Fiction Addict

Genre: Suspense, Comedy, Drama

Publisher: Reagan Arthur Books

Publication Date: March 2010

Reviewed by Lori Twichell

Kevin Quinn is a man. He’s not extraordinary. He’s a liberal. He’s older. He’s on his way to Austin for a job interview. It’s a job he’s not really sure he even wants, but he knows he wants a change. He’s not married. He’s not a dad. He’s a little scared. And he’s a wealth of fantastic comedic and dramatic material. He’s so rich with observations and memories that this entire novel encompasses only eight hours of Kevin’s life. Just eight hours. And despite that, it’s an amazingly full story of a man with a very complete beginning, middle and end.

James Hynes delves into the mind of this character with such clarity that you sometimes find yourself laughing out loud and at others you’re stunned into silence. You may even find your mouth hanging open in shock as you page back and reread passages again to find out if that really happened or if it’s something just rolling around in Kevin’s vividly creative mind.  Sometimes his thoughts can seem too implausible to believe and you want to laugh out loud at the audacity. Seconds later though, Kevin’s thoughts might mirror your own and you’ll shake your head as he backtracks and apologizes in his own mind for even thinking such things.

Hynes’ descriptions are vivid, beautiful and stunning. Echoing with shades of Updike, his word choices are sweet and rich and they melt across your tongue like ice cream in the Austin heat. They beg for you to savor them, roll them around in your mouth, speak them out loud and then share them with someone else because they’re so utterly delightful. (My husband had large passages of this book either read aloud to him or forced on him as I was reading because it was just too entertaining not to share.)

The book takes a turn at one point that is so stunning it will spin you180 degrees at breakneck speed. You may even find yourself having trouble holding on to the reality in the book. It took me several times rereading passages to fully comprehend how quickly and completely everything had changed and even then I was left speechless.  Like I’d been on a rollercoaster ride, zooming toward the bottom of a long hill and then suddenly, without warning, found myself without tracks, I flailed a little at first. Then I wondered at how well Hynes managed to capture the reality of life turning on a dime and sometimes being completely out of our control.

Since Hynes dives into the deep end of a man’s mind without any filters, expect some forays into very deeply personal moments and memories. If you’re uncomfortable with frank discussion of sexual ideas or thoughts, this may not be the book for you. Though thankfully, Kevin’s thoughts do not follow the traditional understanding that men think about sex every few seconds, it is a thread of memories and description that is woven throughout the book. If you’re bothered by this, you might not want to try it. But on the other hand, if you want to know what the average American male who’s just slightly past his prime is thinking, this is definitely an interesting and adventurous read.

Review copy provided by Reagan Arthur Books.