A review by jenmooremo
The End of the World as We Know It: Scenes from a Life by Robert Goolrick

2.0

Perhaps the people who wrote reviews for the back cover of this book read something completely different than what I checked out from the library, but who knows? The first third of the book was wonderful (perhaps this is all you have to read to write a back cover review) and Mr. Goolrick really set the backdrop for telling his life as he remembers growing up in Virginia in another era. I was actually estatic for thinking that perhaps I picked a "sleeper" of a book, but then all of a sudden things changed. There was no transition between chapters and then by the end of the book it was mostly his tortured rambling about how pathetic his life was, is and just might continue to be. Don't get me wrong, not every life has to be bunnies and roses, but something coherent here would be nice to end the story on. The further you get into his story the worse the presentation got.

He says he is telling his story so bad things don't happen to other kids like they happened to him, as well as to tell family and friends that he has been living a lie all these years. I suppose if there's something that private that I need to tell my family and close friends...I'd suggest calling a meeting, not writing a book. Great start, but really incoherent, rambling, disconnected ending.