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A review by goldbergsk
Such Good Work by Johannes Lichtman
3.0
First: thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing an advance copy in exchange for my unbiased opinion.
So. This book. In a lot of ways, this book reminds me why I stopped reading literature by straight white men for a year.
Such Good Work tells the story of Jonas, from his time as a literature lecturer in Wilimington, NC, where he's cycling between sobriety and drug addiction, though a similar gig (and similar on-again/off-again relationship with the wagon) in Eugene Oregon, to his grad program in Sweden, where he finally finds sobriety, finds himself, and finds a new purpose in life as an advocate, mentor, and English tutor for young refugee boys fleeing the current Syrian (and broader Middle East) crisis.
There is a lot about this book that's good. I really enjoy Lichtman's writing style, which is so realistic, with such a well developed protagonist, that I was convinced this was a memoir (as another reviewer has said), rather than a work of fiction. I also admire Lichtman's ambition, in trying to tackle so many of the pressing issues of RIGHT NOW--the refugee crisis, crumbling/exploitative academic culture, drug addiction/opioid crisis, and the bigger theme of our time which, in my opinion, is the constant struggle between doing good, remaining informed, and getting burned out or horribly depressed/anxious, vs, becoming apathetic and willfully ignorant in an attempt at self-preservation and being able to get out of bed. To this last point, I particularly appreciate the honesty with which Jonas narrates these conflicting emotions and urges--at many points, I found myself screaming "YES! THIS!" in support, as he accurately described feelings I've grappled with, but have yet been able to label.
However, the biggest problem is that, well, I just don't care what Jonas thinks. The first half of the book, where Jonas flits from class to class, and from sobriety to using, reads a bit too much like the 'white boy who desires to be a writer struggles to write' trope, one which was recently employed far more successfully, in The Nix (which also features a Scandinavian-American washed-up writing wunderkind who struggles with alienation/addictions, gets dropped into something much bigger, and slowly pulls himself out). I keep remembering the saying that 'being a drunk/addict doesn't make you interesting'--since that's the only thing that makes Jonas a bit unique, and even that isn't that unique (the constant repeated comments of "I wish I was high/on drugs" etc. were so bland they seemed more like bored off-hand comments, rather than given the weight and urgency that would seem more appropriate). More than that, it's far too long---for a book to claim to be about responses to the refugee crisis, the fact that refugees don't even show up till almost two-thirds of the way through the book, is a disservice.
As a result, this book is far too much about Jonas, who, in my opinion, is the least interesting part of the story. I also can't tell if we're supposed to view (and call out) Jonas for the naive, slightly self-centered, prototypical 'privileged white dude' that he is, or if Lichtman is himself unable to see the flaws in his character. Though at several points, Jonas calls himself out for veering a bit too much into 'instagram activism'/'voluentourism,' that he still continues to carry out the very actions he chides himself for, makes me wonder if we're supposed to forgive him, or pity him. And the end result is that these call-outs read more like Lichtman's insertions to avoid future criticism from angry internet mobs, rather than core parts of Jonas' character.
All this being said, I definitely enjoyed this book more than I didn't, mostly due to Lichtman's strong writing style. And once I recover from all the eye rolling, I definitely look forward to reading future works by him.
So. This book. In a lot of ways, this book reminds me why I stopped reading literature by straight white men for a year.
Such Good Work tells the story of Jonas, from his time as a literature lecturer in Wilimington, NC, where he's cycling between sobriety and drug addiction, though a similar gig (and similar on-again/off-again relationship with the wagon) in Eugene Oregon, to his grad program in Sweden, where he finally finds sobriety, finds himself, and finds a new purpose in life as an advocate, mentor, and English tutor for young refugee boys fleeing the current Syrian (and broader Middle East) crisis.
There is a lot about this book that's good. I really enjoy Lichtman's writing style, which is so realistic, with such a well developed protagonist, that I was convinced this was a memoir (as another reviewer has said), rather than a work of fiction. I also admire Lichtman's ambition, in trying to tackle so many of the pressing issues of RIGHT NOW--the refugee crisis, crumbling/exploitative academic culture, drug addiction/opioid crisis, and the bigger theme of our time which, in my opinion, is the constant struggle between doing good, remaining informed, and getting burned out or horribly depressed/anxious, vs, becoming apathetic and willfully ignorant in an attempt at self-preservation and being able to get out of bed. To this last point, I particularly appreciate the honesty with which Jonas narrates these conflicting emotions and urges--at many points, I found myself screaming "YES! THIS!" in support, as he accurately described feelings I've grappled with, but have yet been able to label.
However, the biggest problem is that, well, I just don't care what Jonas thinks. The first half of the book, where Jonas flits from class to class, and from sobriety to using, reads a bit too much like the 'white boy who desires to be a writer struggles to write' trope, one which was recently employed far more successfully, in The Nix (which also features a Scandinavian-American washed-up writing wunderkind who struggles with alienation/addictions, gets dropped into something much bigger, and slowly pulls himself out). I keep remembering the saying that 'being a drunk/addict doesn't make you interesting'--since that's the only thing that makes Jonas a bit unique, and even that isn't that unique (the constant repeated comments of "I wish I was high/on drugs" etc. were so bland they seemed more like bored off-hand comments, rather than given the weight and urgency that would seem more appropriate). More than that, it's far too long---for a book to claim to be about responses to the refugee crisis, the fact that refugees don't even show up till almost two-thirds of the way through the book, is a disservice.
As a result, this book is far too much about Jonas, who, in my opinion, is the least interesting part of the story. I also can't tell if we're supposed to view (and call out) Jonas for the naive, slightly self-centered, prototypical 'privileged white dude' that he is, or if Lichtman is himself unable to see the flaws in his character. Though at several points, Jonas calls himself out for veering a bit too much into 'instagram activism'/'voluentourism,' that he still continues to carry out the very actions he chides himself for, makes me wonder if we're supposed to forgive him, or pity him. And the end result is that these call-outs read more like Lichtman's insertions to avoid future criticism from angry internet mobs, rather than core parts of Jonas' character.
All this being said, I definitely enjoyed this book more than I didn't, mostly due to Lichtman's strong writing style. And once I recover from all the eye rolling, I definitely look forward to reading future works by him.