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3.13 AVERAGE
3.13 AVERAGE
I almost never give up on a book -- especially when, like this one, it's for my book club. But "The Ask" asked for too much.
I admire Lipsyte's ability with words, which explains the rating of two stars instead of one, but besides that, the book holds virtually no interest for me. The lead character is irritating and shows little depth; what's worse, so do the other characters. Yeah, it's satire, but even satire allows for three dimensions. And I couldn't see it going anywhere. (Of course I read some reviews afterwards, and I don't regret my decision to stop a third of the way in.)
Lipsyte has been compared with Martin Amis for his facility with words and scathing, take-no-prisoners descriptions. But I would argue that Amis has bigger fish to fry; he isn't just creating straw men for the sake of bitter jokes. Compare also with Gary Shteyngart, who can be glib as well, but there's a sympathy and self-deprecation in Shteyngart's writing. Lipsyte is just mean, an incredibly verbal and nasty stand-up comedian. It gets tiresome very quickly. Even Evelyn Waugh, who can be REALLY mean, cared about more than just throwing a few daggers.
So I'm sorry, "The Ask." I just didn't have any more to give.
I admire Lipsyte's ability with words, which explains the rating of two stars instead of one, but besides that, the book holds virtually no interest for me. The lead character is irritating and shows little depth; what's worse, so do the other characters. Yeah, it's satire, but even satire allows for three dimensions. And I couldn't see it going anywhere. (Of course I read some reviews afterwards, and I don't regret my decision to stop a third of the way in.)
Lipsyte has been compared with Martin Amis for his facility with words and scathing, take-no-prisoners descriptions. But I would argue that Amis has bigger fish to fry; he isn't just creating straw men for the sake of bitter jokes. Compare also with Gary Shteyngart, who can be glib as well, but there's a sympathy and self-deprecation in Shteyngart's writing. Lipsyte is just mean, an incredibly verbal and nasty stand-up comedian. It gets tiresome very quickly. Even Evelyn Waugh, who can be REALLY mean, cared about more than just throwing a few daggers.
So I'm sorry, "The Ask." I just didn't have any more to give.
I picked up this book because it was one of the cultural references in AO Scott's fabulous article about Generation X reaching midlife (crisis). I am NOT liking it. I'm thinking about NOT finishing it. The main character is completely unlikeable. He's lazy, self-involved, cynical, jealous, entitled and... sleazy.
oh, CRAP. Is that the message? He does seem oddly familiar... Is there redemption for us? Should I finish it? I'm on page 83 of 296...
So many eliipses, so little time. Input, please.
oh, CRAP. Is that the message? He does seem oddly familiar... Is there redemption for us? Should I finish it? I'm on page 83 of 296...
So many eliipses, so little time. Input, please.
Yeah, so guyfriend told me that I should read this book. He also gave me the book, and I saw that he marked it up he liked it so much. So I came into The Ask with pretty high expectations and hopes.
And it's not a bad book by any means. Lipsyte is very clever with words, particularly dialogue. He does a very good job with creating a very human, very intelligent protagonist. The dialogue between the protagonist and the rest of the characters is very lively and fun. The actual, literal, style of the book is a lot of fun and keeps the pages turning. You can tell that Lipsyte is a professor, and the actual form of The Ask is quite nice. For someone like me trying to learn how to write, it was good to pick up a few pointers, I think.
I just really didn't like the plot. This is again probably my fault; I don't like messy storylines, unlikable protagonists, and the sort of depressing awfulness that is end-of-empire New York at the heat of this book. I just don't have the heart for it, sadly enough.
The Ask is a well-written book, and I'm sure those of you more Vonnegut-y would really appreciate it. I think the book just kind of hit too close to home; for a guy like me trying to find his place in the world, it's tough to read a book about a guy who really does not like his place in the world. It's difficult to come face-to-face with a possible future and find that future just really, really, depressing. I would like to read more by Lipsyte, just maybe at a different point in my life.
And it's not a bad book by any means. Lipsyte is very clever with words, particularly dialogue. He does a very good job with creating a very human, very intelligent protagonist. The dialogue between the protagonist and the rest of the characters is very lively and fun. The actual, literal, style of the book is a lot of fun and keeps the pages turning. You can tell that Lipsyte is a professor, and the actual form of The Ask is quite nice. For someone like me trying to learn how to write, it was good to pick up a few pointers, I think.
I just really didn't like the plot. This is again probably my fault; I don't like messy storylines, unlikable protagonists, and the sort of depressing awfulness that is end-of-empire New York at the heat of this book. I just don't have the heart for it, sadly enough.
