Amazon.com Review
Anyone who was already an adult in the '80s might remember those years as the decade of conservative politics, Wall Street dirty dealings, and a Reaganesque "Morning in America" as pretty as cotton candy and just about as filling. Those who came of age then probably recall a pervasive sense that the baby boomers had already skimmed society's cream for themselves, leaving just the whey for those who came after. Zachary Lazar's first novel,
Aaron, Approximately is definitely meant for the latter population--twentysomething readers will no doubt have a keen appreciation for the hopes and fears (mostly fears) that motivate protagonist Aaron Bright. When we first meet young Aaron, he is 26 years old, involved with a gorgeous, wealthy, and talented young woman and unable to bring himself to take that final step: marriage. The reason for Aaron's ambivalence lies, of course, in his childhood, and most of Lazar's novel is dedicated to excavating his troubled hero's rather bizarre past.
We learn, for example, that Aaron's father, a popular children's television show host, died in a parachuting accident as 8-year-old Aaron looked on, and from that moment on, Aaron became both an object of fascination and of ridicule to his peers. After years as the school outcast, he gains a degree of acceptance as class clown and eventually finds a place on the outskirts of popularity. Lazar then follows his hero through angst-ridden college years and beyond until the novel returns full circle to the point where it began: Will Aaron marry Clarissa or won't he? If past is prologue, readers of Zachary Lazar's novel won't have any trouble accepting Aaron's decision.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
Smart, Jewish, and a second-string soccer player/musician, Aaron Bright is the Holden Caufield of the Seventies. He is also more alienated than any other teenager in Denver. And why shouldn't he be? His TV-clown father crashed to his death in a parachute accident after being falsely accused of sexual impropriety by a local radio DJ. This coming-of-age novel captures the nearly total isolation of Aaron's childhood at a Denver private school; the fight where he lost an incisor; his hopeless crushes on unattainable, popular girls; and his immersion in a seedy drug world. With humor and pathos, first novelist Lazar captures the incredible sexual tension of being 16 and the pain and guilt one feels after breaking up with one's first love. The novel jumps from Aaron's childhood to his current love affair with Clarisse, focusing on his fear of commitment. Aaron has survived his past, if just barely, but will he have the guts to seize the reins of adulthood? A solid, promising debut with memorable characters; recommended for most libraries.
-?Doris Lynch, Monroe Cty. P.L., Bloomington, Ind.Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
