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Catapult Soul
Some consider this a serious story about love, art, and the madness in embracing both. Others consider it a tortured artist satire in disguise.
- GenresCounter CultureFiction
600 pages, Paperback
First published March 22, 2009
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308 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 21, 2009
I liken this work to a "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" mixed with the collective consciousness of the alternative community and the dry humor of Oscar Wilde. The story includes several backdrops, e.g. the lives of tortured artists, the life of Jesus Christ, the beginning of the Industrial Age, the end of the Pittsburgh steel mill area, and ultimately the post-9/11 world where the main story is set.
In the first chapter, you learn about a little-known fact in a disputed history of the steel-making process involving the rich vs. the poor, circa 1850. Then you move into the life of the protagonist and narrator, Vincent "V" Vallano, circa 1999, who is about to move from Pittsburgh to attend a private college in Northern Maryland. V is a sarcastic toughguy with a penchant for the arts. He was raised by a bibulous steel-miller (his father) and a Sicilian immigrant (his mother). Because of his friends' indulgence in drugs and violence, and his desire to get away from it, V constantly feels alienated, with the exception of his best friend, Pessi, who V feels never got a fair shot at life. Although the story begins with V yearning for a better life---"to have a million dollars to roll around in"---he is still very much a reflection of his lower-class environment. He is violent, hooked on drugs, and angry at the world.
At college, V becomes close with his English professor, Dr. Rosenbaum, who is a funny wisecracker with a youthful heart. From V's perspective, Dr. Rosenbaum is an aged and wiser version of himself who, he believes, can provide him with the direction he needs to become successful. V also meets Ivy Pineda, coincidentally at a party in Pittsburgh. She lives next to the college and is also a freshman. V falls for Ivy, while Ivy's best friend, Teresa "Squawk" Cazzata, pairs up with Pessi, who moves down to Maryland to live with Teresa. They embark on a reckless drug journey, while Ivy seeks to straighten out V. Meanwhile, demons from V's past start sneaking up on him. There's a steady rise in the pressure on himself to become an Ubermensch, a superhero figure in society. Then 9/11 occurs and V's burgeoning call to become a writer finally breaks through, pushing him to escape the chaos of the world to transform into what he believes will be an eternal artist like his literary hero Stephen Dedalus. What follows is an emotional, delusional, and realistic portrayal of the makings of an artist who defies everything, sometimes comically, sometimes seriously, in his defense of art.
The work itself is brilliantly weaved together with Nabokovian prose, Nietzschean vs. Christian philosophy, Romantic poetry, postmodern and anti-postmodern devices, multi-layered puns, catch-22s, and at times, anti-establishment ranting. Although not short on humor, the story strikes the reader as something to be taken seriously. But there's an outer-contextual element, stemming from the questionable narrative voice, that seems to say this might not be so serious after all. In other words, a cleverly disguised satire that will leave you wondering "What's this book really about?", "Whose story really is this??" and ultimately "Should I laugh or cry?"
No matter how you read "Catapult Soul," you'll be engaged in a beautifully detailed story about family, friends, love, and insanity.
In the first chapter, you learn about a little-known fact in a disputed history of the steel-making process involving the rich vs. the poor, circa 1850. Then you move into the life of the protagonist and narrator, Vincent "V" Vallano, circa 1999, who is about to move from Pittsburgh to attend a private college in Northern Maryland. V is a sarcastic toughguy with a penchant for the arts. He was raised by a bibulous steel-miller (his father) and a Sicilian immigrant (his mother). Because of his friends' indulgence in drugs and violence, and his desire to get away from it, V constantly feels alienated, with the exception of his best friend, Pessi, who V feels never got a fair shot at life. Although the story begins with V yearning for a better life---"to have a million dollars to roll around in"---he is still very much a reflection of his lower-class environment. He is violent, hooked on drugs, and angry at the world.
