Helpful Score: 2
This is Steve Martin's second novella. I purchased it based on how much I liked "Shopgirl" and it just sat on my bookshelf for a long time before I finally picked it up to read it. Well, I'm so glad I eventually did because it was a great read!
The narrator, Daniel Pecan Cambridge, is one of the quirkiest characters ever. He is obsessive compulsive and has all sorts of neuroses. He is deathly afraid of curbs and can only cross streets at perfectly symmetrical scooped out driveways, he has to keep the lighting in his apartment at the exactly 1,125 watts, and his life basically revolves around his twice-weekly sessions with Clarissa, a young psychology intern.
There were moments so hilarious that I had to literally put the book down to laugh out loud. But the humor was mixed in with tenderness and compassion. You could tell that Steve Martin loved this character as he wrote him. It showed from beginning to end. The writing was simple and almost poetic in places, and I think the short length was perfect.
Overall, I'll have to admit that I loved it. I adored Shopgirl, but I might have liked this book just a tad bit more. All I know is that I'll be anxiously awaiting whatever Steve Martin comes up with next.
The narrator, Daniel Pecan Cambridge, is one of the quirkiest characters ever. He is obsessive compulsive and has all sorts of neuroses. He is deathly afraid of curbs and can only cross streets at perfectly symmetrical scooped out driveways, he has to keep the lighting in his apartment at the exactly 1,125 watts, and his life basically revolves around his twice-weekly sessions with Clarissa, a young psychology intern.
There were moments so hilarious that I had to literally put the book down to laugh out loud. But the humor was mixed in with tenderness and compassion. You could tell that Steve Martin loved this character as he wrote him. It showed from beginning to end. The writing was simple and almost poetic in places, and I think the short length was perfect.
Overall, I'll have to admit that I loved it. I adored Shopgirl, but I might have liked this book just a tad bit more. All I know is that I'll be anxiously awaiting whatever Steve Martin comes up with next.
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