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I'll Catch You
When the world's bestselling thriller writer, William de Vallée, disappears from his luxury yacht while sailing off the LA coast, his best friend and fellow writer Arthur Pfefferkorn decides to pick up where he left off. But little does Arthur know that this impulsive decision is about to change his life for ever...
We want to tell you more about this novel. We wish we could explain how spectacular and absolutely unexpected it is; how it will burn itself onto your brain for ever. But the truth is we could never do it justice...
The only way you'll understand it is to read it.
We want to tell you more about this novel. We wish we could explain how spectacular and absolutely unexpected it is; how it will burn itself onto your brain for ever. But the truth is we could never do it justice...
The only way you'll understand it is to read it.
417 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 28, 2012
73 people are currently reading
597 people want to read
About the author
Jesse Kellerman
52 books273 followersJesse Kellerman was born in Los Angeles in 1978. His award-winning plays have been produced throughout the United States and at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Most recently, he received the Princess Grace Award, given to America’s most promising young playwright. He lives with his wife in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 222 reviews
June 28, 2012
Having been a huge fan of Jesse's parents (Jonathon and Faye Kellerman) work for a long time I read his first few novels, Double Homicide, Sunstroke and Trouble, all psychological thrillers, where Jesse proved to have inherited his parent's talents. However, Jesse's latter novels have shown a bent for irreverence, combining psychological thriller with quirky and unusual elements.
Potboiler was not anything like what I was expecting. It's a satirical novel, mocking popular fiction and I'm not entirely sure if Kellerman's intent is good humoured or a little malicious. A 'potboiler' is defined as work produced only for financial gain written without concern for literary merit. Kellerman's 'Potboiler' is a parody of an action thriller novel, within a novel that is in itself a thriller.
Whimsical bordering on absurd at times, it features the genres cliche's of well worn phrases, unlikely plot twists and larger than life characters and yet in the next breath turns them on their heads. Potboiler is somehow predictable and yet entirely not and while it's contradictory nature is odd it is also somehow compelling. I kept reading partly in a vain attempt to make sense of the novel, but also because Kellerman is a talented author who's writing kept me engaged almost against my will.
I have to admit I'm reluctant to recommend Potboiler, largely because I don't know who I would recommend it to - a literary snob who envies the success of bestselling thriller writers like Dan Brown perhaps? I just don't know, but if satire is your thing then Potboiler may be the book for you.
Potboiler was not anything like what I was expecting. It's a satirical novel, mocking popular fiction and I'm not entirely sure if Kellerman's intent is good humoured or a little malicious. A 'potboiler' is defined as work produced only for financial gain written without concern for literary merit. Kellerman's 'Potboiler' is a parody of an action thriller novel, within a novel that is in itself a thriller.
Whimsical bordering on absurd at times, it features the genres cliche's of well worn phrases, unlikely plot twists and larger than life characters and yet in the next breath turns them on their heads. Potboiler is somehow predictable and yet entirely not and while it's contradictory nature is odd it is also somehow compelling. I kept reading partly in a vain attempt to make sense of the novel, but also because Kellerman is a talented author who's writing kept me engaged almost against my will.
I have to admit I'm reluctant to recommend Potboiler, largely because I don't know who I would recommend it to - a literary snob who envies the success of bestselling thriller writers like Dan Brown perhaps? I just don't know, but if satire is your thing then Potboiler may be the book for you.
November 17, 2012
Arthur Pfefferkorn taught creative writing at a small college on the Eastern Seaboard. Many years ago Arthur had published a novel called Shades of the Colossus. His book had received mild acclaim and then died along with his literary aspirations. Conversely his oldest and best friend had turned out to be a bestselling thriller writer. But now Arthur reads in the paper that his friend William de Vallèe is lost at sea. Pfefferkorn realises he hasn’t seen Bill for a long time mainly as he is aware of the envy he feels that Bill had outshone him professionally – he had even married the only woman Pfefferkorn had ever loved.
As he recalls their earlier friendship he feels regret and grief that his own feelings of failure affected their relationship, and when he receives an invitation to the funeral he contacts Bill’s widow, who beeches him to come to the funeral. When he does she encourages him to stay a day or two, and during that time Arthur finds an unpublished manuscript, Bill’s latest book, and in a fit of desire to be famous he steals the book. In doing so he sets in motion a series of events that will plunge him into a world hitherto unknown to him. A world where nothing and no one is what they seem. A world of shadows, where no one can be trusted.
Initially I was intrigued by the story of the failed novelist, but then when it got murky I became enthralled in the twists the story was taking, and by the time Arthur entered West Zlabia I was enjoying the humour, but by the time Arthur entered East Zlabia I couldn’t turn the pages for laughing.
I think this is what is called a roller-coaster of emotions. Well whatever it is called, I loved it. And page 182, I will read and re-read, if you have ever, loved or hated moustaches, you need to read the description of the man with a moustache that had submoustaches that in turn had sub-submoustaches, each of which might be said to be deserving of its own area code!
A story of failure, success, love, betrayal, espionage, and the subtlety of the double-cross, this book is highly recommended.
------
Reviewer: Lizzie Hayes
As he recalls their earlier friendship he feels regret and grief that his own feelings of failure affected their relationship, and when he receives an invitation to the funeral he contacts Bill’s widow, who beeches him to come to the funeral. When he does she encourages him to stay a day or two, and during that time Arthur finds an unpublished manuscript, Bill’s latest book, and in a fit of desire to be famous he steals the book. In doing so he sets in motion a series of events that will plunge him into a world hitherto unknown to him. A world where nothing and no one is what they seem. A world of shadows, where no one can be trusted.
Initially I was intrigued by the story of the failed novelist, but then when it got murky I became enthralled in the twists the story was taking, and by the time Arthur entered West Zlabia I was enjoying the humour, but by the time Arthur entered East Zlabia I couldn’t turn the pages for laughing.
