book as much as this one and still have it be as good as I expected, but this one pulled it off. This one would hit home for a lot of people because most have had crap jobs, but I think it goes beyond that. I think everyone lives in the situation they are in, at least to some extent, because they aren't sure what else to do. This is definitely the book for that, and still a crazy one despite the almost universal applicability. Regardless of any of that, it's a hell of a book. People should read it.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I once was offered to "run" a Subway sandwich location. I feel if I would have taken that job I would have ended up like much of Cal's story, but with much less sex-for-money situations going on. There is an anxiety with purposeful failure. Bradley captures the winks in a decline.

[Shannon Peil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ryan W. Bradley has a way with dialogue, and with the internal monologue of an early 20s underachieving loser, which I have a soft spot and connection to.

I didn't believe anything that happened in this book, but maybe that's just what it's like to be really attractive.

[Matt Micheli · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a love story. Well, maybe it is and maybe it isn’t. You’ll have to spend an hour-and-a-half to read it and find out. Read entire review/blog @ http://www.violentsleeper.com/blog/

[Roberta · Rating 2 out of 5]

Code Confusion

I wanted to like Bradley’s first novel, a GoodReads First Read, because of his poetry background, and because of the promise of the title. Subtitled “A Gas Station Novel,” as though there might be a series in the works, a little too much is given away too soon. The protagonist of this (semi-autobiographical) work is unnamed, but, we’re told repeatedly, too smart for his job pumping gas in Oregon—he ended up where he was because he got kicked out of college for excessive raucousness caused by drinking too seriously. The text is a meditation on whether he’ll ever get out of the slump he’s in, knee-deep in elbow grease, as it were.

The cover and twentysomething identity crisis would imply that this could be a YA novel, but the sexcapades are too explicit for that, making one wonder what the market is (twentysomething males, one supposes). The page-to-two page vignettes in which the novel is structured give a choppy effect, leaving the reader to wonder if a story will unfold at all: this is definitely written for the Internet generation, people with short attention spans more accustomed to blog posts and emails than anything else. A story does emerge, with some regular characters and a dose of conflict (customers, bosses, changes in station identity and ownership), but it takes too long for a sense of story development to emerge for a reader to get a payout, that is, to get a sense of what all these anecdotes add up to. As interesting as the local color (mostly white trash) is, it is too easy in the first half of the book to wonder what the author’s intent is, if this is anything more than slice-of-life postcards. The book does feel like a series of open mic excerpts slapped together, unfortunately, and it would have helped if the vignettes were lengthened and consolidated a bit to make the pacing less rapid-fire and more memorable. Too much time is spent chronicling the hero’s libido, as though to underline his aimlessness and manliness: in brief, women can’t keep their hands off him, and pretty soon he supplements pumping crude with, well, pumping crude: having sex for money with the soccer moms and stifled wives of Middle-of-Nowhere, Ore.

This state of affairs persists for the majority of the book, while our lead continues to be offered more responsibility at the station, which comes to add car-wash and oil-change facilities to the property—responsibilities that he bristles at, having larger, but inchoate, ambitions. Peppered in are some relationships, albeit short-sighted ones: a fling with the bosses’ daughter, making readers wonder about the hero’s penchant for self-sabotage by potentially getting caught messing where he eats, and another semi-serious shacking up, for love and not for money, with a woman he met at a bar (who is so smitten that she later becomes a quasi-stalker). One doesn’t know what is more unbelievable: that our narrator gets so much action or that someone with such good looks (that we aren’t told much about) couldn’t get any other kind of job elsewhere—not even washing dishes, we’re told, from the fallen grace of being expelled from academia for drunkenness. This casting out of Eden isn’t really explored so much, though we are told repeatedly of how bruised it’s made our protagonists’ psyche, while also being told that he probably didn’t care for college anyway. So though he lets fly lamentations about his current state, he can’t conjure an alternative, and sublimates his anxieties into alcohol and bagging women. While this may sound stereotypical and pat, it actually is an accurate summation of the bulk of the book’s preoccupations.

Virility is our narrator’s main concern, lacking focus and fulfillment elsewhere in his life. The free-form angst is hard to sympathize with because we are told of his potential, but don’t see him, say, working on a manuscript in his studio (which, for all his crying poverty, it seems unrealistic that he has the funds, prior to prostitution, for a studio and for the copious amounts of alcohol he takes in). Our hero’s problem, a vague “wanting more,” is a lot of talk, without a lot of substance or even backstory. Our hero wants, without knowing what or even why he wants, leaving the project with a half-baked feel. We’re told working at a gas station is “code for failure,” but we’re not told what failure means to the protagonist. We’re told about a lot of feelings, but not really given more than a superficial psychological exploration of them, if that.

Also unbelievably, to wrap up the book nicely (though hurriedly), as fate would have it, a former high-school classmate he never had the guts to talk to, comes into the station and becomes the love of his life. And they (spoiler) literally ride off into the sunset, subsidized by our hero’s savings from the time he was a gigolo. The takeaway, if there is one, seems to reaffirm romantic notions that The Right Person will set you on your Path in life, so Just Relax and Let it Happen. This does seem to hint at a series in the works, because that’s where the real action is in books now, it seems.

There is material with potential here, but in what I can only understand as a rush to appeal to an ADD demographic, there is a lot of “telling,” not a lot of showing, a lot of chatter, not a lot of storytelling. A much better book would have come out of really getting deep into set & setting, really getting into describing the offbeat customers and the ambiance of the station, letting us see the sweat instead of telling us our main character is sweaty: in other words, resisting painting in broad strokes. A series of inter-related short stories, instead of bite-sized tableaux, would have been far more interesting. From an author with some literary chops and a few chapbooks under his belt, this foray into fiction is glaringly non-literary—and even if that was the intent, the execution could have been more vivid by far.

Also, unfortunately, I have to note the large number of proofing and typographical errors in my edition (sentences missing periods, comma errors, and so on). I really want to support small presses, but the errors were glaring and distracting.

In ten words or less: Plenty of sex, but not much else.

[Paul Hackley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read it in one night, my kind of book. I liked it but I feel like there were some plot elements missing, and some motivations of the narrator that were unclear or confused. Or I would have given it 5 stars.

[Paul Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Where to begin to describe how juvenile and poorly written? Quick read, because, appropriately, the type and margins are big and it reads like a children's book, but with sex and lots of drinking. Only recommended for boys, age 18-22 as a summer read. Before and after those ages, it's just not funny or satisfying.

[Alan Engstrom · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great adventure into the life of an individual who was at rock bottom.

Code for Failure is easily read and extremely believable to witness. Everyone can relate to the protagonist in this novel. Either being part of this generation, the next, or before, we have been that guy.

The story is written as if you are either witnessing it yourself or your best friend is telling it to you over a pint at the bar.

The story is not for the prude but for those who exist in reality. You are easily sucked into the story and cannot put the book down until finish.

My only complaint is that you are left wanting more!

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

A meditation on the idea that even when you're mostly joyful, or even quasi-joyful, mistakes will be made, and failure will loom, until we believe happiness and success, however, we define these things, are really possible and available to us.

More - http://bentanzer.blogspot.com/2012/03...

[Ray Charbonneau · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining memoir-like book, a little thin in the 'what's the meaning of it all' department, or it might rate higher.