What Am I Reading?

Okay, here's that new segment I blogged about a few weeks back.

As a writer, I read a shitload, (and I recommend you all do too, if you've got a similar ambition). I suppose its part of my 'process' so to speak, to do a little reading before I work on whatever I happen to be working on at the time.

The book I just finished is a small kind of satire called Apathy. It's the debut novel of Paul Neilan, an author about whom I (obviously) know fairly little, but expect to hear more from in the future. I know that sounds kind of cliche, but I honestly believe it.

The story, such as it is, centers around Shane, a young man with no sense of direction and no particular interest in one. The book's title, Apathy, perfectly captures Shane's disposition. He drifts from one town to another, (by Greyhound bus), job to job, drinking himself into a stupor most every night, (and day), and as a hobby, enjoys stealing salt shakers, (yup, you read that one right). It struck me as more of a character-study than a plot-driven story, but that's not really a criticism. I actually enjoyed the character quite a bit. He's funny and, at times, rather insightful.

The plot revolves, (loosely), around a murder mystery, whereby Shane is brought in for questioning. He, of course, shows next to no emotion regarding the victim, an acquaintence, who happened to be deaf and taught him to swear, (quite colorfully), in sign language. There are a slew of off-beat, kind-of noir-ish characters throughout, who all, to one degree or another, seem to suffer from the same numbness as Shane.

I suppose I would describe the book much like the blurb on the front cover, which likens it to a novel version of Office Space, the cult movie about office drudgery by Mike Judge, (of whom I'm also a big fan). A good chunk of the story takes place at Panopticon Insurance, where Shane works as an alphabetizer in the most mind-numbing, spirit-crushing environment known to contemporary man, (save perhaps prison).

If you're looking for a short book, quick-witted and fun to read but not overly heavy with some crude humor, I encourage you to check out Apathy: And Other Small Victories, by Paul Neilan.

Caution: Do not operate heavy machinery after reading this book.

D.A.