I think this is what is called a roller-coaster of emotions. Well whatever it is called, I loved it. And page 182, I will read and re-read, if you have ever, loved or hated moustaches, you need to read the description of the man with a moustache that had submoustaches that in turn had sub-submoustaches, each of which might be said to be deserving of its own area code!
A story of failure, success, love, betrayal, espionage, and the subtlety of the double-cross, this book is highly recommended.
------
Reviewer: Lizzie Hayes
June 22, 2013
First, my apologies to Jesse Kellerman, I had to put this book down after 206 pages.
I encountered this book a couple of times over the last few weeks, and never quite got to the point of buying it. When I finally did buy it, and began reading, I realized my instincts were pretty good. I should have left it on the shelf.
A world famous thriller series author is declared dead after a boating accident. An old friend who never found the same success writing, attends his funeral, and while at the deceased's home, steals his final unpublished manuscript. The thief then brushes up the writing, changes a few things to make it "his own" then publishes it. The novel becomes a huge hit. Everybody's happy. However, the thief is then made aware that what the dead writer was actually doing was publishing books written by an intelligence agency as instructions and orders for field agents. The changes the thief made to the manuscript altered the mission. Things did not go as originally planned.
I read the first 127 pages of this novel in one sitting. Literally, one sitting. It was hugely entertaining, and very, very funny. The dialogue was pitch-perfect. There were snarky, pithy comments about the publishing business. I learned a great deal, and in several instances had my suspicions confirmed about publishing in general. The author was obviously very smart; and along with an interesting, insightful tale, was also giving me a little nudge-nudge, wink-wink, and it was all superb. Right up to the scene where the thief is told, "Tag. You're it."
Then the book became a satire of an espionage thriller. Like a Mad magazine parody of the TV series "Alias". On second thought, it's more like a parody of a parody of an espionage thriller. It reads like a Mad magazine satire of the TV series "Get Smart". With old mustaches left over from "The Carol Burnett Show". Really. I had been hoodwinked. After 206, I just couldn't take it anymore.
I am now going to read a couple of real series thrillers, of the men's adventure type, to get my mojo back.
I encountered this book a couple of times over the last few weeks, and never quite got to the point of buying it. When I finally did buy it, and began reading, I realized my instincts were pretty good. I should have left it on the shelf.
A world famous thriller series author is declared dead after a boating accident. An old friend who never found the same success writing, attends his funeral, and while at the deceased's home, steals his final unpublished manuscript. The thief then brushes up the writing, changes a few things to make it "his own" then publishes it. The novel becomes a huge hit. Everybody's happy. However, the thief is then made aware that what the dead writer was actually doing was publishing books written by an intelligence agency as instructions and orders for field agents. The changes the thief made to the manuscript altered the mission. Things did not go as originally planned.
I read the first 127 pages of this novel in one sitting. Literally, one sitting. It was hugely entertaining, and very, very funny. The dialogue was pitch-perfect. There were snarky, pithy comments about the publishing business. I learned a great deal, and in several instances had my suspicions confirmed about publishing in general. The author was obviously very smart; and along with an interesting, insightful tale, was also giving me a little nudge-nudge, wink-wink, and it was all superb. Right up to the scene where the thief is told, "Tag. You're it."
Then the book became a satire of an espionage thriller. Like a Mad magazine parody of the TV series "Alias". On second thought, it's more like a parody of a parody of an espionage thriller. It reads like a Mad magazine satire of the TV series "Get Smart". With old mustaches left over from "The Carol Burnett Show". Really. I had been hoodwinked. After 206, I just couldn't take it anymore.
I am now going to read a couple of real series thrillers, of the men's adventure type, to get my mojo back.
July 5, 2012
POTBOILER by Jesse Kellerman: I haven't read Jesse Kellerman's previous novels, which appear to be complex thrillers, but based on the cleverness he demonstrates in POTBOILER, I'm very interested in reading more of his work. POTBOILER cannot be easily categorized. It's an affectionate parody of the thriller genre, but it functions equally well as a thriller in its own right. However ridiculous and implausible the twists and turns, this novel kept me chuckling at Kellerman's gentle mocking of his own genre while at the same time biting my nails in anticipation. I couldn't help but laugh at myself and how swept up in the absurd action I became.
Arthur Pfefferkorn is a college professor with one critically acclaimed novel far, far in his past. He's avoided his oldest friend, William de Vallee, for years, jealous of his wife and his bestselling oeuvre of thrillers while contemptuous of the non-literary genre. When de Vallee disappears and is declared dead, Pfefferkorn takes a reckless step that pulls him into a world of international intrigue, conspiracy, and double crosses. To rescue de Vallee's widow (with whom he is still in love), he takes on a shadowy assignment from a questionable government agency and ventures into Zlabia, an utterly absurd nation divided into two entirely different cultures. Zlabia is a hoot, and it's to Kellerman's credit that I remained engaged in the action despite the ridiculous aspects of Zlabian politics.
To point out the cleverest twists would be to spoil the unfolding plot. This is a book I will recommend to everyone I know just so I can talk about it with someone and say, "Wasn't it perfect when Pfefferkorn said X and then Y happened later?!" A devoted thriller fan who sees nothing amusing in the conventions of the genre will not enjoy this book, but anyone who read, say, THE DA VINCI CODE and rolled her eyes at the stilted prose and pat descriptions (while frantically turning the pages to see what happens next) will adore POTBOILER. I am even willing to confess my secret addiction to Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt novels to illustrate my qualifications in making this recommendation. The over-the-top writing drives me a little crazy and the stereotypes and predictable elements required of the genre make me roll my eyes; yet, I can't not read them.
When Pfefferkorn finally reads a de Vallee novel, he is contemptuous:
"The thirty-third installment in a series, the novel featured special agent Richard "Dick" Stapp, a brilliant, physically invincible figure formerly in the employ of a shadowy but never-named government arm whose apparent sole purpose was to furnish story lines for thrillers. Pfefferkorn recognized the formula easily enough. Stapp, supposedly in retirement, finds himself drawn into an elaborate conspiracy involving one or more of the following: an assassination, a terrorist strike, a missing child, or the theft of highly sensitive documents that, if made public, could lead to full-blown nuclear engagement. His involvement in the case often begins against his will. I've had it with this rotten business he is fond of avowing. Who in real life, Pfefferkorn wondered, avowed anything?"
