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Growth
Bburke is sad.
Well maybe "sad" isn't the right word. Discontent, perhaps. Or if he isn't, he should be.
He's recently divorced, overweight, aging, and the only thing he has to show for his five decades on Earth is a tremendous beer belly and a meager side-business--modest landscaping jobs and nightly lawn mowing throughout Central New Jersey.
The point is, he needs a change. Needs to shake things up.
[Enter two hipster-millennial employees. Enter the works of Dostoyevsky, Stein, Camus, and others. Enter a new and exciting romantic prospect. Enter more beer.]
But there are, of course, consequences to his reformation. As Bburke begins to immerse himself in the world of literature, love, and libations, he begins to doubt his own perceptions of the world and his place in it.
[Exeunt ignorance, complacency, and sanity.]
Told in a variety of narrative styles and with a clever weaving of literary, musical, and pop cultural allusions, Growth is a novel that questions the role of art in our lives and seeks to examine the way literature permeates our own views of reality--and the inverse.
Well maybe "sad" isn't the right word. Discontent, perhaps. Or if he isn't, he should be.
He's recently divorced, overweight, aging, and the only thing he has to show for his five decades on Earth is a tremendous beer belly and a meager side-business--modest landscaping jobs and nightly lawn mowing throughout Central New Jersey.
The point is, he needs a change. Needs to shake things up.
[Enter two hipster-millennial employees. Enter the works of Dostoyevsky, Stein, Camus, and others. Enter a new and exciting romantic prospect. Enter more beer.]
But there are, of course, consequences to his reformation. As Bburke begins to immerse himself in the world of literature, love, and libations, he begins to doubt his own perceptions of the world and his place in it.
[Exeunt ignorance, complacency, and sanity.]
Told in a variety of narrative styles and with a clever weaving of literary, musical, and pop cultural allusions, Growth is a novel that questions the role of art in our lives and seeks to examine the way literature permeates our own views of reality--and the inverse.
- GenresFiction
331 pages, Hardcover
Published August 8, 2017
2 people are currently reading
74 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 7, 2018
This was one of the most innovative novels I’ve read in a long time.
I don’t say that lightly. I’m a big fan of experimental literature, House of Leaves being one of my favorite books of all time, so I know when something is “good experimental” and when something is very definitely “bad experimental.” Growth fell into the former camp, and in fact, I would say it’s actually “excellent experimental.” As a huge literature nerd, I had a lot of fun not only with the way the book is written, but also how Dostoyevsky, Camus, Gertrude Stein and others, make cameo appearances as part of the plot.
The main character of the story is Brian Burke (Bburke), a middle-aged alcoholic landscaper who is struggling post-divorce to find his balance again. The character of Bburke is truly a genius character, because he’s one of those people who seem, at first glance, to be not-too-deep, not-too-intellectual, and like someone who will probably continue to muddle through life, never really searching for meaning or purpose behind the day-to-day. But then, as we read on, it becomes apparent that Bburke is a person who is really better than all of us—more authentic, more courageous, and more loving than any of us could ever hope to be. He’s a person who is totally unmarred by any sort of cynicism or snark, and while he’s aware that the people around him might make fun of him or “roll their eyes” at him, as he says, he continues to soldier on as himself, trying to do his best as a landscaper and a person, and mostly finding his only comfort in the mass quantities of beer he drinks every day.
And then…the ending happens, which I never saw coming. And it totally threw me for a loop. A good loop, and also a weird loop, but still a good loop.
Honestly, this is a hard book to describe. It’s brilliantly written, funny and surprising and just weird. It’s one of those books that you have to read to really “get it,” and even then, only certain people will get it. I got it. And I loved it. If you like weird fiction or anything “good experimental” you’ll probably love it too.
I don’t say that lightly. I’m a big fan of experimental literature, House of Leaves being one of my favorite books of all time, so I know when something is “good experimental” and when something is very definitely “bad experimental.” Growth fell into the former camp, and in fact, I would say it’s actually “excellent experimental.” As a huge literature nerd, I had a lot of fun not only with the way the book is written, but also how Dostoyevsky, Camus, Gertrude Stein and others, make cameo appearances as part of the plot.
The main character of the story is Brian Burke (Bburke), a middle-aged alcoholic landscaper who is struggling post-divorce to find his balance again. The character of Bburke is truly a genius character, because he’s one of those people who seem, at first glance, to be not-too-deep, not-too-intellectual, and like someone who will probably continue to muddle through life, never really searching for meaning or purpose behind the day-to-day. But then, as we read on, it becomes apparent that Bburke is a person who is really better than all of us—more authentic, more courageous, and more loving than any of us could ever hope to be. He’s a person who is totally unmarred by any sort of cynicism or snark, and while he’s aware that the people around him might make fun of him or “roll their eyes” at him, as he says, he continues to soldier on as himself, trying to do his best as a landscaper and a person, and mostly finding his only comfort in the mass quantities of beer he drinks every day.
