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The Alarming Palsy of James Orr
James Orr--husband, father, reliable employee and all-around model citizen--awakes one morning to find half his face paralyzed. Waiting for the affliction to pass, he stops going to work and wanders his idyllic estate, with its woodland, uniform streets and perfectly manicured lawns. But there are cracks in the veneer. And as his orderly existence begins to unravel, it appears that James himself may not be the man he thought he was. A deeply unsettling story of creeping horror that consistently confounds expectations, The Alarming Palsy of James Orr introduces a writer of extraordinary and disturbing talents.
160 pages, Hardcover
Published November 2, 2017
10 people are currently reading
508 people want to read
About the author
Tom Lee
68 books14 followersFor the Australian novelist, see https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
Tom Lee is a British novelist and teachers at Goldsmiths University. His debut novel is 'The Alarming Palsy of James Orr'.
Tom Lee is a British novelist and teachers at Goldsmiths University. His debut novel is 'The Alarming Palsy of James Orr'.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
September 5, 2018
Rather banal tale of a man whose life begins to come apart after he is afflicted by Bell's palsy. By far the strongest element of this book is the palsy itself – Lee's descriptions of James's condition effectively detail what it's like both physically and emotionally, and provoke sympathy for an otherwise unpleasant character. An early scene depicting a community meeting also has promise. But the rest just sleepwalks through the sort of middle-aged middle-class woes that have been written about far too much already. The overall effect is shrug-inducing and, at under 200 pages of largish, widely-spaced text, it's not much more than a short story anyway.
I usually get a lot out of stories like this – tales of alienation in which a seemingly well-adjusted character spirals into paranoia, personal crisis and possible delusion – but The Alarming Palsy of James Orr doesn't seem to have anything new to say. For better takes on a similar theme, try The Execution by Hugo Wilcken, The Room by Jonas Karlsson, Animals by Keith Ridgway, or How to Be Human by Paula Cocozza.
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I usually get a lot out of stories like this – tales of alienation in which a seemingly well-adjusted character spirals into paranoia, personal crisis and possible delusion – but The Alarming Palsy of James Orr doesn't seem to have anything new to say. For better takes on a similar theme, try The Execution by Hugo Wilcken, The Room by Jonas Karlsson, Animals by Keith Ridgway, or How to Be Human by Paula Cocozza.
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December 11, 2017
I’ve always suffered from an irrational fear that one day I’ll wake up and the people I love most won’t recognize me. Something like this happens to the protagonist of Tom Lee’s debut novel “The Alarming Palsy of James Orr”. He wakes up one day to find he’s suffering from Bell’s palsy which causes a paralysis to the muscles on one side of his face. This is a bizarre condition which isn’t entirely understood and there isn’t a clear medical treatment to guarantee a recovery. So James is left in a limbo state where he stays home from work and can only hope that his face will recover. Unsurprisingly, this condition makes him self-conscious and it makes people react to him differently. These social issues prompt a deeper contemplation about the meaning of identity, but Tom Lee explores this obliquely through his tale of James’ increasing sense of alienation and the steady disintegration of his “normal” life.
Read my full review of The Alarming Palsy of James Orr by Tom Lee on LonesomeReader
Read my full review of The Alarming Palsy of James Orr by Tom Lee on LonesomeReader
February 9, 2019
Meh. Messy story full of droll musings. The ending was fairly obvious and yet still leaves the reader feeling let down.
October 27, 2021
things go wrong in the suburbs part 3,000
very well done
very well done
March 14, 2018
The Alarming Palsy of James Orr starts off as a story about a man going through a mid-life crisis, triggered by a sudden case of Bells Palsy, and then, over the course of the short novel, becomes something darker and bleaker.
James’ transition from competent, middle-class father and husband in a well-paid job, living in a gorgeous estate with its stunning, picturesque woodlands and its very white and mostly kind neighbours to a man who loses everything, who, in the eyes of his family becomes no more interesting than brown wallpaper, is superbly handled by Lee. This is not a novel about how disability leads to ostracism and alienation. In fact, his family, his community, his employer are anything but sympathetic. Instead, this is a book about what happens to a man who gradually loses all sense of identity and purpose. What makes the novel so powerful is that James is such a recognisable figure, we know this guy, for some of us we are this guy.
