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Major Inversions
Your roommate says you should date more, that all those spandex nights on stage paying tribute to hair metal and banging faceless groupies only amplify your Jekyll/Hyde syndrome. That this quicksand town of floozies, fiends, and filmmakers will survive without your commercial jingles. And your narcotics. That you should turn in your daytime security-guard badge and settle down. He's got the perfect girl, a cinnamon-scented innocent who will bring that elusive substance to your life despite the familial forces that conspire against your union.
Always lurking in the periphery, the roommate remains buried in his Master's thesis throughout your reinvention, the search for your birth parents, and your all-too-brief film scoring career. A supporting cast of lecherous directors, deluded bandmates, federal agents, and nostalgic exes obstruct your path to closure and ironic revenge in this "revisionist character study."
Always lurking in the periphery, the roommate remains buried in his Master's thesis throughout your reinvention, the search for your birth parents, and your all-too-brief film scoring career. A supporting cast of lecherous directors, deluded bandmates, federal agents, and nostalgic exes obstruct your path to closure and ironic revenge in this "revisionist character study."
276 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
1 person is currently reading
83 people want to read
About the author
Gordon Highland
9 books42 followersGordon Highland is the author of the novels Flashover and Major Inversions, as well as Submission Windows: a collection of stories and verse. He's published short stories in Word Riot, Noir at the Bar 2, Warmed and Bound, Black Heart Magazine, and many others. Gordon lives in the Kansas City area, where he makes videos by day and music by night.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 13, 2010
Gordon Highland’s debut novel, Major Inversions, takes a little while to get going, but the whole winds up being greater than the sum of its parts.
Odds are you won’t like the main character, Drew Ballard. He plays in a hair metal cover band, sleeps with groupies, works off and on as a security guard / commercial jingle writer (everyone is a ‘slash’ in Highland’s town), does too many drugs and torments his nerdy roommate, Barron Vaughn, more than he seemingly deserves. While some readers might have difficulty riding along with a narrator who’s more everyday annoying than psychotically hip, there’s a sense that somewhere along the line, Drew Ballard is going to get his due. It’s just a matter of where and when and by whom. The rules of plot conflict demand it.
For some readers, however, I can see them pulling off early, as there isn’t a clear plot struggle in the first 50 pages. It isn’t until the love interest—the cinnamon-scented Layla—appears on the scene (complicating the reader’s view of things) that there’s something more than a clever narrator who isn’t quite clever enough. Where Highland does succeed in those first fifty pages (and in the rest of the novel) is that Drew Ballard may be a creep, but he’s still funny; he may be self-centered, but he’s still astute regarding the world around him. In short, there’s enough on each page to sprinkle over some early plot unevenness. When I first read excerpts on Highland’s website (here: http://gdotcom.com/words/index.html), I thought the narrator’s voice was Nick Hornby casual-cool. By the end of the novel, I’d add in equal parts Chuck Palahniuk tone mixed in with pinches of Michael Chabon wordplay, Christopher Moore humor and Bret Easton Ellis psychosis. Because of this, Highland’s craft is able to lead where the plot initially falls behind.
Thankfully, the plot does come full on by the end. In the final pages, Highland delivers the goods where so many other authors fail, ending the novel on a high note that makes the reader consider all the little things along the way. The meta aspect of Major Inversions feels natural (as opposed to how forced it is with so many other works attempting to be unique with a tired trend), the town around Ballard is a full entity, and Highland knows when to poke holes in his own gimmicks (using guitar chords and lyrics) and one-liners. No, you still won’t like Drew Ballard, but the man has a story to tell. Three stars.
Odds are you won’t like the main character, Drew Ballard. He plays in a hair metal cover band, sleeps with groupies, works off and on as a security guard / commercial jingle writer (everyone is a ‘slash’ in Highland’s town), does too many drugs and torments his nerdy roommate, Barron Vaughn, more than he seemingly deserves. While some readers might have difficulty riding along with a narrator who’s more everyday annoying than psychotically hip, there’s a sense that somewhere along the line, Drew Ballard is going to get his due. It’s just a matter of where and when and by whom. The rules of plot conflict demand it.
