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Commonwealth

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(This review originally appeared at Oxyfication [DOT] net)

The inherent danger with a politically grounded novel is the potential to read the book as an author's manifesto. There is a desire for the reader to take a Rhetorical Critic's stance on the text and interpret every politically-backed statement as the author's personal belief. And with this danger comes the potential to polarize audiences. Joey Goebel's third novel, Commonwealth, is weighed by this dynamic, however he has the storytelling chops to move beyond treatise territory and deliver a great story, helped, not hindered, by the political setting.

Commonwealth follows the Mapother family black sheep, "Blue Gene" Eugene, as he slowly morphs from passive flea marketer and Wal-Mart enthusiast to aggressive philanthropist with communist leanings. Blue Gene, willing dissident in regards to his family's unfathomable fortune, adopts a working class lifestyle far removed from his wealthy family. This tension is only heightened by his brother, John Hurstbourne Mapother's, campaign for a congressional seat. As the novel progresses, pandering for votes becomes not-to-far removed from pandering for familial affection, which forces the Mapother family into devastating conflict.

Though Blue Gene is mostly a caricature of the "red neck" conservative right, much of the conflict deals with the narrator's unexpected struggle with these "red state" ideals as seeded by the novel's love interest, the elfin-faced Jackie Stepchild, female lead of the anti-establishment punk band Uncle Sam's Finger. Jackie represents a caricature of her own, the Left extremist, anti-capitalist aggravator, and the juxtaposition of the two characters adds to the Rhetorical Critic's argument that Goebel himself may be attempting to find his place between Left and Right just as Blue Gene questions his own stance between these extremes. Much of the political points and counterpoints within the novel are so well articulated that it becomes hard to distance the author from the material. And I argue that this is exactly the point of the novel.

Beyond the politics of Commonwealth is a story very much grounded in the coming of age tradition. Blue Gene, always a proto-male, in love with monster trucks and professional wrestling, falls for Jackie in a way that might best be described as a simple crush. Though the relationship elevates as the novel progresses, Blue Gene has difficultly in admitting to his attraction, instead playing the "man's man" role after their first extended conversation by commenting that "he hadn't even gotten a good look at [her] breasts" [pg. 174].

Goebel's previous novels are decidedly absent of politics, making Commonwealth quite the departure. And more so perhaps, an evolution. Where The Anomalies deals with a ragtag group of outcasts learning to accept their place in society, and Torture the Artist explores the importance of creation on a conceptual level, Commonwealth combines the two models to examine how seemingly radical views may be implemented in order to create a society properly disposed toward community rather than toward the individual.

In my opinion this book has it all: phenomenally written, deep, moving story, important, relevant themes insightfully rendered and humor and sadness that often hit at the same time. The book haunted me for days once I closed its last page, which is always the mark of a great piece of art.

The most important part of this book is how thoughtful it is. I think in a nation politically polarized it's easy for us to write the other side off as imbeciles, to lose touch that the opposition are actually our fellow citizens, our neighbors, our fellow human beings. Goebel could have easily taken the superficial road and made the right-wingers in this novel out to be morons and yahoos and made us all guffaw wildly at their expense. But instead he treated his subjects with thoughtfulness and complexity and empathy and yet still managed to make us laugh.

I can personally work myself up to pure hatred when I think about republican politics, I can even at rare times feel dehumanizing to our poorest set who seemingly vote against their own economic interests in the name of "moral issues", but Commonwealth makes you feel more accepting of the people behind the political views. The author makes you feel like you could even go share a beer with a right winger and it's going to be okay. You'll be able to connect with them as people. When you leave the novel you have a sympathetic understanding of all the characters and all their motivations... Goebel shines a big light into why they are the way they are and you come to understand that they're not bad people at all.

Joey Goebel has written a smart, snappy tale reminiscent of John Kennedy Toole's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel A Confederacy of Dunces and the works of Kurt Vonnegut.