Aside from one moment of brutality that tonally felt out of step with the rest of the novel, this is an insightful, sometimes funny, but mostly sad portrayal of rejection and isolation.
James’ transition from competent, middle-class father and husband in a well-paid job, living in a gorgeous estate with its stunning, picturesque woodlands and its very white and mostly kind neighbours to a man who loses everything, who, in the eyes of his family becomes no more interesting than brown wallpaper, is superbly handled by Lee. This is not a novel about how disability leads to ostracism and alienation. In fact, his family, his community, his employer are anything but sympathetic. Instead, this is a book about what happens to a man who gradually loses all sense of identity and purpose. What makes the novel so powerful is that James is such a recognisable figure, we know this guy, for some of us we are this guy.
Aside from one moment of brutality that tonally felt out of step with the rest of the novel, this is an insightful, sometimes funny, but mostly sad portrayal of rejection and isolation.
September 15, 2025
What was this...
February 28, 2021
3.5, rounded up. I was originally going to round down... but writing this review made me realize some more sublter themes I hadn't picked up on while I was actually reading and it made me appreciate the story a little more.
A man's life begins to unravel after he develops Bell's Palsy.
The writing style is light and easy, almost parable-like, which I enjoyed, though I think the story could have benefitted from some greater depth and exploration of self towards the end.
Though maybe that's it, perhaps the main character just isn't particularly introspective, and the author is showing that by the relatively light tone? I might be reading too much into it, but hey.
Before the palsy, when his days were full and productive, James wondered what he would do if he was given more free time. The answer is... nothing.
He spends the bulk of the book feeling sorry for himself, sleeping, walking in the woods, but not doing much of anything. He doesn't help with the kids, he doesn't cook or clean. He rankles at his wife's suggestion that he get a hobby to preoccupy his time.
Everything he was, star employee, father, chair of his neighborhood's HOA equivalent, is affected by his condition. But it is not because the people around him aren't understanding. Because they are, exceedingly so, at least for the first 75% of the story. When those around him begin to treat him less nicely, it is entirely his own making.
He is so preoccupied with what he was Before, it paralyzes him in ways the palsy could never. There is no personal growth, no moving forward, no bettering himself or making the most of his situation. There is only stagnation, and then, finally, a banal madness.
Note: Reading this during a global pandemic is... Hmm. Being out of work for most of the last year, confined to either my house or the woods...
Granted, my reasons for isolation (external) vs James Orr's (internal) are completely different, but still... Yikes. I would be lying if I hadn't felt similarly stagnant this last year, at times on the brink of something resembling madness. Hobbies really are a lifesaver.
A man's life begins to unravel after he develops Bell's Palsy.
The writing style is light and easy, almost parable-like, which I enjoyed, though I think the story could have benefitted from some greater depth and exploration of self towards the end.
Though maybe that's it, perhaps the main character just isn't particularly introspective, and the author is showing that by the relatively light tone? I might be reading too much into it, but hey.
Before the palsy, when his days were full and productive, James wondered what he would do if he was given more free time. The answer is... nothing.
He spends the bulk of the book feeling sorry for himself, sleeping, walking in the woods, but not doing much of anything. He doesn't help with the kids, he doesn't cook or clean. He rankles at his wife's suggestion that he get a hobby to preoccupy his time.
Everything he was, star employee, father, chair of his neighborhood's HOA equivalent, is affected by his condition. But it is not because the people around him aren't understanding. Because they are, exceedingly so, at least for the first 75% of the story. When those around him begin to treat him less nicely, it is entirely his own making.
He is so preoccupied with what he was Before, it paralyzes him in ways the palsy could never. There is no personal growth, no moving forward, no bettering himself or making the most of his situation. There is only stagnation, and then, finally, a banal madness.
Note: Reading this during a global pandemic is... Hmm. Being out of work for most of the last year, confined to either my house or the woods...
Granted, my reasons for isolation (external) vs James Orr's (internal) are completely different, but still... Yikes. I would be lying if I hadn't felt similarly stagnant this last year, at times on the brink of something resembling madness. Hobbies really are a lifesaver.