For some readers, however, I can see them pulling off early, as there isn’t a clear plot struggle in the first 50 pages. It isn’t until the love interest—the cinnamon-scented Layla—appears on the scene (complicating the reader’s view of things) that there’s something more than a clever narrator who isn’t quite clever enough. Where Highland does succeed in those first fifty pages (and in the rest of the novel) is that Drew Ballard may be a creep, but he’s still funny; he may be self-centered, but he’s still astute regarding the world around him. In short, there’s enough on each page to sprinkle over some early plot unevenness. When I first read excerpts on Highland’s website (here: http://gdotcom.com/words/index.html), I thought the narrator’s voice was Nick Hornby casual-cool. By the end of the novel, I’d add in equal parts Chuck Palahniuk tone mixed in with pinches of Michael Chabon wordplay, Christopher Moore humor and Bret Easton Ellis psychosis. Because of this, Highland’s craft is able to lead where the plot initially falls behind.
Thankfully, the plot does come full on by the end. In the final pages, Highland delivers the goods where so many other authors fail, ending the novel on a high note that makes the reader consider all the little things along the way. The meta aspect of Major Inversions feels natural (as opposed to how forced it is with so many other works attempting to be unique with a tired trend), the town around Ballard is a full entity, and Highland knows when to poke holes in his own gimmicks (using guitar chords and lyrics) and one-liners. No, you still won’t like Drew Ballard, but the man has a story to tell. Three stars.
August 15, 2010
Major Inversions isn't the sort of book you can casually pick up and read. This book demands your attention. Usually I'd say that because the plot has enough complexity to ask more from you than average, but that's not the case here.
The demand from this book is in the prose. The subject matter isn't my cup of tea, but the language is rich, the choice of words meticulously thought out, and there are layers and undertones worth watching for. All that's great, but at times it feels like you're wading through syrup - tastes lovely, but it requires some effort.
Drew, the central character, is, I'd say fairly obnoxious, but Gordon successfully manages to pull you into his corner by feeding you with subtleties about his character that encourage you to make allowances for him. That and the humour. There are several laugh out loud moments throughout that had me running to the wife and saying "hey, listen to this bit".
Well worth a read.
The demand from this book is in the prose. The subject matter isn't my cup of tea, but the language is rich, the choice of words meticulously thought out, and there are layers and undertones worth watching for. All that's great, but at times it feels like you're wading through syrup - tastes lovely, but it requires some effort.
Drew, the central character, is, I'd say fairly obnoxious, but Gordon successfully manages to pull you into his corner by feeding you with subtleties about his character that encourage you to make allowances for him. That and the humour. There are several laugh out loud moments throughout that had me running to the wife and saying "hey, listen to this bit".
Well worth a read.
May 14, 2010
This novel blew my mind. I loved it.
I expected competence from Highland's debut novel, I assumed he could write well enough, but this novel didn't seem to be my thing; I couldn't tell where the story would lead or how it would manifest any depth, as these things go dangerously unadvertised in the book's description. In fact, the storyline alone is fantastic. Unexpected, interesting and moving, it covers all the points of a high-quality novel. Above that, the narrator is among the best I've read. Drew Ballard is a great character, illustrated with precision. He is astute, funny and clever, and the narrative is incredible — startling in its showmanship. From each well-constructed sentence to the next, the word-trickery strokes unloved parts of the modern word-nerd brain. It's through his signature dazzle-prose that Highland creates a master smart-ass of a protagonist. Drew Ballard is assuredly going to Hell, but like a wayward older brother, we secretly idolize him.
This book satisfies on so many levels, I'd recommend it to nearly anyone.
August 29, 2009
(this review originally appeared at Outsider Writers Collective
Gordon Highland’s Major Inversion is a first-person meta-tale dominated by the seductive and confident Drew Ballard, 80’s tribute and Jazz fusion guitarist by night, commercial jingle scribe and drug enthused security guard by day. Highland writes with a narrative voice so full of wit and humor, it would be wise to read with a cynical cock-blocking fat friend at your side; the hair-metal spandex and verbal dexterity can make a persuasive cocktail.
