Wednesday, October 13, 2010

BOOK: You Comma Idiot by Doug Harris

You Comma Idiot by Doug Harris, 326 pages

4th CBC Challenge; New Author; Librarything's Early Reviewer Book

This was a fun romp though the streets of Montreal with the main character, Lee Goodstone. Nice ironic name for a small time drug dealer, who at the age of twenty-nine, still has no real job. The best thing going on in Lee's life right now is that he is having an affair with his best friend's girlfriend.

The story is gritty (language and drug use) but the most interesting thing about the book is the narrative. I haven't read a lot or even any books written in the second person. It's quirky, and it was unique enough to keep me interested as the story rambled around town.  Lee is dealing with some problems, and his gang of friends are all loser slackers for the most part, still living the party as they all are ending their twenties. There are some mysteries to be solved and relationships to be revealed, and that also keeps the pages turning: Henry, his friend, is suspected of killing a local missing girl. Henry denies it, but was he involved?

If you act stupidly long enough, people come to think of you as stupid. And if you behave weirdly for long enough, they think of you as weird. And that's how you end up a stupid f*ing weirdo. That's how it works. People don't set out to be losers. It happens when you're not paying close enough attention. p36

Some other neat touches, beside the narrative perspective, was the design. The cover has a cigarette burn in the Idiot and the inside leaf is covered with doodles that Lee would have written. I got this book from the Early Reviewer's program at Librarything, and the publisher sent a bookmark with it as well. These extra touches added to my reading enjoyment.

also reviewed:
buried in print; jonita at the book chick;