January 21, 2018
I found this a very unsettling book, which starts off with the main protagonist adjusting to his sudden palsy. As it progresses the blur between normality and the perceptions of the main character become more Kafka-esque. Read this for my book club, so I will be interested to see what the others say - only three stars because I didn't 'really like it', although I can see it is a well written and engaging tale. The fact that it unsettled me so is a tribute to the inherent literary quality, but I suspect it will haunt me for a while...
June 4, 2024
I read this short novel four years ago and made a note of how underwhelmed I was by it, that I thought it barely ok, in essence mediocre, but as if trying to find something nice to say and failing I added that maybe it was not for me. In the four years since I have forgotten everything about this book, and would only add that I have not found, or thought of, anyone for whom, this novel might be suitable for, but I don't care and have long given up trying. I certainly haven't thought of reading anything else by this author.
May 19, 2025
It’s hard to believe this is Tom Lee’s debut novel, what a stunning and real exploration of how a sudden case of Bell’s Palsy can cause a seemingly ordinary and well loved father to degenerate so rapidly. James’ life spirals as he slowly and towards the end abruptly descends into a madness mired by a self proclaimed lack of mental illness as false as it is destructive. James is struck with the palpable fear that he will forever be unrecognisable and socially objected by his peers and strangers alike. His descent is briefly and intermittently paused when he emerges with a hobby or another coping mechanism unbeknownst to him. However, he ultimately does descend one act at a time that sends him spiralling towards an impending madness.
March 20, 2021
This is a very strange and nasty little book, that has left quite an unpleasant taste behind.
It is the story of the steady disintegration of James Orr's life, from his comfortable middle -class life, job in the city, an idyllic home in a private estate, a a loving wife and two adorable children.
It is interesting in its send up of English white middle-class life but stops short of being a thriller, or a horror story, either of which could have made it far more appealing.
It is the story of the steady disintegration of James Orr's life, from his comfortable middle -class life, job in the city, an idyllic home in a private estate, a a loving wife and two adorable children.
It is interesting in its send up of English white middle-class life but stops short of being a thriller, or a horror story, either of which could have made it far more appealing.
December 19, 2018
I loved this small gem of escalating unease in which the comforts of one man's life twist into uncanny apparitions. It's The Metamorphosis + A Serious Man set in the English suburbs.
January 26, 2023
Kafkaesque indeed!! Wow...
May 27, 2019
This was a fascinating update of Kafka's "Metamorphosis". James wakes up one morning to find the left side of his face has completely fallen, as if he's suffered a stroke. He hasn't suffered a stroke and a visit to the doctor indicates he suffers from Bell's Palsy. Everything goes downhill from there and he might as well have turned into a giant cockroach for the way the world reacts to him. It's totally believable and so captivating. I finished the book in one sitting. Even though you know no good can come of this, you find yourself on the edge of your chair in suspense.
January 24, 2018
THIS slim, disorientating fable has faint echoes of Kafka's Metamorphosis. James Orr wakes up one morning to discover half his face has collapsed, the consequence of an attack of Bell's palsy.
He is signed off work and forced to remain at home while his wife goes to work and his children to school. Unable to easily eat, sleep or do anything much at all, he finds himself spending more time roaming the woods near his house, one of 48 identical houses on a private estate, where his disfigured face badly frightens a passing jogger. When he calls his office to check in, someone new answers his phone.
Tom Lee's novel is based on his own experience of a debilitating illness but Devastating: drew on his illness. for the it also recalls another classic short story - John Cheever's The Swimmer. Like the protagonist in that nightmarish fable, Orr discovers that normality itself has turned against him.
He is thrown off the residents' committee, who meet regularly to discuss installing CCTV in the streets, and becomes increasingly estranged from his wife and children.
Following a football match during the estate's annual summer party, Orr is convinced he has lost his young son. He spends hours looking for him in the woods, only to discover him safely tucked up in bed at home.
It's as though Orr is quietly being eliminated from his own life, yet at the same time, that life takes on an increasingly phantom-like quality, as though Orr is the only real thing in it.