Cynically sarcastic, though driven once the “pale and thin – bookish” (27) Layla enters the fold, Ballard jokes his way from jingles to a legitimate film score job, and ultimately into Layla pants, eventually shedding his rock-whore stage persona in favor of exclusivity. But despite the promise, Ballard’s upward trend does not last.
Major Inversions incorporates metafictional elements to immerse the reader, beyond even the ability of Ballard’s wit. References to the book itself permeate the text (“I’m getting better at this putting-one-word-in-front-of-another thing…Little periods every now and then to break it up for your short-assed attention span” [76:]) and casual asides jolt the reader into introspection (when discussing his own adoption with a therapist the idea of journaling his experiences opens for the seemingly innocent, “Now there’s a novel idea” [238:]). But the most obvious and unique meta-element is the inclusion of song lyrics, complete with chord progressions, which act as distilled moments of clarity, delivered perhaps in the way Ballard naturally thinks:
During a scene when DEA agents break into Ballard’s home (143):
Am Bm7b5 Cmaj7
You can drown all your sorrows
B/Eb Eadd9
But they learn to swim
(NOTE: GoodReads's editor doesn't allow the chords to appear directly over their corresponding lyric. Trust me, in the print version the chords appear correctly. Click here for an example.)
With the early introduction of Barron Vaughn, Major Inversions begins its true arc. The cable installer turned roommate, true to his “reptilian” (43) features, integrates his way into Ballard’s residence then life then personal arc in surprising ways. He is the story’s lurking demon, an arresting presence in all his scenes.
Major Inversions, from its “shitty” opening scene, to its final tragicomic pages simply works. You will likely not read a funnier book for quite some time.
Gordon Highland’s Major Inversion is a first-person meta-tale dominated by the seductive and confident Drew Ballard, 80’s tribute and Jazz fusion guitarist by night, commercial jingle scribe and drug enthused security guard by day. Highland writes with a narrative voice so full of wit and humor, it would be wise to read with a cynical cock-blocking fat friend at your side; the hair-metal spandex and verbal dexterity can make a persuasive cocktail.
Cynically sarcastic, though driven once the “pale and thin – bookish” (27) Layla enters the fold, Ballard jokes his way from jingles to a legitimate film score job, and ultimately into Layla pants, eventually shedding his rock-whore stage persona in favor of exclusivity. But despite the promise, Ballard’s upward trend does not last.
Major Inversions incorporates metafictional elements to immerse the reader, beyond even the ability of Ballard’s wit. References to the book itself permeate the text (“I’m getting better at this putting-one-word-in-front-of-another thing…Little periods every now and then to break it up for your short-assed attention span” [76:]) and casual asides jolt the reader into introspection (when discussing his own adoption with a therapist the idea of journaling his experiences opens for the seemingly innocent, “Now there’s a novel idea” [238:]). But the most obvious and unique meta-element is the inclusion of song lyrics, complete with chord progressions, which act as distilled moments of clarity, delivered perhaps in the way Ballard naturally thinks:
During a scene when DEA agents break into Ballard’s home (143):
Am Bm7b5 Cmaj7
You can drown all your sorrows
B/Eb Eadd9
But they learn to swim
(NOTE: GoodReads's editor doesn't allow the chords to appear directly over their corresponding lyric. Trust me, in the print version the chords appear correctly. Click here for an example.)
With the early introduction of Barron Vaughn, Major Inversions begins its true arc. The cable installer turned roommate, true to his “reptilian” (43) features, integrates his way into Ballard’s residence then life then personal arc in surprising ways. He is the story’s lurking demon, an arresting presence in all his scenes.
Major Inversions, from its “shitty” opening scene, to its final tragicomic pages simply works. You will likely not read a funnier book for quite some time.
March 27, 2010
Drew Ballard is perhaps the least likely protagonist ever. For one, he’s not all that likable, being a drug-dealing and abusing rent-a-cop with musical talent – he plays in a hair metal tribute act, The Down Boys, a jazz fusion act called, Feu Jeune, and works as the jingle writer of choice for the Wilmington area. He’s also a slacker despite his workload, with no real goals beside the next gig. The only thing he wants to do with women is of the carnal desire. He really shouldn’t be the center of such an engaging and intriguing novel.