The Ask is a well-written book, and I'm sure those of you more Vonnegut-y would really appreciate it. I think the book just kind of hit too close to home; for a guy like me trying to find his place in the world, it's tough to read a book about a guy who really does not like his place in the world. It's difficult to come face-to-face with a possible future and find that future just really, really, depressing. I would like to read more by Lipsyte, just maybe at a different point in my life.
The Ask is the story of Milo Burke and his very turbulent life as, first, a development officer at a university and, second, a kind of pathetic wandering nobody. The author - Sam Lipsyte - doesn't take much time to bring about Milo's fall from his professional job into the strange, unpredictable world that he wanders through the rest of the novel. A strange cast of characters joins Milo's story in sporadic doses: the hippie commune daycare teachers, the old college buddies, the quirky lesbian mother, the cheating spouse, etc. They all add to the oddness of this novel and help make Milo's story much more interesting than it would be if we relied on MIlo for any sort of plot-progressing action.
Throughout this entire book Milo is entirely unlikable. You certainly don't have to have a likable lead character to write a compelling story. Sure, it might help. But, certainly not a requirement. However, there usually needs to be somebody in the book you might want to root for, feel sympathy for, draw some sort of connection to, etc. This book had none of that. If the final page of this book simply read, "And they all died miserable deaths," well, that'd probably be alright. (OK, it might be sad to lose Milo's son, but he is the only character you might actually have positive feelings for) These were certainly well-developed characters - you got to know many of their quirks and understand their behaviors. But, you just didn't care about them. Even in a novel with a dastardly main character, you at least feel emotions of anger or disgust, not just indifference.
So, with such mediocre characters, why would this book still earn a 3-star rating? Because, grammatically and linguistically it was so carefully crafted and well written. Some sentences, with their particular attention to word placement and punctuation, read like short poems. It really was a joy to read these individual words and sentences, even if they didn't make much of a story when all put together. Plus, there really is a great deal of humor throughout this entire book. Some of the situations, actions and dialogue from the characters is nearly laugh-out-loud funny. I give Lipsyte credit for a very sound sense of humor and an artistic attention to the details of each word on the page.
Throughout this entire book Milo is entirely unlikable. You certainly don't have to have a likable lead character to write a compelling story. Sure, it might help. But, certainly not a requirement. However, there usually needs to be somebody in the book you might want to root for, feel sympathy for, draw some sort of connection to, etc. This book had none of that. If the final page of this book simply read, "And they all died miserable deaths," well, that'd probably be alright. (OK, it might be sad to lose Milo's son, but he is the only character you might actually have positive feelings for) These were certainly well-developed characters - you got to know many of their quirks and understand their behaviors. But, you just didn't care about them. Even in a novel with a dastardly main character, you at least feel emotions of anger or disgust, not just indifference.
So, with such mediocre characters, why would this book still earn a 3-star rating? Because, grammatically and linguistically it was so carefully crafted and well written. Some sentences, with their particular attention to word placement and punctuation, read like short poems. It really was a joy to read these individual words and sentences, even if they didn't make much of a story when all put together. Plus, there really is a great deal of humor throughout this entire book. Some of the situations, actions and dialogue from the characters is nearly laugh-out-loud funny. I give Lipsyte credit for a very sound sense of humor and an artistic attention to the details of each word on the page.
Probably had too high of expectations for this book. It was an enjoyable and quick read, but just wasn't in the same ballpark as Home Land.
A wow from start to finish.
Home Land, Lipsyte's previous novel, has stayed with me mostly because of the comedy. I think this one will stay with me for far more than that.
Home Land, Lipsyte's previous novel, has stayed with me mostly because of the comedy. I think this one will stay with me for far more than that.
I don't think this book was written for women, but it made me laugh out loud anyway.
All the supposedly clever dialogue in this book just seemed to be a cover for characters who had absolutely nothing to say. I couldn't make myself care about what happened to any of them.
I prefer my "comic novels" to be slightly less depressing, and have slightly more plot; the humor in the book is meant to spring from the caustic, cynical riffs on various subjects Lipsyte puts in the mouths of both his narrator and various characters, but I'm somewhat sick of that style and found his prose over the top. I was able to finish it, and it went faster in a few bursts, but there were definitely a few times I thought about putting it down for good.
This novel started out strong, with a decidedly George Saunders flavor, but I found myself less and less engaged as it progressed. It actually felt like a chore to finish the last couple of chapters, which felt very summy-uppy in a way that didn't satisfy.