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Best Behavior (2011)

by Noah Cicero(Favorite Author)

4.29 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

0984603778 (ISBN13: 9780984603770)

languge

English

genre

Fiction

publisher

Civil Coping Mechanisms

review 1: Absolutely amazing, sad, and hysterical all at the same time. The narrator here has the same trouble that the narrator of The Insurgent has--trying to figure out how to exist in late-Capitalism, where day to day life is defined by a feeling of disconnect and unease. Unlike that narrator, though, this one finds no way out. In fact, rather than follow the Kerouac example, this narrator rejects the Beats entirely. What is unsaid by the characters is much more important than what they say, and at one point a character even asks another for the definition of irony, a move which is, in itself, ironic. Make sure to read the epilogue, as well as the introduction, as they deepen the blurring of the boundaries between author and narrator. Recommended.
review 2: This was ... morepublished last year, and reading it, it felt very current, very internet motivated. Lines like, 'the television notifies you what to wear and eat. (p.109). I had moments of empathy, ''Marissa screamed, FUCK YEAH! MONOPOLY!'' I was terrified of Monopoly' (P.49). This felt very accurate. The way he introduces each character with a short paragraph explaining their demographic, their way of life and philosophy, if they had any, was initially amusing, and then saddening. My favourite bit was page 144. I found this music reference hilarious: 'Lin's hair was long. She looked older, her face wasn't so innocent. Cat Steven's 'Wild World' played in my head.' (p.160). I liked the randomness of the sex scene on the bus, it was like the sort of thing that played with crossing the line of what we expect from human behaviour. I enjoyed the footnote and epilogue. less

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