There is barely a memorable sentence in this novel but, rather like the flat-packed environment in which Orr lives, the cumulative impact of Lee's mundane prose is devastating.
This is a quietly brilliant novel that questions whether conformity itself is a form of illness.
He is signed off work and forced to remain at home while his wife goes to work and his children to school. Unable to easily eat, sleep or do anything much at all, he finds himself spending more time roaming the woods near his house, one of 48 identical houses on a private estate, where his disfigured face badly frightens a passing jogger. When he calls his office to check in, someone new answers his phone.
Tom Lee's novel is based on his own experience of a debilitating illness but Devastating: drew on his illness. for the it also recalls another classic short story - John Cheever's The Swimmer. Like the protagonist in that nightmarish fable, Orr discovers that normality itself has turned against him.
He is thrown off the residents' committee, who meet regularly to discuss installing CCTV in the streets, and becomes increasingly estranged from his wife and children.
Following a football match during the estate's annual summer party, Orr is convinced he has lost his young son. He spends hours looking for him in the woods, only to discover him safely tucked up in bed at home.
It's as though Orr is quietly being eliminated from his own life, yet at the same time, that life takes on an increasingly phantom-like quality, as though Orr is the only real thing in it.
There is barely a memorable sentence in this novel but, rather like the flat-packed environment in which Orr lives, the cumulative impact of Lee's mundane prose is devastating.
This is a quietly brilliant novel that questions whether conformity itself is a form of illness.
January 13, 2019
Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg is known as one of the original purveyors of the “body horror” genre of filmmaking — a visceral, gross view of the breakdown of the body’s tissues. Think of The Fly remake. I’m willing to bet that Cronenberg would love to get his lenses on a film adaptation of British writer Tom Lee’s debut The Alarming Palsy of James Orr, a book that was originally published in Great Britain in 2017 but is only now becoming available in North America. This is a twisted, disturbing book — think Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” as being infinitely more readable. The thing is, the book is being billed as a “dark comedy.” The thing about the thing is that the comedy doesn’t become readily apparent until the end of the book and the utterly shocking ending.
Basically, what you have is a story of a very ordinary Briton who wakes up one morning with a case of Bell’s palsy, making one side of his face paralyzed. Normally, this is a condition that goes away on its own fairly quickly, though there are apparently instances where the palsy lingers. Well, the case of this Briton, named James Orr, definitely takes the chronic route and does not resolve itself in any manner whatsoever. This means that James cannot go to work (he has some kind of law job that involves public interaction), his relationship with his wife and children generally becomes frazzled, and the side gig that James has as the chair of a residents committee of the gated community where he lives becomes jeopardized because of his illness and the actions that result from that illness.
Read more here: https://medium.com/@zachary_houle/a-r...
Basically, what you have is a story of a very ordinary Briton who wakes up one morning with a case of Bell’s palsy, making one side of his face paralyzed. Normally, this is a condition that goes away on its own fairly quickly, though there are apparently instances where the palsy lingers. Well, the case of this Briton, named James Orr, definitely takes the chronic route and does not resolve itself in any manner whatsoever. This means that James cannot go to work (he has some kind of law job that involves public interaction), his relationship with his wife and children generally becomes frazzled, and the side gig that James has as the chair of a residents committee of the gated community where he lives becomes jeopardized because of his illness and the actions that result from that illness.
Read more here: https://medium.com/@zachary_houle/a-r...
January 13, 2019
Bell's palsy is yes, I agree, a shock to those who are afflicted but in the scheme of disfiguring, disorienting things, well....This slim novella about a man whose live spirals out of control is about more than the affects of the palsy- it's about a precipitating event that pulls underlying issues to the forefront. I wanted to be more sympathetic to James, whose middle class life as always been picture perfect, but somehow I wasn't. I know it's not fair of me to compare his situation to that of others but I couldn't get away from it. Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC.
July 6, 2019
This book was just really really sad. After I finished it I had this sense of dread that I couldn’t really put my finger on. I’m not sure if James is a victim or villain, or maybe a bit of both. I don’t think we are given enough information to know for sure, and maybe that’s why I have this icky feeling. Definitely an interesting read, and a quick one at that.