This over-the-top language turns up in elements of POTBOILER that highlight its absurdity, as in the fabulous description of a character's mustache: "Pfefferkorn could not tell his age, due to a full eighty percent of his face being hidden behind the largest, bushiest, most aggressively expansionist moustache Pfefferkorn had ever seen. It was a a with submoustaches that in turn had sub-submoustaches, each of which might be said to be deserving of its own area code. It was a moustache that vexed profoundly questions of waxing, a moustache the merest glimpse of which might spur female musk oxen to ovulate. It was a moustache that would have driven Nietzsche mad with envy, had he not been mad already. If the three most copiously flowing waterfalls in the world, Niagara, Victoria, and Iguazu Falls, were somehow united, and their combined outputs rendered in facial hair, this man's moustache would not have been an inaccurate model, save that this man's moustache also challenged traditional notions of gravity by growing outward, upward, and laterally. It was an impressive moustache and Pfefferkorn was impressed."
Pfefferkorn is fond of coming up with outlandish ideas and wondering if they might be good premises for a novel. Naturally, these wild plot developments turn up in the Zlabian intrigue. Throughout commentary on the Zlabian hit show The Poem, It Is Bad! and the magical disguising power of mustaches, the overly complicated plot unfolds with precision in ways that are both predictable and unexpected. This is a masterful satire of the thriller genre, but at the same time, a fantastic thriller. It might be the ultimate beach read.
Source disclosure: I received an uncorrected proof of this book through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program.
Arthur Pfefferkorn is a college professor with one critically acclaimed novel far, far in his past. He's avoided his oldest friend, William de Vallee, for years, jealous of his wife and his bestselling oeuvre of thrillers while contemptuous of the non-literary genre. When de Vallee disappears and is declared dead, Pfefferkorn takes a reckless step that pulls him into a world of international intrigue, conspiracy, and double crosses. To rescue de Vallee's widow (with whom he is still in love), he takes on a shadowy assignment from a questionable government agency and ventures into Zlabia, an utterly absurd nation divided into two entirely different cultures. Zlabia is a hoot, and it's to Kellerman's credit that I remained engaged in the action despite the ridiculous aspects of Zlabian politics.
To point out the cleverest twists would be to spoil the unfolding plot. This is a book I will recommend to everyone I know just so I can talk about it with someone and say, "Wasn't it perfect when Pfefferkorn said X and then Y happened later?!" A devoted thriller fan who sees nothing amusing in the conventions of the genre will not enjoy this book, but anyone who read, say, THE DA VINCI CODE and rolled her eyes at the stilted prose and pat descriptions (while frantically turning the pages to see what happens next) will adore POTBOILER. I am even willing to confess my secret addiction to Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt novels to illustrate my qualifications in making this recommendation. The over-the-top writing drives me a little crazy and the stereotypes and predictable elements required of the genre make me roll my eyes; yet, I can't not read them.
When Pfefferkorn finally reads a de Vallee novel, he is contemptuous:
"The thirty-third installment in a series, the novel featured special agent Richard "Dick" Stapp, a brilliant, physically invincible figure formerly in the employ of a shadowy but never-named government arm whose apparent sole purpose was to furnish story lines for thrillers. Pfefferkorn recognized the formula easily enough. Stapp, supposedly in retirement, finds himself drawn into an elaborate conspiracy involving one or more of the following: an assassination, a terrorist strike, a missing child, or the theft of highly sensitive documents that, if made public, could lead to full-blown nuclear engagement. His involvement in the case often begins against his will. I've had it with this rotten business he is fond of avowing. Who in real life, Pfefferkorn wondered, avowed anything?"
This over-the-top language turns up in elements of POTBOILER that highlight its absurdity, as in the fabulous description of a character's mustache: "Pfefferkorn could not tell his age, due to a full eighty percent of his face being hidden behind the largest, bushiest, most aggressively expansionist moustache Pfefferkorn had ever seen. It was a a with submoustaches that in turn had sub-submoustaches, each of which might be said to be deserving of its own area code. It was a moustache that vexed profoundly questions of waxing, a moustache the merest glimpse of which might spur female musk oxen to ovulate. It was a moustache that would have driven Nietzsche mad with envy, had he not been mad already. If the three most copiously flowing waterfalls in the world, Niagara, Victoria, and Iguazu Falls, were somehow united, and their combined outputs rendered in facial hair, this man's moustache would not have been an inaccurate model, save that this man's moustache also challenged traditional notions of gravity by growing outward, upward, and laterally. It was an impressive moustache and Pfefferkorn was impressed."
Pfefferkorn is fond of coming up with outlandish ideas and wondering if they might be good premises for a novel. Naturally, these wild plot developments turn up in the Zlabian intrigue. Throughout commentary on the Zlabian hit show The Poem, It Is Bad! and the magical disguising power of mustaches, the overly complicated plot unfolds with precision in ways that are both predictable and unexpected. This is a masterful satire of the thriller genre, but at the same time, a fantastic thriller. It might be the ultimate beach read.
Source disclosure: I received an uncorrected proof of this book through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program.
September 16, 2015
Audio version: 3 stars If you have the option to read book over listening to audio (unless you are in car or bedridden I thoroughly concentrate every second!), I strongly believe this is one to do so! I think my rating would have been higher if I read book vs listening to audio, even w/me rewinding numerous times & listening over a 4-day period vs my regular 2 to 3). From some other reviews I read just when I was starting to read/listen to Potboiler, I could see this was one that a love it or you hate it kind so I was curious which I would be. Well, oddly I fell it between, but probably would be closer to the love side I suspect if I read it vs listened to it. At times it seemed odd or even all over the place, esp. toward middle, but so much was clever and several funny moment esp. things said somewhat in parody form, but they were things I frequently thought over the years, but esp. this year on my reading binge. This is def. not dumb slapstick parody, this is very insightful & extremely intelligent parody by just a very creative and imaginative writer. This is my first from him, even though I am a fan of his mother (which he is very different from) & so far only one by his father (but own several more), but at least this book was very different from their work and was very impressive in many ways.
