What I'm Reading

THE CURIOUS EAT THEMSELVES by John Straley

I'm not sure if I would have liked or disliked this book more if it wasn't so close in tone and execution to my own first, but unpublished, novel. In both this book and my own, BROKE DOWN ON THE ROAD TO GLORY, the hero and narrator just wanders through the story from lie to lie and manipulator to manipulator. Though Straley's hero, Cecil Younger, is supposed to be an experienced investigator he seems to have no more skill than my own hero, Alex Rebar, a mentally unstable used car buyer. That is the only valid criticism of the book. To complain about anything else would be hypocritical because my own book commits the same sins, if sins they be.

Here is the problem. I like my book. I have no delusions of its grandeur, but I like it. I thought it was unique. Now I know it isn't. It is very similar to at least one other book out there. Now I can't decide if my negative reaction to THE CURIOUS EAT THEMSELVES is jealousy of its success or seeing my own book's perceived faults in another.

Which ever it is it doesn't matter. I must recuse myself from a critical analysis of this book because of my obvious bias for and against it. Though I must thank Mr. Straley for one thing. I have been on the fence about trying to get my own novel published, but after reading his story the pendulum has swung me into action. I started working on a query letter for a literary agent last night.