February 21, 2020
Man gets Bell's palsy which causes half his face to droop, and his life goes downhill from there. He stops going to work and doesn't do much else while his wife continues working full-time, taking care of the kids, and doing all the domestic chores. It's not a surprise then that his marriage starts deteriorating like everything else, and it's hard to have much sympathy for him.
November 4, 2018
A nicely warped novella exploring either how a seemingly successful man's life can fall apart or how an outsider can build a fantasy built on the lives he watches. Or both, I'm not sure, but it was an intriguing and thoughtfully written book.
August 11, 2020
I want to shake him. Get over it. This is no reason to not live a normal life. Such a depressing tale.
December 30, 2018
In commencing his novella with the hero waking one morning to find himself grotesquely transformed, Tom Lee must have known the scene would recall The Metamorphosis and prompt knee-jerk comparisons with Kafka.
And after that daring opening, resemblances persist, if more subtly. Juxtaposed with Gregor’s repulsiveness in Kafka’s 1915 novella is the parasitism of his family with their shallow middle-class values, which also goes for James Orr’s repellent family, colleagues and neighbours. A model citizen before his palsy kicked in, while predictably low on self-awareness, James finds, with each new failure to fulfil old roles, he’s becoming increasingly disposable. And his lame efforts at self-determination take him beyond the pale.
Lee narrates this progressive unravelling with deliberate neutrality, the bland use of language matching James’s inner vacancy. Only once did the spell cast by Lee falter for me: at the climax. Which is not to fault the psycho-emotional logic of the act he describes; foreshadowed early on in the plot, it effects a kind of symmetry, and I doubt it would benefit from use of heightened language. But I might have found it more convincing had it been more fully imagined. The brief pitch-perfect coda that concludes Lee’s tale redeems it (in fact, for me it worked better than the coda to Kafka’s novella).
Of course Lee hasn’t written a wildly original, deathless classic. To do so in a world losing interest in serious novels isn’t an option. Still, his book is compelling, disturbing, elegant, darkly funny and relevant.
And after that daring opening, resemblances persist, if more subtly. Juxtaposed with Gregor’s repulsiveness in Kafka’s 1915 novella is the parasitism of his family with their shallow middle-class values, which also goes for James Orr’s repellent family, colleagues and neighbours. A model citizen before his palsy kicked in, while predictably low on self-awareness, James finds, with each new failure to fulfil old roles, he’s becoming increasingly disposable. And his lame efforts at self-determination take him beyond the pale.
Lee narrates this progressive unravelling with deliberate neutrality, the bland use of language matching James’s inner vacancy. Only once did the spell cast by Lee falter for me: at the climax. Which is not to fault the psycho-emotional logic of the act he describes; foreshadowed early on in the plot, it effects a kind of symmetry, and I doubt it would benefit from use of heightened language. But I might have found it more convincing had it been more fully imagined. The brief pitch-perfect coda that concludes Lee’s tale redeems it (in fact, for me it worked better than the coda to Kafka’s novella).
Of course Lee hasn’t written a wildly original, deathless classic. To do so in a world losing interest in serious novels isn’t an option. Still, his book is compelling, disturbing, elegant, darkly funny and relevant.
June 10, 2019
"This did not dismay James, it was just part of the natural cycle after all."
This was such an incredibly sad story. His life seems.....average. He has natural stresses of job and family, friends and home. James doesn't seem overly-stressed nor really 100% present in his life. It isn't until he wakes one morning to half his face no longer responds to his brain. His eye doesn't blink, his lips don't move up - it's as if he not longer controls half of it. He's quickly diagnosed with Bells Palsy and give time off work, told to rest and it should all work out and he should get feeling in the paralyzed part of his face in just a few weeks to around a month.
But this just the beginning of the story. From there, James struggles to find his new place in the world. I didn't find this horror - like a haunting or a crazy clown killer - but more a sad story about the value we place on ourselves and the stress to be who we think we should and how that shapes us. I had wished the story would turn to horror (I'm okay with paranormal or even a gory killer story) but instead this was just an unraveling of one man and his life and it's so hard to watch it. Not even 'train wreck I can't help but watch' but....just cringe-worth moments that were deeply saddening. I wish I'd liked it more.