And then…the ending happens, which I never saw coming. And it totally threw me for a loop. A good loop, and also a weird loop, but still a good loop.
Honestly, this is a hard book to describe. It’s brilliantly written, funny and surprising and just weird. It’s one of those books that you have to read to really “get it,” and even then, only certain people will get it. I got it. And I loved it. If you like weird fiction or anything “good experimental” you’ll probably love it too.
October 16, 2017
Smith’s strong narrative voice can be heard throughout the entirety of the novel. While Bburke's life was turned upside down after his divorce, the literary world he was guided into propelled him into the "Growth" he'd needed to see the world and his place in the world differently. The literal references only add to the strong theme throughout the novel: one’s level of education does not a genius make. We all see and learn things differently- its the teacher who brings out the best in all of us. Smith’s first novel is funny and endearing- it makes you want the drunken protagonist to get ahead in life. Just because Bburke did not grow up with a strong education and therefore sees things differently, does not mean he is not intelligent.
"Growth" is a gripping story that made me not want to stop turning page after page, because I was engrossed with not only Bburke's entrance into the literary world but how greatly an interaction with another human could change his life. The scenes that stood out the most to me where when an inebriated Bburke had hallucinatory conversations with the various characters and authors that seemed to haunt him. While "Infinite Jest" was the only book I had not read (but is now on my Goodreads To Read list), I still found it absolutely compelling how Smith was able to merge fiction with Bburke's reality for him to get not only a better understanding of life but to ask the question "Why?" But isn't this the point of literature- to bring about a conversation, a thought provoking sentiment, even if that own dialogue is within your own head, to create a deeper meaning of life? As Bburke explained on page 270, "Or I said it to me as her. What difference does it make? The point is that it was said by someone, at some time, and now it's up here," the more he read, the deeper the world became, and the less he could turn off the voices in his head. Smith further drives this point home on page 325 stating, "But you have lost interest in this work. There is nothing within you that fights itself and hitherto you have had the instinct to produce antagonism in others which stimulated you to attack." It seems at this point that Bburke would like to put the genie back into the bottle (or more likely the craft beer back into the can), but we all know there is no turning back once you've immersed yourself into the world of literature.
The greatest pleasure in reading is to not only enter that world, but to make one think outside the norm of our every day thoughts. Smith certainly proved that with his debut novel. I'm looking forward to reading more of Smith's work in the future for even though Bburke had a "perfect ending" (331) I was not ready for Smith's novel to end.
"Growth" is a gripping story that made me not want to stop turning page after page, because I was engrossed with not only Bburke's entrance into the literary world but how greatly an interaction with another human could change his life. The scenes that stood out the most to me where when an inebriated Bburke had hallucinatory conversations with the various characters and authors that seemed to haunt him. While "Infinite Jest" was the only book I had not read (but is now on my Goodreads To Read list), I still found it absolutely compelling how Smith was able to merge fiction with Bburke's reality for him to get not only a better understanding of life but to ask the question "Why?" But isn't this the point of literature- to bring about a conversation, a thought provoking sentiment, even if that own dialogue is within your own head, to create a deeper meaning of life? As Bburke explained on page 270, "Or I said it to me as her. What difference does it make? The point is that it was said by someone, at some time, and now it's up here," the more he read, the deeper the world became, and the less he could turn off the voices in his head. Smith further drives this point home on page 325 stating, "But you have lost interest in this work. There is nothing within you that fights itself and hitherto you have had the instinct to produce antagonism in others which stimulated you to attack." It seems at this point that Bburke would like to put the genie back into the bottle (or more likely the craft beer back into the can), but we all know there is no turning back once you've immersed yourself into the world of literature.
The greatest pleasure in reading is to not only enter that world, but to make one think outside the norm of our every day thoughts. Smith certainly proved that with his debut novel. I'm looking forward to reading more of Smith's work in the future for even though Bburke had a "perfect ending" (331) I was not ready for Smith's novel to end.
October 18, 2017
I really enjoyed this read. It made me laugh out loud at parts, but also challenged me intellectually, inspiring me to look in to the literary works I am less familiar with that were referenced throughout the novel. I would strongly recommend it to any well-read book lover!
September 2, 2019
This is a book about two bros: S.A. (which is A. Smith irl) and Dickie, working a construction gig while musing about a fictional character based on their foreman on the job. Clever and subtle experimental writing which draws inspirations from the required readings for high schoolers, whom the author is teaching.
A fun read.
A fun read.
August 25, 2018
A very enjoyable, clever book. Hoo hoo!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews