Learning to Drive

by William Norwich

``Featuring one of the most lurid car rides in the history of literature as well as one of the most affecting meditations on the loss of parents, William Norwich's first novel is a moving and funny story....Test drive it today.'' Jay McInerney At the advanced age of 37, Julian Orr--New York glossy magazine journalist and expert on promo parties and other necessities of 20th-century urban living--learns to drive. His object is a driver's license that will allow him to visit his parents' graves in the small Connecticut town where he underwent a puzzling but quietly tender childhood. But what begins as an innocent act of personal liberation (with the help of Hector, the driving instructor from hell), suddenly escalates crazily, terrifyingly out of control. A poignant and compelling novel. William Norwich is an editor-at-large for Vogue; he also writes a ``Style Diary'' for the New York Observer. He lives in New York. 214 pp 5 x 8

224 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1996

Reviews

[SuZanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book, which had been sitting for years on my library shelf, and I'm glad I did. It's both funny and sad, which seems like an oxymoron but it's true. It's been around for decades and reviews are easy to find, so I'll just tease you with a couple of sentences of Norwich's simple yet effective language. A metaphor: "Otherwise, and like most days, the anthem of loneliness continued, silent and unabated, a favorite family song (p68)." And a simile: "Doors and windows closed. Mirrors were draped in black cloth. The confirmation of my father's death shook the house like a bedspread beaten on a clothesline; we all wore black (p87)."

Do not confuse this novel with the film by the same title and whose main character is a middle-aged woman. The main character of the novel is a 36-year-old gay Jewish man, who is, indeed, learning to drive, and those facts are central to the humor and main events of the book. Furthermore, I kept thinking as I was reading that the main character with his snarky comments about the rich and fashionable very much resembled the author himself, a well-known New York columnist and fashion editor. Read and enjoy it.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

An unusual novel about a 37 year old New Yorker (i.e., from NYC) who has decided to learn to drive. The story alternates, one chapter present day (novel written in 1996) when Julian Orr is a society writer for fashion magazine and for a newspaper, and the next his childhood in Connecticut. The description of 1950's-early '60's childhood (although the character's was dysfunctional) and the 1990's 'present day' (before newspapers and magazines were pretty much made irrelevant by the internet) was interesting. The climax of the story was a bizarre segment with a driving instructor.

[Cathy Corcoran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this!

The driving parts are a bit overdone, but the story of the author’s childhood is moving, sweet, funny, and wonderful. Beautifully written.

[Elia · Rating 2 out of 5]

A sweet, sad, tragic, and hopeful story written in careful, rich prose. I really liked this story and should probably rate it three stars but am just not quite sure....
Read: 1 time

[Kate]

Read too long ago to rate.