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A review by ageorge1877
The Mezzanine by Nicholson Baker
4.0
Jay Fox dressed as the Devil buying this for me in the bookstore: 'SO YA LIKE BOOKS WHERE NOTHING HAPPENS DO YA!!!???'
This book is a major flex in observation. I love observing the smaller aspects of normal life, but I think if I took it to this guy's level I'd have a panic attack every 20 minutes.
He covers literally, LITERALLY everything about his lunch hour, including a 4 page in depth analysis of why he decided to move his shopping bag from his left hand to his right.
You gotta catch this book in the right frame of mind. Once I tried to read it just before going to bed and I genuinely considered killing myself as an alternative to reading another 3 page long footnote about the history of shoelaces. Other times, when I was fresh and vibey, the charm and subtle cuteness of it really made me smile.
The protagonist is undoubtedly likeable, and tonally he does a great job of spinning it so that, for the most part, it is actually joyful and interesting. Like, yes king tell me more about paper towels.
It's a funny one. You could only fully enjoy this book if you work in an office, but that very same officehood could also be what makes you rip your eyes out and never read another book again. 4 stars.
This book is a major flex in observation. I love observing the smaller aspects of normal life, but I think if I took it to this guy's level I'd have a panic attack every 20 minutes.
He covers literally, LITERALLY everything about his lunch hour, including a 4 page in depth analysis of why he decided to move his shopping bag from his left hand to his right.
You gotta catch this book in the right frame of mind. Once I tried to read it just before going to bed and I genuinely considered killing myself as an alternative to reading another 3 page long footnote about the history of shoelaces. Other times, when I was fresh and vibey, the charm and subtle cuteness of it really made me smile.
The protagonist is undoubtedly likeable, and tonally he does a great job of spinning it so that, for the most part, it is actually joyful and interesting. Like, yes king tell me more about paper towels.
It's a funny one. You could only fully enjoy this book if you work in an office, but that very same officehood could also be what makes you rip your eyes out and never read another book again. 4 stars.