The synopsis above & other reviews pretty well tell the books storyline and it really covers so many themes/topics/issues, BUT one I related to & kind of sunk into was Arthur attempting to live out many of his what if I had done this, said that, wrote xyz AND finally playing out that "grass looks greener" picture and finding out if it is or isn't really greener??
The synopsis above & other reviews pretty well tell the books storyline and it really covers so many themes/topics/issues, BUT one I related to & kind of sunk into was Arthur attempting to live out many of his what if I had done this, said that, wrote xyz AND finally playing out that "grass looks greener" picture and finding out if it is or isn't really greener??
December 11, 2014
This must be one of the strangest books I have ever read. I have read books from this author before and have enjoyed them but this one was really odd. I thought it was going to be a thriller/mystery and it did start off that way but I found myself asking out loud 'what just happened?'. Even though I finished this book I really couldn't tell you how it ended because I really don't understand myself and if you asked me what it was about I'm not sure I could tell you that either!
October 21, 2012
Anatomy of a thriller novel.... October 14, 2012
The author of this mystery/thriller is Jesse Kellerman, son of the the famous husband-and wife bestselling writers of series mysteries, Faye and Jonathan Kellerman. But son Jesse writes standalone novels...and in POTBOILER introduces a trio of characters:
...Arthur Pfefferkorn, an obscure adjunct professor of creative writing at a small obscure college;
...his longtime friend William de Valle, nee Bill Kowalczyk, writer of multiple thriller novels;
...and Carlotta...the woman they both loved in college.
Kowalczyk has been "lost at sea" and Pfefferkorn has an exclusive invitation to the California memorial service to comfort the widow Carlotta.
In the first pages of his tale, Jesse K. dissects most modern thriller best-sellers and their archetypal plots. And then he tries to buck the archetype! Shades of Jung and Leslie Fiedler! Here's the "stuff" needed for a successful spy/thriller according to JK:
a protag "a brilliant, physically invincible figure formerly in the employ of a shadowy but never-named government arm"...;
"an elaborate conspiracy involving...an assassination, a terrorist strike, a missing child, or the theft of highly sensitive documents that, if made public, could lead to full-blown nuclear engagement"...;
a thriller hero who becomes "sucked (or dragged, or pulled, or thrust) back into the maelstrom (net, vortex, spiderweb) of deception (treachery, lies, intrigue)"...;
An initial simple mystery becoming..."just the tip of the iceberg."
Alas, we readers learn very soon that dear old Bill had been encoding his thrillers with intricate subversive messages placed to plot a conspiracy in some third world country......and the professor/friend who purloins the unfinished manuscript of his best friend, deletes the redundant code phrases, retitles and publishes it successfully. As dear old Bill's best friend incurs the wrath of the conspirators and has his stolen success threatened, it's time to throw the book at the wall.
But wait...another reviewer sez that everything and everyone is not as it/they seem. We know the novels are not just novels, but do you have the curiosity to find out what other surprises Jesse K. has in store?
Nope...not this reader. (The enlarged iceberg would sink the Titanic again!)
And another DNF hits the return box at the library.
The author of this mystery/thriller is Jesse Kellerman, son of the the famous husband-and wife bestselling writers of series mysteries, Faye and Jonathan Kellerman. But son Jesse writes standalone novels...and in POTBOILER introduces a trio of characters:
...Arthur Pfefferkorn, an obscure adjunct professor of creative writing at a small obscure college;
...his longtime friend William de Valle, nee Bill Kowalczyk, writer of multiple thriller novels;
...and Carlotta...the woman they both loved in college.
Kowalczyk has been "lost at sea" and Pfefferkorn has an exclusive invitation to the California memorial service to comfort the widow Carlotta.
In the first pages of his tale, Jesse K. dissects most modern thriller best-sellers and their archetypal plots. And then he tries to buck the archetype! Shades of Jung and Leslie Fiedler! Here's the "stuff" needed for a successful spy/thriller according to JK:
a protag "a brilliant, physically invincible figure formerly in the employ of a shadowy but never-named government arm"...;
"an elaborate conspiracy involving...an assassination, a terrorist strike, a missing child, or the theft of highly sensitive documents that, if made public, could lead to full-blown nuclear engagement"...;
a thriller hero who becomes "sucked (or dragged, or pulled, or thrust) back into the maelstrom (net, vortex, spiderweb) of deception (treachery, lies, intrigue)"...;
An initial simple mystery becoming..."just the tip of the iceberg."
Alas, we readers learn very soon that dear old Bill had been encoding his thrillers with intricate subversive messages placed to plot a conspiracy in some third world country......and the professor/friend who purloins the unfinished manuscript of his best friend, deletes the redundant code phrases, retitles and publishes it successfully. As dear old Bill's best friend incurs the wrath of the conspirators and has his stolen success threatened, it's time to throw the book at the wall.
But wait...another reviewer sez that everything and everyone is not as it/they seem. We know the novels are not just novels, but do you have the curiosity to find out what other surprises Jesse K. has in store?
Nope...not this reader. (The enlarged iceberg would sink the Titanic again!)
And another DNF hits the return box at the library.
October 10, 2019
This book currently has an average rating of 2.88, and although I realize I am rating it below that, I just want to state for the record that I thought this book was way better than some 4+ rated books I've read. I just didn't like it all that much.