This was such an incredibly sad story. His life seems.....average. He has natural stresses of job and family, friends and home. James doesn't seem overly-stressed nor really 100% present in his life. It isn't until he wakes one morning to half his face no longer responds to his brain. His eye doesn't blink, his lips don't move up - it's as if he not longer controls half of it. He's quickly diagnosed with Bells Palsy and give time off work, told to rest and it should all work out and he should get feeling in the paralyzed part of his face in just a few weeks to around a month.
But this just the beginning of the story. From there, James struggles to find his new place in the world. I didn't find this horror - like a haunting or a crazy clown killer - but more a sad story about the value we place on ourselves and the stress to be who we think we should and how that shapes us. I had wished the story would turn to horror (I'm okay with paranormal or even a gory killer story) but instead this was just an unraveling of one man and his life and it's so hard to watch it. Not even 'train wreck I can't help but watch' but....just cringe-worth moments that were deeply saddening. I wish I'd liked it more.
April 15, 2018
3.5 stars
This book depicts the affect a medical condition has on unraveling an individual existence.
At the opening of the book James Orr wakes up to find that the left hand side of his face had collapsed. A diagnosis of Bells Palsy follows and James finds that his life has altered from its norm.
James is happily married to Sarah and they have two young children. He is a successful project manager, living in the perfect house on a friendly estate and the chair of the estate committee.
James is told it will take 6 weeks to two months for his face to return to normal. He fills his days wandering in the local wood and resting. Sarah has given him a list of jobs to do around the house but he is unable to apply himself to these tasks.
As Jame's begins to disengage with his surroundings we also perceive holes in his narration. The question arises; is James being objectified for his illness or is he behaving badly. His inner dialogue is so inclusive and justifying that you need to pause and listen to it in it's complexity to comprehend another reality.
Overall an enjoyable tale of the fragility of life; what we value and what will bring us unstuck.
This book depicts the affect a medical condition has on unraveling an individual existence.
At the opening of the book James Orr wakes up to find that the left hand side of his face had collapsed. A diagnosis of Bells Palsy follows and James finds that his life has altered from its norm.
James is happily married to Sarah and they have two young children. He is a successful project manager, living in the perfect house on a friendly estate and the chair of the estate committee.
James is told it will take 6 weeks to two months for his face to return to normal. He fills his days wandering in the local wood and resting. Sarah has given him a list of jobs to do around the house but he is unable to apply himself to these tasks.
As Jame's begins to disengage with his surroundings we also perceive holes in his narration. The question arises; is James being objectified for his illness or is he behaving badly. His inner dialogue is so inclusive and justifying that you need to pause and listen to it in it's complexity to comprehend another reality.
Overall an enjoyable tale of the fragility of life; what we value and what will bring us unstuck.
August 28, 2023
A quick read that can be easily finished in one sitting. It reminded me a bit of The Trial by Kafka. James wakes up with half his face paralysed, unable to speak without slurring or blink, causing his affected eye to spew tears at the most awkward moments. His face causes his wife and neighbours to view him with disgust and contempt. His jokes fall on dead ears, and due to his inability to speak normally, are usually misunderstood and cause offence. Slowly everyone in the neighbourhood starts to shun him.
I liked the theme of surveillance, and the way in which the reader gets to see James alone and in the presence of others. When alone, James acts in ways he knows are immoral (such as staring at the lovers in the car, or walking into the hermit's residence and snooping around), whilst desperately trying to convey himself as an upstanding member of the community.
His palsy highlights the role of the masks we use in society, and what happens when the mask falls and our true nature is revealed.
I liked the theme of surveillance, and the way in which the reader gets to see James alone and in the presence of others. When alone, James acts in ways he knows are immoral (such as staring at the lovers in the car, or walking into the hermit's residence and snooping around), whilst desperately trying to convey himself as an upstanding member of the community.
His palsy highlights the role of the masks we use in society, and what happens when the mask falls and our true nature is revealed.