It's 1973 in Bashford, Commonwealth County, somewhere in the middle of America. The protagonist, Eugene Dewitt "Blue Gene" Mapother, 27, is an ex-Wal-Mart employee who now sells toys at a flea market.

Blue Gene lives in a trailer, wears a mullet, smokes Parliaments, and loves wrestling matches and monster-truck rallies.

He's also filthy rich, or will be at 30, when he will inherit his share of the family fortune. His draconian father, Henry, is CEO of of Westway International, a global tobacco superpower.

Blue Gene's brother, John Hursthorne Mapother, 40, is running for Congress and believes his black-sheep brother, a good ol' boy with populist appeal, can help his campaign by drawing in the simple folk--hayseeds, rednecks, and white trash--all the alleged underlings of "lesser pedigree."

Blue Gene's mother, Elizabeth, is a religious nut who has recurring dreams of John's destiny as forerunner of the Messiah. John, she believes, will help inaugurate the kingdom of God on earth. It soon becomes apparent that basing one's politics on apocalpytic prophecy is a dubious and dangerous enterprise.

Seeking respite from a dysfunctional family spiraling out of control, Blue Gene is attracted to Jackie "Stepchild" Ripplemeyer, a skinny punk-rocker pacifist who challenges Blue Gene's naive patriotism. And lurking in the shadows is Josh Balsam, a dangerous hawk with serious mental problems and a "terrorist" agenda.

The characters in this novel are multi-dimensional. We get caught up in this fully developed story, as if following the adventures of real-life people. And we are persuaded once again that the sins of one generation are visited upon the next.

This satirical, socio-political novel is a morality tale illustrating that "the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil," as the greedy rich want more, more, more, without regard for the welfare of those less fortunate. It's tragi-comedy at its best.

MIdway through Commonwealth, a startling family secret is revealed, but it would be criminal for a reviewer to spoil the reader's surprise.

For a novel that sets out to satirize and illustrate the assorted sillinesses of the American class system, from the blow-your-mind wealthy to the -blow-your-mind poor, the reach of "Commonwealth" exceeds its grasp by a long stretch, but don't let that stop you from giving this book a shot.

Blue Gene Mapother comes from old money, and wants none of it. Having never felt accepted by his family, he soon moves into a trailer and finds a semblance of happiness selling toys at a flea market after the local Wal-Mart he was working at closed down. Soon, though, his brother John, a recovering addict, decides to run for Congress, and the Mapother family, each with their own motives, decides to work as hard as they can to get him elected. Blue Gene reluctantly agrees, until he meets a punk rock singer who opens his eyes to what's going on around him, and Blue Gene's awakening is the meat of the story.

For stories like this to work as comedy of manners, you need one sane and sympathetic character at the center who reacts the way the reader would. Joey Goebel's attempts to have Blue Gene serve as that character don't really work.

He's a fascinating character; the one thing immensely wealthy and immensely poor people have in common is that the rest of us never really see them, and that blind spot seems to suit Blue Gene just fine. But he's not a fully multidimensional human being, and neither is anyone else in the book. His apocalypse-obsessed mother, his father, openly contemptuous of any and all who have less money and influence than he does (so, everyone), his the-bottle-led-me-straight-to-Jesus brother, the openly racist military brat with the hair-trigger temper and the huge chip on his shoulder, and the skinny punk rock girl-love interest with all the right answers and a speech for every occasion, all of them are archetypes, clearly placed in the story to serve a specific purpose. None of them pop into full human bloom, and that's unfortunate.

But that doesn't mean "Commonwealth" isn't worth reading. It's a quick-flowing 500 page read, with a plot that moves along at a nice clip. You can see why Tom Robbins really liked this book; it reads like an early draft of something he'd have written himself. It's just that there isn't anything in "Commonwealth," or in the character makeup of Blue Gene Mapother, that wasn't better executed in, say, Mike Magnuson's masterpiece "The Right Man For The Job," another novel about a lower-class lummox clinging to the bottom rung of society and looking for his personal guardian angel.

