AUTHOR: Ben Lerner
READ: Novemember
THOUGHTS: Hmm...this book....what did I think...hmm...Going to write this 'thoughts' section differently....I think! Alright so the cover: definitely sucks. I found the large-page layout of this book disconcerting at first not gonna lie!! Makes me feel like I have to do more work because I'm reading more per page. What's that about huh...the back cover: realized (have always known) that I seriously hate author photos more than anything I think. If I ever put my photo on a book I think I would prefer to put a picture of me as a child holding a Gameboy or maybe just like naked, not sure! Surprised that they got John Ashberry to blurb about this book. Paul Auster also blurbed about this. I spoke to Paul Auster on the phone for ~15 seconds when I was interning at New Directions because he wanted to talk to someone. Think I might have said something weird!! Or at least awkward. It was cool to talk to him. Talking to him on the phone made me feel like getting Paul Auster to blurb your book is probably pretty easy, or at least doable, whereas John Ashberry just exists for me as this sort of like weird mythic weirdo poet. Don't really know if I've ever formed a serious opinion on John Ashberry...really love Koch/O'Hara and other NY School people...it seems like I would love JA....maybe I should check that guy out again....remember his poetry being a little too opaque for my tastes....maybe I should change my thoughts on what I think is good huh!!! Not sure about that. This book, what I think: definitely a lot that I liked about it. It was very readable, went through it in like two days. I think the analogy I came up for this book, though (it will not be a kind analogy!!), is that its like a record that you buy that only has two songs on it, and you like the songs, but are kinda bummed that there are only two songs. By this I mean: the questions/perspectives on art (whatever) that this narrator interweaves between the narrative (and within the narrative) are questions that are interesting to me, because I guess I am humongous idiot that cares about art or whatever, but I felt as if this book had like two "philosophical points" it was trying to make about art that it reiterated in so many ways and events that it began to feel heavy handed -- though heavy handed isn't the right phrase, this book has a very light touch! Ben Lerner definitely knows how to write in a very engaging way know what I am saying! Never felt a smidgen of boredom or not wanting to read it. Oh and also, while I am someone who I think never really cares about characters too much (with rare exceptions...uh...The Wire...Bolano...stuff...) I felt incredibly irritated with this protagonist, and while this is clearly a desired effect of the author, he never really seems to redeem himself in any way for me that made me feel that whatever philosophical pronouncement he was making was tinged with my knowledge that the character is this douchy intellectual asshole and I definitely don't like those types of people know what I'm saying!! Generally enjoyed this book a good amount, would recommend it to people, really made me want to go to Spain, which has already been a very large desire of mine for some time (will it ever happen?? huh?? will I just live in my mom's house forever?? what's up?? damn, I just ate some fried chicken before writing this and, given that I don't normally eat greasy foods I think it is having some sort of transformative effect re: my perspective on life...nothing feels overly serious...what the H). Bye!!!!!
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