Saturday, July 10, 2010

54. The Punch: A Novel by Noah Hawley

I grabbed The Punch from my local library off of the new release shelf. It seemed funny and something different, but perhaps the timing was off a bit. I give it a B-.

From Amazon:
David believes that at heart, people are inherently rotten. Scott, his brother, believes that his life is going to fall apart, and that everyone he loves will leave him. Doris, their mother, believes that she has nothing to lose by revealing a 60-year-old family secret. This hysterically biting and ultimately redeeming novel by Noah Hawley proves them all right and wrong while answering some of life's biggest questions. Like, how did Scott end up with two wonderful wives simultaneously? And why can't David manage to keep even one dysfunctional relationship going? It all comes down to love and families and what you believe in and, maybe, forgiveness.

As I mentioned above, maybe the timing was off with me because the death of my grandma was so fresh and recent. But because of that, I could also see how several of the reactions and thoughts were quite real. My family (aunts and the like) can be quite out there sometimes and hard to handle and that came across in this book. There was some humor involved and it was that dry humor that I love so much. While I probably won't read anything else by Mr. Hawley (at least I won't seek anything out), I wasn't disappointed with this book. It just probably won't stay with me for long.

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