But Joey Goebel is a fine young writer, and "Commonwealth" is a solid read. He's only going to get better at this. Keep him in mind.

Joey Goebel's latest novel performs the acrobatic feat of hilariously skewering both sides of America's political and cultural battle while simultaneously embracing both. Commonwealth's characters somersault their way through the story as the lovable and contradictory people we meet every day and watch on the news each night. At the center of the chaos, Blue Gene Mapother's adventure from blueblood to redneck proves to be a top shelf comedy of American manners.

Commonwealth is easily Joey Goebel's best book. It retains the dark humor and original views of both Torture the Artist and The Anomalies, but explores interpersonal relationships in much greater depth. Commonwealth focuses primarily on a single character, unlike Goebel's other works which have several primary characters. Blue Gene Mapother's relationships with the people that populate his universe (a universe so like our own, a fantastic example of living in a small town) are what make this book such an amazing read.

The only criticism I can make of this book is that it took too long to be published. This is not a childish desire to read the next big thing, but the world has changed in some very profound ways since the beginning of the writing process. This in no way should detract from the impact of the book and in fact should serve as a warning lest we make the same mistakes of rampant and unthinking super-patriotism again. Do not let this lead you to believe that politics is at the heart of this book - this serves merely as a backdrop for a tragic and original story. Thank you Joey Goebel, and I look forward to reading your next work.

Commonwealth is a fast paced, well written novel that kept me interested throughout. Joey Goebel has succeeded in creating an eclectic mix of characters without relying entirely on stereotypes. There are a few that do not go outside the expected area - the redneck Josh Balsam or the patriarch Henry Mapother - but most of the rest blend in complexities and are truly believable. The lead, Blue Jean Mapother, is a likable common man from an uncommon family, and remains sympathetic throughout even when making mistakes. The relationships within the Mapother family during John Mapother's run for the House are truly a testament to dysfunctional families and changing American morals and values.

These characters try to make the world black and white but shades of gray constantly make there way in, until sometimes they aren't quite sure just what their fundamental beliefs are. Just like real people, there are multiple sides to every event, past and present, and just when you think you have someone pigeon-holed a new viewpoint or retelling makes you reconsider just who is telling the truth.

The style comes across as effortless, smoothly blending in flashbacks to supply back story and explain current situations, while constantly moving the story forward. A few surprising turning points and revelations increase the tension up until Election day.

I highly recommend this entertaining and thought provoking book.

I recommend this timely book to everyone, regardless of one's
political inclinations, because it is fast-paced with
well-rounded, true-to-life characters and is a perfect blend
of drama and satire. Like another reviewer, I live in the
south, and these characters could easily be from my town.
This novel made me laugh, cry, and examine my own beliefs
and perceptions. In my opinion, this is what any great
literature should accomplish.

The novelist, born in 1980, is wise beyond his years.
This, his third brilliant novel, is sure to inspire and to
captivate all who read it. And at the risk of drawing
attention to it, the reviewer from Publishers Weekly must
not grasp the concept of fiction or of satire. The
sentences in fiction reflect the thoughts of the CHARACTERS;
therefore, a "slur" is thrown by a CHARACTER and
does not mean that the writer agrees. If anything, in such
a satirical novel as this, the writer is exposing--not
promoting-- the ignorance of bigotry.

To conclude, Joey Goebel's Commonwealth truly is a
spell-binding masterpiece that I predict will go down in
history as a classic.

Wonderful. Goebel's other two novels are good, but this is by far the best thing he has ever done. If you are from the south, like I am, you will recognize and appreciate every character and setting in the book. If you are not lucky enough to be from here, this book is a real glimpse into the culture. Not the fake southern accent and stereotype crap you get from a Hollywood movie. No spoilers here in this review, and if you want to know the plot, read the synopsis. All I will tell you is this is a great read. Buy it and enjoy.