August 16, 2012
must have sounded much funnier in the author's head
October 9, 2012
Potboiler is several books in one: a spoof of international spy thrillers, a meditation on a writer's life, a plot so absurd in its complication you almost cease to care about it, a hilarious gloss on communism vs. capitalism in the contemporary world...It's a read with hilarious inside jokes, sometimes several, on every page. Jesse Kellerman, the son of two successful mystery novelists, has great fun with telling us how such novels as Faye and Jonathan write might be produced: by a committee who know all the cliches, all the plot points, all the stereotypical hard boiled characters that sell millions of books and get translated into 27 languages. At times the East vs. West Zlabia portion of Potboiler felt long and repetitive, but overall this is a high wire masterpiece of satire overlaying a character we ultimately root for and feel a kind of heartfelt, sad repose at his surreal ending. There are all kinds of reasons to read potboiler/ The best is that it will tell you what LOL really means.
March 20, 2014
At the moment, I feel as though I'm in an alternative universe. I put this book in yesterday, having started it the day before that, but Goodreads doesn't see it. Oh well. That is an example of frustrating ephermeralness, and that is partly how I might explain this book. It is, at times, very funny. I would say for the first half of the book, it is very clever in almost an Italo Calvino way (and I mean that positively. I love Calvino.) Kellerman isn't as creative, but he does surprise and amuse. The second half didn't move as well. There was still plenty of humor (and I even was able to predict some of the things that happened) but it felt almost heavy handed. I love parody and satire, but even in the best ones, I am usually left feeling flat. I'm realizing that off the top of my head, the only truly funny book that I left feeling whole (I'm not expressing myself well) is Kingsley Amis' Lord Jim. I am sure there are others, but this is always the first that comes to mine. Kellerman is an able writer, but mainly, what I want to do is reread Lord Jim.
December 17, 2012
Potboiler
Jesse Kellerman
Take a well-worn genre, the thriller. Add plot and counter-plot, masked identities and (of course) a shadowy government organization.
Now, shake it up, add another well-known trope, the middle-aged nebbish, a failed writer (in this case Arthur Pfefferkorn) who longs for the fame and fortune (and wife) of a “hack” writer. Did we mention that the “hack” used to be Pfefferkorn’s best friend?
All this comes barreling down on Pfefferkorn when his friend, William de Vallèe, disappears at sea under odd circumstances.
Pfefferkorn does something awful. And that sets the whole ball rolling.
Kellerman definitely read a lot of “Spy vs. Spy” in his youth. It shows. And the humor and absurdity just keeps piling on. The book ventures in to existentialism and some moderately deep musings on the creative process.
Wile Kellerman tries a little too hard, the book is recommended for angsty philosophy majors and those of us who need an intelligent laugh.
Jesse Kellerman
Take a well-worn genre, the thriller. Add plot and counter-plot, masked identities and (of course) a shadowy government organization.
Now, shake it up, add another well-known trope, the middle-aged nebbish, a failed writer (in this case Arthur Pfefferkorn) who longs for the fame and fortune (and wife) of a “hack” writer. Did we mention that the “hack” used to be Pfefferkorn’s best friend?
All this comes barreling down on Pfefferkorn when his friend, William de Vallèe, disappears at sea under odd circumstances.
Pfefferkorn does something awful. And that sets the whole ball rolling.
Kellerman definitely read a lot of “Spy vs. Spy” in his youth. It shows. And the humor and absurdity just keeps piling on. The book ventures in to existentialism and some moderately deep musings on the creative process.
Wile Kellerman tries a little too hard, the book is recommended for angsty philosophy majors and those of us who need an intelligent laugh.
December 20, 2012
I can see why this polarised opinion - it starts as a fairly conventional if quite jaunty thriller, then halfway in it turns into a cross between the film "Top Secret" and some kind of "Carry On Kafka". At times it feels absolutely barking mad, bordering on the completely ruddy absurd, though it did raise some chuckles. Then there's an ending that, if you approach it with a squint, is a little bit magic realist, so this reader thought anyway. So what does it say about me that I rather enjoyed it? After all it's a bit of a mish-mash, all said and done. It says I'm up for a bit of unusual fun. You should be too.
November 11, 2012
The start of the book looked promising right up until the murder of the dance teacher. However, after that, the book turned into a load of rubbish, most of the lanuguage was unreadable, because it was foreign, not to mention the words used in each sentence was enough to be pulling your hair out wondering what on earth the author was thinking. The ending of the book went back to some normality, but the end of the book was just stupid.
It's no wonder they can't put a review of the book on the back and tell people to just read it, you couldn't put a review on the back, it would turn people off reading it.
I would not recomment this book unless you understand Zlabian, it's really bad.
It's no wonder they can't put a review of the book on the back and tell people to just read it, you couldn't put a review on the back, it would turn people off reading it.
I would not recomment this book unless you understand Zlabian, it's really bad.
May 20, 2012
This is an interesting book. The story is an unusal mix of mystery with a bit of whimsey. I enjoyed reading the book although the plot is highly unlikely. This is the story of a professor with aspirations to write great novels like his childhood friend has done. When he gets the chance to do that, it is under strange circumstances and leads to international upheavel in the countries of West and East Zlabia. The Professor finds himself in the center of a secret plot to assasinae the president of one - or the other - nation.
December 30, 2013
The book started out slow, no action, and dry.
Later on, it becomes very twisty and turny.
The very ending itself confuse me a little.
Good book, most likely not gonna read it again.
Later on, it becomes very twisty and turny.
The very ending itself confuse me a little.
Good book, most likely not gonna read it again.
September 24, 2019
Похоже, американский писатель Джесси Келлерман (1978-го года рождения, кстати) снова всех удивил. Хотя к этому уже можно привыкнуть. После «Гения» и «Философа», «Зноя» и «Беды» — книжек ярких, неожиданных и увлекательных — последовало «Чтиво» (теперь на русский язык переведены все к этому моменты написанные Келлерманом книжки). Джесси Келлерман и в этом романе продолжает препарировать литературные жанры, играть в штампы, проще говоря — выпендриваться. И получается это у Келлермана — исключительно хорошо.