Consider the opening line: “My earliest memory is shitting in the bathtub.” Such an inauspicious line births the main theme of the novel, that of creation. The music, such as the wonderful chorus of jingle’s sprinkled through the novel (Grooves in the sand, innocence lost / A period in waiting, anxiety the cost), is the most obvious creation Drew gives us access to. The whole of the novel, too, is Drew’s creation, his own story and how he wants to tell it. He talks to the reader, admitting things are omitted or simply not as they really happened, though there is one reader in particular he is addressing.
The metafictional aspects of the novel are engaging, giving readers a layer to come back too once finishing. It brings more and more to the forefront that you didn’t quite get through the initial reading. With the format of a thriller, Highland undermines expectations, – pulling out the rug on subplots – but each thread he weaves is all in service to a great story. This is one of those novels that will completely exceed your initial impressions, throwing you for a loop as the twists start. Though he subtly foreshadows the ending near the beginning, you won’t see it coming. Everything is important in this novel, as pointless as it may seem. From his dealing and security guard day job to the music he creates and the people he meets – everything is working to the ultimate payoff. To tell you too much would ruin a surprising read, and I want nothing to do with such sins.
Consider the opening line: “My earliest memory is shitting in the bathtub.” Such an inauspicious line births the main theme of the novel, that of creation. The music, such as the wonderful chorus of jingle’s sprinkled through the novel (Grooves in the sand, innocence lost / A period in waiting, anxiety the cost), is the most obvious creation Drew gives us access to. The whole of the novel, too, is Drew’s creation, his own story and how he wants to tell it. He talks to the reader, admitting things are omitted or simply not as they really happened, though there is one reader in particular he is addressing.
The metafictional aspects of the novel are engaging, giving readers a layer to come back too once finishing. It brings more and more to the forefront that you didn’t quite get through the initial reading. With the format of a thriller, Highland undermines expectations, – pulling out the rug on subplots – but each thread he weaves is all in service to a great story. This is one of those novels that will completely exceed your initial impressions, throwing you for a loop as the twists start. Though he subtly foreshadows the ending near the beginning, you won’t see it coming. Everything is important in this novel, as pointless as it may seem. From his dealing and security guard day job to the music he creates and the people he meets – everything is working to the ultimate payoff. To tell you too much would ruin a surprising read, and I want nothing to do with such sins.
May 20, 2014
This review is for the audiobook version, available at Audible.com. 'Major Inversions' is a hilarious black comedy that oozes wit and intelligence, despite its protagonist and narrator being somewhat of an underachieving slacker. The most impressive part of the novel by far is the prose. You could literally open it to a page at random and fail to find a single line that resembles anything close to "bland" or "dry". Maybe it's a bit of a reach, but it almost reminded me of Nabokov in a way. The use of language and wit coupled with the concept of the narrator penning the story after committing a transgression and embarking on a cross-country trip a la 'Lolita', though, for the sake of spoilers I won't elaborate any further.
The novel hums along at a pretty good pace to begin with, following the daily routine of a drug dealing rent-a-cop by day, cheesy hair metal/fusion jazz musician by night. The 'Californication' comparisons are spot-on; a lot of comedic drug-fueled hedonism. The story takes on a tonal shift once Drew Ballard finally meets a woman that makes him fall in love and put childish things aside. And that's when things get REALLY interesting. The closing pages are full of enough twists and turns to require a neck brace after reading. A really fun read that should appeal to readers of quite a few different genres.
The novel hums along at a pretty good pace to begin with, following the daily routine of a drug dealing rent-a-cop by day, cheesy hair metal/fusion jazz musician by night. The 'Californication' comparisons are spot-on; a lot of comedic drug-fueled hedonism. The story takes on a tonal shift once Drew Ballard finally meets a woman that makes him fall in love and put childish things aside. And that's when things get REALLY interesting. The closing pages are full of enough twists and turns to require a neck brace after reading. A really fun read that should appeal to readers of quite a few different genres.
July 4, 2010
This is a funny, dark book, that stays with you. If you like 80s music, hair bands, pop culture, and humor, then this is the book for you. I've seen references to Nick Hornby, and that is a great example, correlation. This was a fun read, very enjoyable.