At college, V becomes close with his English professor, Dr. Rosenbaum, who is a funny wisecracker with a youthful heart. From V's perspective, Dr. Rosenbaum is an aged and wiser version of himself who, he believes, can provide him with the direction he needs to become successful. V also meets Ivy Pineda, coincidentally at a party in Pittsburgh. She lives next to the college and is also a freshman. V falls for Ivy, while Ivy's best friend, Teresa "Squawk" Cazzata, pairs up with Pessi, who moves down to Maryland to live with Teresa. They embark on a reckless drug journey, while Ivy seeks to straighten out V. Meanwhile, demons from V's past start sneaking up on him. There's a steady rise in the pressure on himself to become an Ubermensch, a superhero figure in society. Then 9/11 occurs and V's burgeoning call to become a writer finally breaks through, pushing him to escape the chaos of the world to transform into what he believes will be an eternal artist like his literary hero Stephen Dedalus. What follows is an emotional, delusional, and realistic portrayal of the makings of an artist who defies everything, sometimes comically, sometimes seriously, in his defense of art.
The work itself is brilliantly weaved together with Nabokovian prose, Nietzschean vs. Christian philosophy, Romantic poetry, postmodern and anti-postmodern devices, multi-layered puns, catch-22s, and at times, anti-establishment ranting. Although not short on humor, the story strikes the reader as something to be taken seriously. But there's an outer-contextual element, stemming from the questionable narrative voice, that seems to say this might not be so serious after all. In other words, a cleverly disguised satire that will leave you wondering "What's this book really about?", "Whose story really is this??" and ultimately "Should I laugh or cry?"
No matter how you read "Catapult Soul," you'll be engaged in a beautifully detailed story about family, friends, love, and insanity.
August 28, 2009
"Catapult Soul" is a remarkable work of heart and soul. The protagonist is Vincent "V" Vallano, a sarcastic but lovable outcast. The story begins with V giving a short historical account of Pittsburgh and the steel industry, humorously detailing how a poor Pittsburgher invented the steel-making process but because of bankruptcy was bought out by a wealthy Englishman. Then it jumps to V's home life. His mother is a shy immigrant from Sicily and his father is a hateful steel miller. At the beginning of the story, it's implied that V is around 17 because he's "getting things ready" and by the third chapter he's off to a private college in Maryland where he soon falls in love with Ivy Pineda. She might be the only sane person in the story, meaning she doesn't have much baggage, she's pretty levelheaded, and lives a typical suburban life. In V's eyes, she's an innocent sweetheart whose beauty is unmatched, which means he needs to"power up" on her hair forever because it has a magical taste he can't resist (this tongue-in-cheek phenomenon is better illustrated by him). However, he starts things off on the wrong foot because after finally chewing on her hair all night in an orchard, he ends up breaking his leg at party, semi-OD'ing on painkillers, and blowing her off for a week. Light problems compared to what follows...
V's best friend also decides to move down to Maryland to be with Ivy's best friend. They become addicted to heroin, and V is left trying to save his best friend. One by one, bigger problems unfold, such as the events of 9/11, V accumulating school loans and credit card debt, the potential foreclosure of his childhood home, and his calling to become an artist and to do it now. What's remarkable about "Catapult Soul" is that you experience the beauty of language in many different styles. The dialogue is spot-on, though it took some time to adjust to it. There's literally thousands of wordplays and allusions, which reminded me of Joyce but without putting a burden on the story. There's also narrative tricks and symbols that call the entire story into question, which begins on the title page and ends on the back cover. Truth be told, it's not until the second half of the book that things break free from your standard coming-of-age story. Chapter 22 is probably the most notable aspect of the work when V goes on a bombastic tear, fighting against the invisible evils he sees plaguing society. This is also where you get acquainted with the "real" V and the love story (the main focus of Part I and II) breaks open into a deluge of new perspectives. Despite having many postmodern features, the story blatantly rejects being called postmodern. V insists and even demonstrates how he's "real" and how this book is not a postmodern fictional work but an autobiographical work struggling to "catch up" to his present state, which, for me, turned it into a satire on both postmodernism and tortured artist stories. Hands down one of the most rewarding books I've read. Funny, experimental, classical, challenging, and emotional all in one.