Главный герой романа — преподаватель литературного творчества, автор одного опубликованного в прошлом неплохого романа, человек с дикой фамилией Артур Пфефферкорн долгое время завидовал успеху своего приятеля, автора безыскусных, но популярных триллеров Уильяма де Валле. История начинается с того, что Валле погибает после морской катастрофы. Пфефферкорн становится владельцем рукописи последнего романа приятеля, дописывает, правит и выпускает под своим именем. На Артура сваливается внезапных успех, слава, деньги, любовь вдовы де Валле. А вместе с этим — Пфефферкорн выясняет, что все книги его покойного друга были написаны за него. И представляют собой сложную систему передачи секретной информации имевшей отношение к небольшим центрально-европейским государствам Восточная и Западная Злабия, до которых спецслужбам США есть своё очередное дело.
«Чтиво», по счастью, не удалось стать ещё одним шпионским триллером (иначе, я бы просто о нём не писал). Келлерман, отталкиваясь от законов этого жанра, написал сумасбродную фантасмагорию, полную жгучей иронии, актуальной политической сатиры и внезапного юмора. Все возможные штампы жанра (двойные агенты, непростые женщины, спецустройства, загадочные похищения, сумасбродные тираны, «клюквенный» колорит Злабии) доводятся до полного абсурда. При этом автор сохраняет очевидное сочувствие к главному герою, хотя бы потому, что не каждому неудачник так не везёт.
Конечно, в особой изящности слога Келлермана упрекнуть трудно, порой его текст напоминает беглое перечисление действий, бывает — эпизоды скачут как в мультфильме, но зато нет провалов и длиннот. События, их причины и следствия, не кажутся притянутыми за уши и абсолютно фееричный финал выглядит более, чем логично.
«Чтиво» — это антишпионский детектив, «перетриллер». История о том, что может произойти, когда писатель становится персонажем. А персонаж пытается обрести подлинную свободу.
ЦИТАТА НАУГАД:
Главный герой романа — преподаватель литературного творчества, автор одного опубликованного в прошлом неплохого романа, человек с дикой фамилией Артур Пфефферкорн долгое время завидовал успеху своего приятеля, автора безыскусных, но популярных триллеров Уильяма де Валле. История начинается с того, что Валле погибает после морской катастрофы. Пфефферкорн становится владельцем рукописи последнего романа приятеля, дописывает, правит и выпускает под своим именем. На Артура сваливается внезапных успех, слава, деньги, любовь вдовы де Валле. А вместе с этим — Пфефферкорн выясняет, что все книги его покойного друга были написаны за него. И представляют собой сложную систему передачи секретной информации имевшей отношение к небольшим центрально-европейским государствам Восточная и Западная Злабия, до которых спецслужбам США есть своё очередное дело.
«Чтиво», по счастью, не удалось стать ещё одним шпионским триллером (иначе, я бы просто о нём не писал). Келлерман, отталкиваясь от законов этого жанра, написал сумасбродную фантасмагорию, полную жгучей иронии, актуальной политической сатиры и внезапного юмора. Все возможные штампы жанра (двойные агенты, непростые женщины, спецустройства, загадочные похищения, сумасбродные тираны, «клюквенный» колорит Злабии) доводятся до полного абсурда. При этом автор сохраняет очевидное сочувствие к главному герою, хотя бы потому, что не каждому неудачник так не везёт.
Конечно, в особой изящности слога Келлермана упрекнуть трудно, порой его текст напоминает беглое перечисление действий, бывает — эпизоды скачут как в мультфильме, но зато нет провалов и длиннот. События, их причины и следствия, не кажутся притянутыми за уши и абсолютно фееричный финал выглядит более, чем логично.
«Чтиво» — это антишпионский детектив, «перетриллер». История о том, что может произойти, когда писатель становится персонажем. А персонаж пытается обрести подлинную свободу.
ЦИТАТА НАУГАД:
«Пфефферкорн так и стоял, опершись на конторку; рекламные джинглы, стены мотеля, пыльный зной и яркий свет пустыни потихоньку растворялись, все вокруг исчезало. Оставалось лишь странное ощущение не физиологического зуда, охватившего все тело: он начинался в груди, расползаясь к пальцам ног, горлу и волосам на лобке. Вот так незаметно подкралась паранойя. Подобное случалось с Гарри Шагрином, Диком Стэппом и всяким, кто, запутавшись в паутине обмана, предательства, лжи и козней, уже никому не верил. Но в отличие от них, Пфефферкорн не имел спасительного о��ыта».
June 16, 2020
Seriously peeps - don't even try this one out of curiosity. An absolute insult to the reading public. Binned for safety of all.
June 27, 2018
Love him? Hate him? Read The Brutal Art or The Executor first is my advice.
Lets get something clear, Jesse Kellerman is a talented, insightful, funny and original writer. The horrible reviews on here are purely because the readers didn't personally like this book. Authors who's work can't be pigeon-holed or who think outside of the box are always going to be divisive, you either enjoy them and get where they're coming from or you don't. After reading The Executor and The Brutal Art which are both essentially mystery/thriller/dramas (if you had to label them), I'll Catch You finds Jesse in full on genre bashing mode. ***** TINY SPOILER ALERT - I've decided it's an "International Crime Mystery Love Story Thriller with Last King Of Scotland overtones"...there I labelled it...sorry Jess) ****** Part of his appeal is the unpredictable turns each story takes (notice I said Turns not Twists - a la Linwood Barclay, Gillian Flynn - also great writers) and I hate cliched/saw it coming a mile off stories, but I would advice people new to his books to read the aforementioned novels first. That way you'll be familiar with his unorthodox and very individual style, and will either appreciate I'll Catch You more, or won't want to touch it with a barge poll. Either way, you won't be leaving an ignorant, horrible review, putting off people who could potentially love Jesse's work and be missing out on something fresh and exciting because of it. Ignore the haters and make up your own mind. I should probably add, without spoiling anything that because the ending I would have preferred to give it four and a half stars. It was slightly strange and a bit abrupt.