April 17, 2024
The delicate balance of life and how it may be transformed through illness - and changes in one’s circumstances - is explored in this contemporary suburban noir.
Easy to read, James Orr’s palsy reminds us of the fragility of our lives, and that their respective tenures are seldom static; but vital and dynamic events, responsive to so many variables.
Tom Lee’s debut novel, first published in 2017, concludes with a cleverly crafted repositioning of the protagonist into the abode and role of the hunchback and herbalist known as Matthews the Hairyman.
The irony in ‘The Alarming Palsy of James Orr’ is although the existence of such as character as Matthews was formerly regarded as improbable by Orr, Orr’s own metamorphosis into this eremitical persona from the late seventeen hundreds is complete.
Orr’s juxtaposition into Matthews’ Victorian folly in the woods “pockmarked with age and washed green with moss” is complete when he closes his one good eye in the penultimate sentence of this fable of considerable power and skill.
Easy to read, James Orr’s palsy reminds us of the fragility of our lives, and that their respective tenures are seldom static; but vital and dynamic events, responsive to so many variables.
Tom Lee’s debut novel, first published in 2017, concludes with a cleverly crafted repositioning of the protagonist into the abode and role of the hunchback and herbalist known as Matthews the Hairyman.
The irony in ‘The Alarming Palsy of James Orr’ is although the existence of such as character as Matthews was formerly regarded as improbable by Orr, Orr’s own metamorphosis into this eremitical persona from the late seventeen hundreds is complete.
Orr’s juxtaposition into Matthews’ Victorian folly in the woods “pockmarked with age and washed green with moss” is complete when he closes his one good eye in the penultimate sentence of this fable of considerable power and skill.
August 28, 2020
What seems to be a normal tale builds to increasing unease and panic as James becomes further and further detached from his life after being afflicted with Bell’s Palsy. On the one hand you root for James to get better and on the other hand you’ve known from the first page something in this story is not quite right. Why is his wife so uninvolved? Why do his doctor and his boss seem so matter of fact about what is happening to him? Why is James disappearing from his life? In fact, by the end you simply wonder, who is James anyway? Am I reading what I thought I was reading? The answer isn’t there so you have to formulate it for yourself. Overall I found this to be a disturbing but brilliant tale about our anonymity, our identity, our purpose, and the way our interactions with others can help create who we are. I think this is going to haunt me for a bit.
July 6, 2019
The title is by far the most alarming part of this book...and it is what sucked me in and continued my interest in seeing what else would happen in the life of James Orr. I definitely would not consider this a creepy horror or even one that is out of the ordinary of every day life. After all, we all face the fear of illness, unknown or known in our lives and how they would affect our families. This is exactly what has happened to James Orr...he awaken one day to find half his face paralyzed by Bell's Palsy. While devastating, I think it just opened his eyes to what was going on in his family already, things that he just hadn't accepted yet. Still worth the read as this is a very short novel.
Not sure it's enough for me to look for other's by this author.
Not sure it's enough for me to look for other's by this author.
August 17, 2019
This little book, a quick and curious read, might stay with you for a while. James awakes one morning to find his face totally transformed—he has been struck with Bell's palsy, a facial paralysis affecting only one side of the face. What might seem a minor and temporary annoyance for many becomes a totally life- and mind-altering experience for James: he feels is no longer welcome at work, rejected by his community, and seemingly out of place in his own home. He tries to adapts at first but, as the condition does not improve, he becomes more and more withdrawn and reclusive, eventually reaching a bizarre conclusion. Comparisons to Kafka and suggestions of movie potential abound in various reviews. Strangely, I was also reminded of E.L. Doctorow's "Wakefield".
April 28, 2019
So the message of this book is what? Don't get palsy because it will make you an outcast and everyone in your life will turn against you? That getting palsy turns you into the world's biggest douche? That you've been a douche all along? Great. I'll be sure not to get palsy now. Thanks for the reminder (?)
The only positive thing I can say about this book is that the chapters are short and easily digestible. You can fly through this book with no problems. I wish more books were written this way.
The only positive thing I can say about this book is that the chapters are short and easily digestible. You can fly through this book with no problems. I wish more books were written this way.
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