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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
In his debut novel, Lee Cole writes a story about a guy named Owen who’s in his late-twenties attending a fictional MFA program in rural Kentucky. While attending the program, Owen begins dating a Bosnian Muslim immigrant named Alma. The novel’s setting is during the 2016 election year and mainly explores themes of coming of age, citizenship, cultural difference, and social class.
Cole and I share a similar experience of attending an MFA program which is the setting of this novel. I also met my husband while I was in my program, so the dating-turned-serious relationship is also a part of my story as well. No one realizes the multitudes of burgeoning relationships that come out of MFA programs. It’s a rare time in your life where you are solely focused on developing your artistry while also spending hours upon hours alone, isolated in front of a monitor, blinking cursor and all. Of course, this is the perfect recipe for romance, and Cole does an excellent job capturing this dynamic.
Because of my very specific personal connection with the story, I found it really hard to parse out what I liked and didn’t like about this story, but I’ll try. What I didn’t like:
-The love interest, Alma, is very much painted as a manic-pixie-dream-girl. According to Cole, her character is a “composite” of girlfriends from past relationships, but the MPDG vibe is too strong to be ignored.
- Secondly, all of the characters—especially Owen and Alma— are very unlike-able, which made me not care what happened to either of them or their relationship. I couldn’t stand Owen because he was written as selfish and narcissistic. The only character I liked was Owen’s Grandpa, who arguably died because Owen refused to help him trim a goddamn tree. I didn’t care about his coming-of-age journey and at times I felt like I was hoping for him to fail. Why no one hasn’t written about how detestable the characters are in this story is beyond me.
- Then there’s Lee Cole’s claim that this whole story and the characters in it are fiction. I call bullshit. I knew while reading that Cole was one of those dude writers who heavily borrow things from their lives and write it off as fiction because they can’t stand to make themselves vulnerable or subject to criticism. It’s ballsless and a cop-out. I know the type too well, and chances are that you do too.
The things I liked about this novel really stuck with me and kept me transfixed.
-While almost all of them were unlikable, Cole does an excellent job with characterization. The protagonist, Owen, had so many qualities that made me think of the people I encountered during similar experiences and times in my life. Supporting characters Court and Pops were also written with great talent.
- Cole’s mastery and knowledge of rural Kentucky took this story to another plane. It was so atmospheric and felt real.
- The overall theme of indecision and belonging or not belonging in your hometown was done really well.
Overall, I give it a 3.5 because it was good as a whole and I still can’t tell if most of the things that I don’t like about it were intentional or not.
Thank you to the author, Knopf Press and NetGalley for allowing me to preview this eARC!
Cole and I share a similar experience of attending an MFA program which is the setting of this novel. I also met my husband while I was in my program, so the dating-turned-serious relationship is also a part of my story as well. No one realizes the multitudes of burgeoning relationships that come out of MFA programs. It’s a rare time in your life where you are solely focused on developing your artistry while also spending hours upon hours alone, isolated in front of a monitor, blinking cursor and all. Of course, this is the perfect recipe for romance, and Cole does an excellent job capturing this dynamic.
Because of my very specific personal connection with the story, I found it really hard to parse out what I liked and didn’t like about this story, but I’ll try. What I didn’t like:
-The love interest, Alma, is very much painted as a manic-pixie-dream-girl. According to Cole, her character is a “composite” of girlfriends from past relationships, but the MPDG vibe is too strong to be ignored.
- Secondly, all of the characters—especially Owen and Alma— are very unlike-able, which made me not care what happened to either of them or their relationship. I couldn’t stand Owen because he was written as selfish and narcissistic. The only character I liked was Owen’s Grandpa, who arguably died because Owen refused to help him trim a goddamn tree. I didn’t care about his coming-of-age journey and at times I felt like I was hoping for him to fail. Why no one hasn’t written about how detestable the characters are in this story is beyond me.
- Then there’s Lee Cole’s claim that this whole story and the characters in it are fiction. I call bullshit. I knew while reading that Cole was one of those dude writers who heavily borrow things from their lives and write it off as fiction because they can’t stand to make themselves vulnerable or subject to criticism. It’s ballsless and a cop-out. I know the type too well, and chances are that you do too.
The things I liked about this novel really stuck with me and kept me transfixed.
-While almost all of them were unlikable, Cole does an excellent job with characterization. The protagonist, Owen, had so many qualities that made me think of the people I encountered during similar experiences and times in my life. Supporting characters Court and Pops were also written with great talent.
- Cole’s mastery and knowledge of rural Kentucky took this story to another plane. It was so atmospheric and felt real.
- The overall theme of indecision and belonging or not belonging in your hometown was done really well.
Overall, I give it a 3.5 because it was good as a whole and I still can’t tell if most of the things that I don’t like about it were intentional or not.
Thank you to the author, Knopf Press and NetGalley for allowing me to preview this eARC!
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I am all for books in which nothing really happens. This is an extreme example.
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book had potential that it unfortunately never quite met. Exploring relationships during the Trump era, especially between a Southern boy and an immigrant girl, is a fascinating topic, and there are moments that shine through in this book. I think I was expecting it to be about a very conservative boy and a very liberal girl though, when in reality, it is about a more-liberal-than-expected guy (with a Trump supporting family) and a more-conservative-than-expected girl. Which I suppose is part of the commentary. However, both characters fell flat (especially Alma), and I felt like the reader was being held at arm's length the entire time throughout. The appreciation I did get out of it was because I am from the South, turned liberal, and have family members who support Trump, so I was able to relate with Owen. At the very least, I was able to understand the nuance of the South that was discussed in here. However, I just wanted more-- more risk taking from the book, more commentary, more dimensionality in the characters.
Groundskeeping is a little bit about everything. A relationship you feel you are not good enough to have and tend to sabotage it. Family where you differ politically and religiously. One of the first fiction books I’ve read that explores how the Trump presidency changes the average family. Questions what is yours both physically and intellectually.
How did I find this book? This was Jenna Bush Hagar's March 2022 selection for her book club with the Today show.
How did I find this book? This was Jenna Bush Hagar's March 2022 selection for her book club with the Today show.
After skimming the synopsis, I was hoping to find some sort of fleshed-out fictional version of Hillbilly Elegy (though, that guy…) — this is not what this book was. Maybe it was the audio format, but the narrator came off as whiny, and the second half dragged. I ended up just sad. Maybe that was the point.