Monday, April 11, 2005
I was on a roll, in the mood, ready for another good book, so rather than risk ruining it (and thus being forced to do some cleaning instead) I pulled out Home Land by Sam Lipsyte which I knew I'd love and have been saving for the right time. Well, I was right - I did love it. I settled in and spent the afternoon laughing my way through it. It's basically a series of hysterical updates to the Eastern Valley High School Alumni Newsletter from a man who simply did not "pan out", describing his dead end life, ex-girlfriend, stoner best friend, and various other acquaintances. If I start quoting favorite passages I'd be here all day, so here's the first one that made me totally lose it:
"Yes, fellow alums, we're boasting bright lights aplenty these days, serious comers, future leaders in their fields. Hell, we've even got a fellow who double-majored in philosophy and aquatic life management in college and still found time for a national squash title. Think about it, Catamounts. We didn't have squash at Eastern Valley. We didn't have tennis, either, unless you count that trick with the steel hairbrush and the catgut racquet whereby the butt skin of the weak was flayed. Point being, this boy, Will Paulsen (may he rest in peace), left our New Jersey burg without the faintest notion of squash, yet mastered it enough to beat the pants off every prep school Biff in the land, and still carry a four point zero in the question of Why Does the Universe Exist Underwater?"
Hee! And that's just the second page. I'm definitely getting his other books.
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"Yes, fellow alums, we're boasting bright lights aplenty these days, serious comers, future leaders in their fields. Hell, we've even got a fellow who double-majored in philosophy and aquatic life management in college and still found time for a national squash title. Think about it, Catamounts. We didn't have squash at Eastern Valley. We didn't have tennis, either, unless you count that trick with the steel hairbrush and the catgut racquet whereby the butt skin of the weak was flayed. Point being, this boy, Will Paulsen (may he rest in peace), left our New Jersey burg without the faintest notion of squash, yet mastered it enough to beat the pants off every prep school Biff in the land, and still carry a four point zero in the question of Why Does the Universe Exist Underwater?"
Hee! And that's just the second page. I'm definitely getting his other books.
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