V's best friend also decides to move down to Maryland to be with Ivy's best friend. They become addicted to heroin, and V is left trying to save his best friend. One by one, bigger problems unfold, such as the events of 9/11, V accumulating school loans and credit card debt, the potential foreclosure of his childhood home, and his calling to become an artist and to do it now. What's remarkable about "Catapult Soul" is that you experience the beauty of language in many different styles. The dialogue is spot-on, though it took some time to adjust to it. There's literally thousands of wordplays and allusions, which reminded me of Joyce but without putting a burden on the story. There's also narrative tricks and symbols that call the entire story into question, which begins on the title page and ends on the back cover. Truth be told, it's not until the second half of the book that things break free from your standard coming-of-age story. Chapter 22 is probably the most notable aspect of the work when V goes on a bombastic tear, fighting against the invisible evils he sees plaguing society. This is also where you get acquainted with the "real" V and the love story (the main focus of Part I and II) breaks open into a deluge of new perspectives. Despite having many postmodern features, the story blatantly rejects being called postmodern. V insists and even demonstrates how he's "real" and how this book is not a postmodern fictional work but an autobiographical work struggling to "catch up" to his present state, which, for me, turned it into a satire on both postmodernism and tortured artist stories. Hands down one of the most rewarding books I've read. Funny, experimental, classical, challenging, and emotional all in one.
October 7, 2009
This was one of the longer and more involved books I've read. The love story hit home because I went through many of the same things with my ex. The mental breakdowns were also interesting and believable. I'm still trying to piece together the broader picture of the story. I was told it's a dark satire. However, though it has it's funny parts and characters, the story comes off as serious, especially since it insists on being taken seriously. Maybe that's the satire itself. All in all, it's a well-balanced emotional story with a beautiful combination of poetry, prose, psychology, and philosophy.
January 13, 2010
Taken from my Amazon Review:
And everything else looks cowardly in comparison, January 12, 2010
I don't really write reviews. In fact I was just reading reviews of books I recently read to see how people are doing it nowadays. Apparently literary analysis is out and the way to go is, if you had any problem at all, then unleash your negativity on the author based on what you imagine them to be like in real life. Poor so-and-so haha.
Anyway, here's the deal with this book. It's nothing short of a masterpiece. What's a masterpiece in light of a book that's not immensely popular and written by an author still in his 20s? It's when none of that matters because you have a book that doesn't just dare to be courageous; it IS courageous; prose that's well-crafted with sentences most writers couldn't string together if their life depended on it; a plot that throws itself into an array of difficult issues, some old, some new; and an author who develops a distinct voice that can't be compared to contemporaries.
My last remark is crucial. On my social networking sites, younger writers are constantly pitching their books to me saying they're like so-and-so. Well, if I wanted a book like so-and-so I would just buy so-and-so's book. (We certainly live in an age of desperate mimicry, even in the way we review books.) However, I'm going to make mine personal because I know Brian from Facebook. I was intrigued by him because of his funny and profound status updates. When I found out he wrote a book, I asked him who he would compare himself to. His response was (verbatim), "Well, I write a lot like myself." And that attitude carries over into this work. It's filled with many references and devotions but it's distinctly and undeniably written by Brian Celio. He said it first and indirectly; I'm saying it second and directly: Catapult Soul can't be compared to another book and it's a book that could never be successfully mimicked.
