Relationship fiction has been dominated by female authors. Here is a refreshing change of pace. A humorous novel by a male author. It proves that yes, men have feelings, and they are just as prone to overnalyzing and overthinking as women. Today's guest is Jeff Gephart, author of Accidental Adulthood: One Man's Adventure with Dating and Other Friggin' Nonsense.
Synopsis:
Mick's adult life is not turning out the way he'd hoped. His twenties are over, and instead of being the acclaimed novelist and family man he thought he'd be, Mick is stuck running a second-rate California motel and fumbling through an endless succession of hilarious dating misadventures. Most of his friends are married with children, and he feels they look down upon single people like him as being merely a fraction of a whole being. During his version of the modern single man's search for what completes him, Mick must contend with a cast of quirky and memorable characters that both frustrate and sustain him as he navigates his way toward having to make a momentous career decision that will affect all of their lives. Accidental Adulthood is a coming-of-age story for the Tinder generation. As Mick begins to face up to his own flaws and struggles to ascertain his place in the adult world, some universal truths are illuminated about family, ambition, responsibility, loyalty, and relationships.
My thoughts:
Despite the length, Gephart's Accidental Adulthood is a smooth, entertaining and effortless read. Effortless - but far from brainless. Every chapter is bursting with grit, texture, flavor, references to pop culture, world history and dark humor. The author beats himself up with one hand and then strokes with another. It's a self-deprecating stream of consciousness, a celebration of Peter Pan inside every middle-aged man. It reads like a stand-up comedy skit worthy of Eric Bogosian.
When writing any text, one part is the substance, what elements will be in it. The other is, how do I compose it to make it readable. WHO may be attracted to it? When I am uncertain about this, it is accidental what happens next. This is my impression with this “book”. It appears accidental. Infantile. A boy dreaming about phantasies. This may appeal to infantile minds of all ages. Fast food for Relaxation. Why I do not recommend such activities is, it may distort your image of reality. Some people enjoy and enhance their infantile infertility, Michael Jackson , Peter Pan. And they may live happily in their phantasy world. Like infants, they get readily easily y hurt, even by their own Imagination. Something bad and dangerous lurks in the closet…It prevents maturation. It furthers all sorts of self-induced pleasures as pain killers. It helps to justify, why not to mature. Not to become a MAN. Playboy, yes...Barbie Girl and Barbie Boy...Toy world…
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