Lets get something clear, Jesse Kellerman is a talented, insightful, funny and original writer. The horrible reviews on here are purely because the readers didn't personally like this book. Authors who's work can't be pigeon-holed or who think outside of the box are always going to be divisive, you either enjoy them and get where they're coming from or you don't. After reading The Executor and The Brutal Art which are both essentially mystery/thriller/dramas (if you had to label them), I'll Catch You finds Jesse in full on genre bashing mode. ***** TINY SPOILER ALERT - I've decided it's an "International Crime Mystery Love Story Thriller with Last King Of Scotland overtones"...there I labelled it...sorry Jess) ****** Part of his appeal is the unpredictable turns each story takes (notice I said Turns not Twists - a la Linwood Barclay, Gillian Flynn - also great writers) and I hate cliched/saw it coming a mile off stories, but I would advice people new to his books to read the aforementioned novels first. That way you'll be familiar with his unorthodox and very individual style, and will either appreciate I'll Catch You more, or won't want to touch it with a barge poll. Either way, you won't be leaving an ignorant, horrible review, putting off people who could potentially love Jesse's work and be missing out on something fresh and exciting because of it. Ignore the haters and make up your own mind. I should probably add, without spoiling anything that because the ending I would have preferred to give it four and a half stars. It was slightly strange and a bit abrupt.
October 6, 2022
Химерна історія - наче письменник-невдаха потрапляє в клішований гротескний шпигунський роман. Спочатку ти з ним знайомишся у більш-менш реальних реаліях - дочка, робота, похорон друга - і ти вже налаштовуєшся, що йтиметься про психологію творіння, але далі історія звертає на такі рельси, що інколи ти навіть починаєш уявляти цих персонажів мультяшними, перебільшення накручене по максимуму) Через якісь острівці прояснення ти собі виловиш, що письменство - систематична важка праця, що часом популярність виростає на плагіаті, що справжнє натхнення дає реальне життя. І дивуватимешся, чому обгортка така нерівна і химерна - здається автор просто писав, бо писалося, не заморочуючись над концепцією. Вийшов текст, який дуже легко читаєш і уявляєш, але він і не відкриває тобі чогось цікавого, рівний, шо степ. Хіба що маленький камінчик в мозаїку сучасної прози)
December 26, 2020
This book is UNDERATED. I read it in one of the darkest times in my life. I was in the hole(solitary confinement) in prison and luckily was given this book to read by a guard and it made me laugh out loud when everything else in my life was crashing down around me.
I am amazed to see it so poorly rated and this easily makes me reconsider the weight I attach to the ratings of novels I see on here. This is worth the read.
I am amazed to see it so poorly rated and this easily makes me reconsider the weight I attach to the ratings of novels I see on here. This is worth the read.
December 17, 2012
Dire. It's lucky to get one star. I really enjoyed Sunstroke, but to my mind he hasn't written a decent book since. The initial set-up was reasonably well-drawn (but done so much better by John Colapinto in "About the Author") but once the great "secret" had been revealed it was downhill faster than an avalanche. Incoherent, nonsensical and really shouldn't have gone into print.
June 8, 2014
If you like political and social satire, then this is the book for you. An entire novel of nothing but cleverly written satire and endless...I mean endless... metaphor and innuendo. Unfortunately this isn't my cup of tea. Can't fault the style; Kellerman's a good writer but, compared to his 'The Brutal Art', this was a real let-down.
December 21, 2018
I enjoy Jesse Kellerman's books. This book started out fairly ordinary with Arthur Pfefferkorn attending the funeral of his fellow writer and friend but things are not as they seem and there are unpredictable twists and the reader and Arthur are not too sure who or what to trust. It is not for everyone but I enjoyed it and loved the ending.
February 19, 2012
Jesse Kellerman is an immensely talented author whose books I've devoured as soon as I get my hands on them. His newest, although a departure from his standard psychological thriller fare, is fascinating and mind-bogglingly odd. I enjoyed and puzzled over every page!
September 7, 2012
This was kind of a crazy story but interesting and a quick read. I recommend.
December 24, 2023
Занадто заплутано, занадто багато питань, можливо я просто ще не готова зрозуміти цю книжку
December 2, 2018
I've read books by all three Kellermans (Jesse, Jonathan, and Faye), and this is the most unorthodox of any of them. It's literary, funny, and even somewhat challenging -- the last 50 pages or so reminded me of being in English lit classes as an undergrad and working to analyze and unpack meaning.
The structure of the book surprised me. The first 40% is a slow-moving character study about a writer. There are some sharp insights into the writing process and types of writers found in a college creative writing class. Later the book takes a turn and for a couple chapters starts to feel like the screenplay to the movie "The Game," where you're left wondering what is real. And then the book takes a satirical turn and spends many pages with the journey to West and East Zlabia. That section, which comprises the bulk of the book, has some very funny parts (I chuckled through the references to the Ministry of Fecundity and Ministry of Resealable Barrels) and reminded me of Joseph Heller's "Catch-22," only with more silliness and introspection.
This latter half of the book felt like a completely different book than the one I started with. It's very esoteric, and I wasn't sure at times if the two halves completely worked together. (Early on in this second section I wondered how the book would read if the structure instead had consisted of chapters alternating back and forth between the two halves, possibly giving the narrative more of a mystery feel. But I'm not sure that would have worked, especially because the end of the story makes clear that solving a mystery never really was the point.)
The final chapter reminded me of Samuel Beckett's "Malloy." It's written in straightforward language but forced me to slow down and ponder the subtext. That's something I haven't done in a while and I enjoyed the mental workout.
Kellerman's books always make me think. I plan to keep reading him for a long time.
The structure of the book surprised me. The first 40% is a slow-moving character study about a writer. There are some sharp insights into the writing process and types of writers found in a college creative writing class. Later the book takes a turn and for a couple chapters starts to feel like the screenplay to the movie "The Game," where you're left wondering what is real. And then the book takes a satirical turn and spends many pages with the journey to West and East Zlabia. That section, which comprises the bulk of the book, has some very funny parts (I chuckled through the references to the Ministry of Fecundity and Ministry of Resealable Barrels) and reminded me of Joseph Heller's "Catch-22," only with more silliness and introspection.