Now onto the story. Truthfully I couldn't sell this book based on the plot. In many ways it's too simple and conventional. It's more character-driven and held up by the multi-dimensional unraveling and sprawlings of Vincent Vallano. What I love about Vallano is that a "rebel" literary character finally shines through at 100%. Although I love books by Joyce, Salinger, Thompson, and the rest of the cult writers, none of their characters deliver the full uppercut to the face of society. Dedalus walks away from his oppressors but does it rather sweet and kindly; Holden simply leaves schools and calls everybody phony behind their back; Duke and Gonzo resort to drugs in the extreme while throwing a few jabs that mock American culture. But nothing TOO angry. Nothing that poses a REAL threat. It's always been that way and hey, that's exactly why nothing has changed. Again, don't get me wrong: I love those authors and characters but there's no full assault, no bull charge into the machine. But with Vallano you get just that: someone who rises up out of the confines of their character to say, "F YOU EVERYBODY AND EVERYTHING!" And it doesn't just stop there. He's unabashed about it, clever in his reasoning, lovable in his style, and most important, sincere in suggestions for change. It's not just about an attitude; it's about a way of life. Which brings me back to being courageous. See, it's easy to appeal to what's popular and just as easy to criticize what's popular, but it's immensely hard to go against both for the sake of what's true in your heart and do it without forgoing rational thought. In other words, without just being a blathering loudmouth recusant. Ironic enough that in light of someone who takes up a fight against all, the biggest fight remains with himself, and here lies the tricky underside of this work: for someone with a sincere and blatant loathing for the status quo as well as the movements against the status quo, the problem isn't so much as how to solve it all, but whether or not to try knowing what it might cost. This is where love, the timeless notion of being in love with someone, comes into play to throw everything out of balance. What you're left with is someone who wants to change the big world but it's causing him to struggle to keep his little world intact. Think of it as "when worlds collide," but with the illusion of one world being bigger and the other smaller, yet perhaps having more weight.
Well, this probably helped nobody haha. But I promised to write a review and these are the things that intrigued me. Well-developed memorable characters. A fearless, clever, and sincere protagonist. A courageous and immensely talented author. Layered juxtapositions within the story itself as well as against its outward reaching aims at the real world. A classical-plotted story, with an ingenious twist to how it plays out. But just when you think you understand it all, there's a startling revelation coded into the back cover that makes you rethink what you just finished.
And everything else looks cowardly in comparison, January 12, 2010
I don't really write reviews. In fact I was just reading reviews of books I recently read to see how people are doing it nowadays. Apparently literary analysis is out and the way to go is, if you had any problem at all, then unleash your negativity on the author based on what you imagine them to be like in real life. Poor so-and-so haha.
Anyway, here's the deal with this book. It's nothing short of a masterpiece. What's a masterpiece in light of a book that's not immensely popular and written by an author still in his 20s? It's when none of that matters because you have a book that doesn't just dare to be courageous; it IS courageous; prose that's well-crafted with sentences most writers couldn't string together if their life depended on it; a plot that throws itself into an array of difficult issues, some old, some new; and an author who develops a distinct voice that can't be compared to contemporaries.
My last remark is crucial. On my social networking sites, younger writers are constantly pitching their books to me saying they're like so-and-so. Well, if I wanted a book like so-and-so I would just buy so-and-so's book. (We certainly live in an age of desperate mimicry, even in the way we review books.) However, I'm going to make mine personal because I know Brian from Facebook. I was intrigued by him because of his funny and profound status updates. When I found out he wrote a book, I asked him who he would compare himself to. His response was (verbatim), "Well, I write a lot like myself." And that attitude carries over into this work. It's filled with many references and devotions but it's distinctly and undeniably written by Brian Celio. He said it first and indirectly; I'm saying it second and directly: Catapult Soul can't be compared to another book and it's a book that could never be successfully mimicked.
