Sometimes you come come across a book that is so desperately lazy and lax in its script that you wonder why the hell did you even pick it up? But then, you have started reading the book and being the incurable Bookworm that you are, you WILL read the book completely and finish it come what may.
And so, pushing away all the sarcastic, snotty thoughts about the author and his writing, you start reading again... And as the book wraps up, you realize that the author has used the age old formula of making a story work: "3-4 main characters, introduced in a sequence, a slow unfolding of the main plot, a small twist towards the end and ultimately tying up everything with a clinching one-liner". But then, not everybody is O'Henry.
The Part-time People, a novella by Tom Lichtenberg, tells us the story of DeBarrie's, a Stationery store run by two brothers Mike and Joe. Though the business brings them a neat profit, they could do with some extra help in the store. The problem however is that they never seem to find the right people as part timers. After burning their fingers at least 5 times, Joe ultimately hires David, a non-assuming shy college kid. But is David really what he seems like or is there a storm brewing within?
At times a psycho-thriller, at times dark humor and at times just a plain short story written without a strong plot, the author has tried to use a mash up of many elements in his writing. And it does go wrong because honestly I found my attention wavering many times while reading.
The O'Henry-esque way of ending a story with a simple but clinching one-liner that the author has used, is the only saving grace of this novella.
My Verdict: Avoid this one!!
heh heh heh i like this post! you are a brilliant writer
ReplyDeletesince you have forbade us from reading the book can you kindly tell us whats the oneliner at the end of the novel please.
ReplyDeleteEmmy: Thank you so much!!! :) :)
ReplyDeleteKausar: Like i have said in the post, none of the part-timers last in the shop and the reason is unknown. The one liner which brings together everything at the end is said by david, who is the supposed psycho in this book. It goes like this: "Someone should do something about these Part-time People." --- i hope it helps :)