The Book of Why
A Novel
کتاب های مرتبط
- اطلاعات
- نقد و بررسی
- دیدگاه کاربران
نقد و بررسی
October 29, 2012
Everything happens for a reason—except when it doesn’t. This is the premise of Montemarano’s (If the Sky Falls) quasi-philosophical second novel, which asks the question: why doesn’t it? Too-aptly-named life coach Eric Newborn cuts himself off from the world after his wife, Cary, dies of complications from a brain tumor. A guru of positive thinking and hailed preacher of “anything is possible,” Eric becomes the “self-help author who can’t help himself.” Montemarano, a Pushcart-winner who has appeared four times in Best American Short Stories volumes, has a strong grasp of New Age–speak (which is quite funny at times). He has created a mishmash of fan letter snippets; choppy, stream-of-consciousness meditations on loss; and flashbacks to Eric and Cary’s solid marriage and her decline, painting a convincing portrait of a breakdown of faith and self-worth. But a convoluted and thin thread involving a wacko groupie who shows up seeking counsel, while offering her own misguided version of renewal, takes some steam out of the novel. The path this groupie leads Eric down—a spontaneous road trip to a place from a dream in search of a stranger she believes is connected to Eric’s past—feels too overburdened with coincidences to be credible. Agent: Jill Grinberg Literary Management.
October 15, 2012
An author of self-help books discovers that the easy solutions he gives others are of little help in resolving Big Life Issues. Eric Newborn--yes, the name is symbolic--writes books on "Everyday Miracles" and gives cheery pep talks at Celebrate Life conferences, dispensing nostrums such as, "We really do get what we're thinking about" and "Every one of you has the potential to heal. You are all miracle workers." But he finds it difficult to take his own advice when his beloved wife dies. He winds up living a reclusive life on Martha's Vineyard, his days filled with memories both of his wife and of his childhood--filled with magic, wonder and fear--in Queens, and he walks his dog, Ralph. One day, a woman named Sam has a car accident near Eric's home, and he does what he can to aid her, all the while hiding his identity. And then Eric himself has an accident, and Sam in turn nurses him. She finds out who he is--Sam's a big fan, and neither one truly believes in what seem to be random and capricious life events. (In fact, Eric's last book is There Are No Accidents.) Eric allows himself to engage in a series of deep memories about life with his wife, their inability to conceive and the couple's eventually becoming foster parents. He also allows himself to imagine alternative endings to their life together, the "might-have-beens" that could have structured their future. Eric's poignant loss reminds us all of the fragility of relationships and of the hard truths we find difficult to face.
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December 1, 2012
Eric Newborn was once a celebrated author and public speaker. His self-help books preached the power of positive thinking and proclaimed the mind's ability to control absolutely everything, from achieving job goals to fighting illness. But when the agonizing death of his wife left him desolate, he abandoned his writing and self-help career to focus on his own brand of self-pity. He is living a hermit's life in a secluded island cabin when a young fan comes in search of him, looking for answers to some difficult questions about his abandoned philosophy. Pulled along by this eager devotee and other forces he cannot identify, Eric finds himself facing the questions that he has been avoiding since his terrible loss, and the answers he finds are far from anything he expected. Montemarano's tale of love, grief, and promise is filled with emotion. By turns dark and hopeful, it is a beautiful journey of self-discovery that will inspire readers to question the accepted confines of the world, and leave them pondering the powers of belief.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)
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