May 14, 2014
Major Inversons is written and narrated into audiobook format by Gordon Highland. The Author suggests one: "reads the synopsis first... as the book is Hilarious and Profane." Profound is more accurate. The book starts out at a fast pace, due to my belief that the author was high on adderal at the time of this books writing. The further you listen to the semi-coherent monologue the slower and more sober the story gets. I am not saying slow as in boring but the pace of the reading slows down and life is seen through less hazy eyes. Truly as Drew sobers up and faces life the speed of the reading by the narrator slows as if he too is coming down from a long and righteous high.The tone is truly that of a new millennium slacker ( A Term of Endearment). When Drew, the part-time security guard, musician in a band; that plays 80's Hair Metal or whatever the client is willing to pay for, local tv and radio jingle writer, and drug distributor, writes his narcissistic story of a life not lived but survived, you feel ever bump and psychological pummeling.
When a new roommate/dungeon master comments that Drew doesn't date much and suggests a hook up, with a girl said roommate knows. The addition of a regular XX chromosome into Drews life changes everything,
as Her father gets Drew a gig scoring a movie and Drew in turn uses his own band for some of the music.
So many connections, twists and turns, and all done at the speed of light. Taking a Valium to slow down the pace of the first 3/4 of this book would be advised if I was a doctor, but I am not.To make it through to the abrupt end of this audiobook feels like an accomplishment, much like leaving rehab, you feel better but aren't a big fan of sharing the experience or recommending it to others.If a funny semi-coherent plot and some bad jingle singing is what your probation officer recommends then this is the audiobook for you.
Perry Martin 5/13/14
When a new roommate/dungeon master comments that Drew doesn't date much and suggests a hook up, with a girl said roommate knows. The addition of a regular XX chromosome into Drews life changes everything,
as Her father gets Drew a gig scoring a movie and Drew in turn uses his own band for some of the music.
So many connections, twists and turns, and all done at the speed of light. Taking a Valium to slow down the pace of the first 3/4 of this book would be advised if I was a doctor, but I am not.To make it through to the abrupt end of this audiobook feels like an accomplishment, much like leaving rehab, you feel better but aren't a big fan of sharing the experience or recommending it to others.If a funny semi-coherent plot and some bad jingle singing is what your probation officer recommends then this is the audiobook for you.
Perry Martin 5/13/14
March 29, 2010
Major Inversions surprised me, and in the good way.
Drew Ballard writes commercial jingles and plays in various bands, ranging from white-collar jazz gigs to glam rock 80's bands. Oh, and he's also a part-time drug dealer and security guard. The line between his interests and the way he makes money is definitely blurry. He is funny, self-deprecating, and even a bit cocky. His life seems to be a semi-functional equilibrium of loneliness, drugs, music, and interior observations, and the first few chapters coast well on the reader's schadenfreude. But each seemingly disconnected scene seems to bring us deeper down a rabbit hole that we didn't know that we were in until it was over our heads, and the only way to see light again is to dig deeper. Patterns begin to emerge. Mysterious intrusions by the narrator into his own tale begin serve as a reminder to the reader that there is something waiting for them at the end of the tunnel.
Well worth the read, and it reminded me that the books that truly stay with you are the ones that fuck with your head without you ever knowing it.
Well done, Mr. Highland. Can't wait to see what this guy's imagination comes up with next.
Drew Ballard writes commercial jingles and plays in various bands, ranging from white-collar jazz gigs to glam rock 80's bands. Oh, and he's also a part-time drug dealer and security guard. The line between his interests and the way he makes money is definitely blurry. He is funny, self-deprecating, and even a bit cocky. His life seems to be a semi-functional equilibrium of loneliness, drugs, music, and interior observations, and the first few chapters coast well on the reader's schadenfreude. But each seemingly disconnected scene seems to bring us deeper down a rabbit hole that we didn't know that we were in until it was over our heads, and the only way to see light again is to dig deeper. Patterns begin to emerge. Mysterious intrusions by the narrator into his own tale begin serve as a reminder to the reader that there is something waiting for them at the end of the tunnel.
Well worth the read, and it reminded me that the books that truly stay with you are the ones that fuck with your head without you ever knowing it.
Well done, Mr. Highland. Can't wait to see what this guy's imagination comes up with next.
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