I previously complained in an unfair review that this site seemed to be just advertisements. That was incorrect and I’m sorry. You just have to click "skip this ad" at each new chapter.
"Chronicle" implies a picaresque, but this book has structure. From the summary, I expected the writer to get tired of his story and go off on an adventure tale. That happens, but the way it happens and the result are surprises.
Don’t read this book if you can’t stand the odd bit of sloppy writing such as "I want to see what she felt" – see? felt? Meaning the protagonist can’t understand feelings? No, he’s just sad that "I can’t trust her like I did." As I did, goddamit. To enjoy the book, interpret little stumbles as permission to read fast.
The plot is like a college library’s lit stacks, with passionate embraces between shelves of famous books. Our character meets a teenaged girl who reads Nabokov and names her cat Alan Truring. His wife reads Pynchon, he reads Richard Powers (keep a second screen open to search cultured references). Husband and wife have moments of laughing intimacy but as the summary says, he’s determined to "cheat." Professionals could solve his problem in half an hour, but stories are about irrational choices, so OK. The man’s bumbling determination to pick up college women leads to funny scenes. There are plot surprises. You’ll love a big chunk of this book if you’re trying to meet a bed-partner. Emotional depth does happen in one or two of his new relationships. Eventually, there’s sex, then a plot twist. Credibility takes a nose-dive, but if you’re a guy, the last fifth of the book is fun.
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