You may have seen the movie years ago, as I did, but my son recently read this and loved it and I love reading what my kids have read. I can see why my son loved it — it is basically the musings of a 35 year old man-child. It’s a coming-of-age story of a typical commitment-fearing, self-absorbed, regular guy, Rob, who realizes that his life is falling apart, after his girlfriend leaves him and his record store is failing. As he seeks to sort himself out, by running through his various older failed relationships, he works his way back to finding himself and actually growing into the adult he’s supposed to have been all this time.
What is engaging about this book is the humor. The sarcasm is great and there are some extraordinarily memorable lines. (A particular favorite: “I’ve been thinking with my guts since I was fourteen years old, and frankly speaking, between you and me, I have come to the conclusion that my guts have shit for brains.” page 315) And a recurring theme is the top 5 lists that Rob shares throughout the story, which are fun. Many relate to music, as he is the owner of a record store (during the days of transition from LP’s to CD’s) and this is fun.
It’s less of a story (as not all that much actually happens), and more of a continuous stream of thoughts, but they are fun thoughts and very relatable (if that is even a word). Enjoy!
kindread spirits 