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A review by k3atr0g2608
Factotum by Charles Bukowski
4.0
While a lot of people will say that we should "look past the horrible shit Bukowski puts in his books" and "focus only on the beauty," I think both are key components of his writing. Bukowski never pretended to be a good guy, and the stuff he writes makes that clear, but I think he also understood that there was beauty in transgression. But that isn't the point of this book.
I like that this was a scathing critique of the American Dream. The main character never sticks to a job, he travels around and lives like a bum. He understands that WW2 is happening and that the world is going bonkers. But he doesn't do what everyone else around him does; he doesn't get a steady job or marry or move into a suburb or delude himself. He drinks, he writes, he bums, and he fucks. Most importantly, though, he observes.
I like that this was a scathing critique of the American Dream. The main character never sticks to a job, he travels around and lives like a bum. He understands that WW2 is happening and that the world is going bonkers. But he doesn't do what everyone else around him does; he doesn't get a steady job or marry or move into a suburb or delude himself. He drinks, he writes, he bums, and he fucks. Most importantly, though, he observes.