This latter half of the book felt like a completely different book than the one I started with. It's very esoteric, and I wasn't sure at times if the two halves completely worked together. (Early on in this second section I wondered how the book would read if the structure instead had consisted of chapters alternating back and forth between the two halves, possibly giving the narrative more of a mystery feel. But I'm not sure that would have worked, especially because the end of the story makes clear that solving a mystery never really was the point.)
The final chapter reminded me of Samuel Beckett's "Malloy." It's written in straightforward language but forced me to slow down and ponder the subtext. That's something I haven't done in a while and I enjoyed the mental workout.
Kellerman's books always make me think. I plan to keep reading him for a long time.
July 1, 2017
Jesse Kellerman is the son of Johnathan and Faye Kellerman; all three are mystery writers.
The beginning of this book is an interesting premise, if not original.
Two friends, both writers, have very different careers. One becomes a professor in a small college, the other writes a potboiler that makes him famous, rich, and a celebrity. His writing is trite, but who can argue with the money? The celebrity also marries the girl the two writers were in love with.
Of course, the professor is jealous. When the celebrity dies suddenly, the professor flies to the funeral. He reunites with his old girlfriend, spends the night, and discovers the manuscript of the next book in the guest room. Of course he steals it, of course he publishes it, and of course he becomes a celebrity himself.
Trite, right? Well, that's the first 100 pages, and right after that, the entire plot I thought was fun, but not original, changes drastically. The potboiler writer was not the real author. A shady government agency (like the CIA) writes them, and they contain code words for foreign agents. The professors edits have changed the directions, and now he has to fix the resulting mess by "writing" another book.
The twists and turns are funny, unexpected, and readable. The ending is almost mystical, and while I felt, at first, it didn't quite fit, it does, in a weird, interesting way. A good summer read, for sure.
The beginning of this book is an interesting premise, if not original.
Two friends, both writers, have very different careers. One becomes a professor in a small college, the other writes a potboiler that makes him famous, rich, and a celebrity. His writing is trite, but who can argue with the money? The celebrity also marries the girl the two writers were in love with.
Of course, the professor is jealous. When the celebrity dies suddenly, the professor flies to the funeral. He reunites with his old girlfriend, spends the night, and discovers the manuscript of the next book in the guest room. Of course he steals it, of course he publishes it, and of course he becomes a celebrity himself.
Trite, right? Well, that's the first 100 pages, and right after that, the entire plot I thought was fun, but not original, changes drastically. The potboiler writer was not the real author. A shady government agency (like the CIA) writes them, and they contain code words for foreign agents. The professors edits have changed the directions, and now he has to fix the resulting mess by "writing" another book.
The twists and turns are funny, unexpected, and readable. The ending is almost mystical, and while I felt, at first, it didn't quite fit, it does, in a weird, interesting way. A good summer read, for sure.
January 27, 2025
Блін, все так класно і тонко починалось.
Спочатку як «Жовтолика»: помирає відомий письменник, залишає по собі рукопис, який підхоплює його друг - невідомий і неуспішний, але теж письменник. І все потім як закрутилось, як завертілось і як понеслось, що під кінець аж укачало.
Ця пародія на детектив усвідомлює, що вона пародія: це важливо, від цього смішно, а не сумно, коли буває читаєш книгу, у якої не виходить. Тут автор дозволяє собі все, що хоче, бо такий формат: можна робити будь-яку дурню, ліпити абсурдні діалоги, жартувати чорненько. Один з улюблених діалогів:
- Ви мене вбʼєте? — запитав Пфефферкорн.
- Чому це вас так дивує?
Але найсмішніший мені епізод про те, як Артур сів і захотів написати книжку. Підійшов логічно, з розумом, як професіонал. І скажіть, що це не гуд:
«Він спробував увести романтичний інтерес, але зрозумів — і це його дуже злякало та змусило розум бурхливо протестувати, — що його головний герой — латентний гомосексуаліст. Щоб додати інтриги, він убив іще одного адміністратора. Убив студента. Убив бідолашного швейцара. Він навалив ці��у купу трупів і отримав менше двадцяти пʼяти тисяч слів. Щоб убити когось у книзі, зрозумів він, вистачить кількох сторінок, не так уже багато їх можна
заповнити кривавими описами.
Відкриття так його роздратувало, що він підірвав цілий кампус.
Остаточно заплутавшись, він жбурнув рукопис у смітник.»
Спочатку як «Жовтолика»: помирає відомий письменник, залишає по собі рукопис, який підхоплює його друг - невідомий і неуспішний, але теж письменник. І все потім як закрутилось, як завертілось і як понеслось, що під кінець аж укачало.
Ця пародія на детектив усвідомлює, що вона пародія: це важливо, від цього смішно, а не сумно, коли буває читаєш книгу, у якої не виходить. Тут автор дозволяє собі все, що хоче, бо такий формат: можна робити будь-яку дурню, ліпити абсурдні діалоги, жартувати чорненько. Один з улюблених діалогів:
- Ви мене вбʼєте? — запитав Пфефферкорн.
- Чому це вас так дивує?
Але найсмішніший мені епізод про те, як Артур сів і захотів написати книжку. Підійшов логічно, з розумом, як професіонал. І скажіть, що це не гуд:
«Він спробував увести романтичний інтерес, але зрозумів — і це його дуже злякало та змусило розум бурхливо протестувати, — що його головний герой — латентний гомосексуаліст. Щоб додати інтриги, він убив іще одного адміністратора. Убив студента. Убив бідолашного швейцара. Він навалив ці��у купу трупів і отримав менше двадцяти пʼяти тисяч слів. Щоб убити когось у книзі, зрозумів він, вистачить кількох сторінок, не так уже багато їх можна
заповнити кривавими описами.
Відкриття так його роздратувало, що він підірвав цілий кампус.
Остаточно заплутавшись, він жбурнув рукопис у смітник.»
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