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Further Joy (2014)

by John Brandon(Favorite Author)

3.62 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

1938073940 (ISBN13: 9781938073946)

languge

English

genre

Fiction

publisher

McSweeney's

review 1: Okay, I lied—I didn't actually finish this book. Two stories in I decided it wasn't really worth it. To be fair, this is a well-written book. Brandon has some interesting insights into human emotion and motivation, which is interesting at times in these stories. However, they are just so. darn. predictable. I love a certain element of suspense, but in Brandon's case, he draws out the "suspense" long after you've figured out where this is all going. So rather than being a page-turner, you're just skipping to the end because you already know what's going to happen, and can see he's just trying to bide his time with a little "suspense". I think for the most part I was reminded of BJ Novak's "One More Thing", because Brandon has the same sort of twisted wit about him. But I ... moredon't think it was nearly as successful as Novak's efforts. This could be a good read if it's your cup of tea and you don't mind the drawn out but obvious conclusions.
review 2: Remarkable collection from the author of Citrus County, A Million Heavens, and Arkansas. Brandon is a sure-handed storyteller with a wonderfully dry sense of humor and an affection for the psychologically troubled, the hard-luck, and the schemers. The characters will stick with you, like Marky, the entrepreneurial kid in "Prospectus" who drives around looking for investors in his "wood-framed chopper with angry bees painted all over it." I'm especially fond of the title story, which we published first in Saw Palm. There's also a story about a man stuck in a condo with seven brains. This is expertly-written, high-quality contemporary fiction. Highly recommended. less

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