Now onto the story. Truthfully I couldn't sell this book based on the plot. In many ways it's too simple and conventional. It's more character-driven and held up by the multi-dimensional unraveling and sprawlings of Vincent Vallano. What I love about Vallano is that a "rebel" literary character finally shines through at 100%. Although I love books by Joyce, Salinger, Thompson, and the rest of the cult writers, none of their characters deliver the full uppercut to the face of society. Dedalus walks away from his oppressors but does it rather sweet and kindly; Holden simply leaves schools and calls everybody phony behind their back; Duke and Gonzo resort to drugs in the extreme while throwing a few jabs that mock American culture. But nothing TOO angry. Nothing that poses a REAL threat. It's always been that way and hey, that's exactly why nothing has changed. Again, don't get me wrong: I love those authors and characters but there's no full assault, no bull charge into the machine. But with Vallano you get just that: someone who rises up out of the confines of their character to say, "F YOU EVERYBODY AND EVERYTHING!" And it doesn't just stop there. He's unabashed about it, clever in his reasoning, lovable in his style, and most important, sincere in suggestions for change. It's not just about an attitude; it's about a way of life. Which brings me back to being courageous. See, it's easy to appeal to what's popular and just as easy to criticize what's popular, but it's immensely hard to go against both for the sake of what's true in your heart and do it without forgoing rational thought. In other words, without just being a blathering loudmouth recusant. Ironic enough that in light of someone who takes up a fight against all, the biggest fight remains with himself, and here lies the tricky underside of this work: for someone with a sincere and blatant loathing for the status quo as well as the movements against the status quo, the problem isn't so much as how to solve it all, but whether or not to try knowing what it might cost. This is where love, the timeless notion of being in love with someone, comes into play to throw everything out of balance. What you're left with is someone who wants to change the big world but it's causing him to struggle to keep his little world intact. Think of it as "when worlds collide," but with the illusion of one world being bigger and the other smaller, yet perhaps having more weight.
Well, this probably helped nobody haha. But I promised to write a review and these are the things that intrigued me. Well-developed memorable characters. A fearless, clever, and sincere protagonist. A courageous and immensely talented author. Layered juxtapositions within the story itself as well as against its outward reaching aims at the real world. A classical-plotted story, with an ingenious twist to how it plays out. But just when you think you understand it all, there's a startling revelation coded into the back cover that makes you rethink what you just finished.
January 16, 2010
I want 5 Vs in my life. I would send the first V to beat the crap out of the cast of "Jersey Shore." I would send the second V to berate the academic elite. I would send the third V to outwit all the meaningless postmodern writers. I would send the fourth V to make fun of all the trite commercial writers. I would send the fifth V to destroy drug dealers, wife beaters, and racist assholes.
All of this more or less happens in the story. But call it wishful thinking for the future.
All of this more or less happens in the story. But call it wishful thinking for the future.
November 9, 2023
3.5 stars.
January 13, 2010
the punk rock anthem for literary hearts. i kept wondering if the author was a fan of the refused then towards the end there's a reference to "the shape of punk to come." that sealed the deal for me. awesome love story. awesome punk rock ethics. never read anything like it before. i'll be reading it again in the near future.
"a naive young secret for the new romantics:
we express ourselves in a loud and fashionable way"
"a naive young secret for the new romantics:
we express ourselves in a loud and fashionable way"
October 17, 2009
I haven't read this book yet but the author held me against my will and forced me to do this. I'm sure it's great though, despite his brutal demands. I'm all for separating the artist from the art anyway.
On second thought, I DID read this book. I'm just horrible at reviews. I liked that V a lot, like a lot a lot, like in a really sinful way.
On second thought, I DID read this book. I'm just horrible at reviews. I liked that V a lot, like a lot a lot, like in a really sinful way.
May 29, 2010
love love LOVED this book! took me about three months to finish it but the ending was well worth it. got closure and a better understanding of what was actually going on but still many interpretations left open and meanings to explore. loved that the book is constantly tricky and layered while being so heartfelt and engaging. never read anything like it. beautifully detailed!
February 23, 2010
Didn't let me down one bit. Not only a pioneering force in the exploration of an alienated artist but one of the greatest love stories imaginable. An incredible display of endurance through hardship. Moved me on so many levels. Good job and thank you!
February 28, 2010
pretty damn good and crazy. pretty funny at times too. wins award for the most cussin i've read in a book. only drawback was its longer than what i'm used to and i felt pretty beat up by the end.
November 9, 2009
very good book
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews