Daniel Mayrock’s story is told in a series of lists in the new novel by Matthew Dicks, author of one of my favorite books, Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend, so here is a list of my thoughts on this book.
- No kidding, this was kind of hard to get into, because of the experimental format of the story and the need to fill in ideas between the lines.
- I couldn’t give up, though, because “An Imaginary Friend” was so creative and touching that I wanted to see what was going to happen.
- Don’t read this if you are offended by f-bombs and bodily humor.
- DO read this if you realize that there is a lot of humor found in #3, because it was laugh-out loud funny in many spots (despite being kind of edgy at times).
- Dan’s relationship with his wife Jill and with his bookshop employees provides some excellent philosophical fodder for this 37-year-old semi-slacker with a confidence problem, and the things that the bookshop customers say are just too funny for words (sadly true).
- The friendship between Dan and an old guy he meets at a bingo game (Bill) is truly moving, and Bill helps Dan:
- find a father figure
- realize that his ideas for money making are incredibly hare-brained
- see that life, despite its challenges and tragedies, is joy-filled
- realize what true friendship is.
- Final thought: This is fairly short, easy to read, with wry observations about life, marriage, success and future fatherhood that will be a great gift for the right reader.
Surest signs that Jill still loves me
#5. She’ll still listen to Meatloaf in the car with me when I know she hates the music with every fiber of her being.
If I ruled the world, 9 laws that I would immediately enact
#8. Selfie sticks are immediately banned. It’s bad enough that future archeologists may judge our society based upon things like The Bachelor, Steven Seagal, and hipsters who wear slouchy winter hats in the summer. We cannot allow the selfie stick to also define us.
Text messages from Bill
If you had one of those f-ing pink or blue gender-reveal party things, I would’ve had to punch you in the face.
Lessons for Cassidy
#28. Nothing good ever comes from watching reality television. Hopefully it won’t exist by the time you read this.
Additions to Dan’s Laws of the Universe
Even when our parents leave us behind, they never really leave us behind. They continue to influence everything we do, even when we can’t see it.
So many of us are Luke Skywalker to some degree, confronting the failures of our parents.
Rules of Manhood
…
Read more. It allows you to borrow someone else’s brain, and will make you more interesting at a dinner party.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an advance copy.
