Customer Reviews

Idiots in the Machine

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I thought this was going to be a nothing little book I picked up at the airport. You know the ones. Something to read on the plane, maybe get a laugh or two. Nothing too challenging. I was on vacation, you understand. Well, all I can say is, Wow. "Idiots" is actually a well-written, literate novel that happens to deliver audible laughs on every page and gut-wrenching ones every few pages. It's a modern, hipper, funnier look at the world through the same eyes as Kurt Vonnegut and John Irving. The writing is like Tom Robbins and Douglas Adams only much more literate, while still being just as hilarious. A surprising find.

This is a very, very entertaining novel. I laughed so hard at some parts of this book, I cried. The characters are wonderful, outrageous and very funny. The situations, priceless. The prose, beautiful. Savio's writing is something to cherish. He looks at the world through the same eyes as Heller and Vonnegut-that dark, satiric view of the world-but twists it further, hitting your heart, your mind, your gut even harder when he adds in a touch of optimism, a sprinkle of love and a dusting of humanity. It's so easy to get desensitized to a world as insane as "Catch-22's", but the world of "Idiots in the Machine" is too close to our own to dismiss. I think this is going to be one of those books, like "Catch-22," like "Confederacy of Dunces," like "Slaughter House Five" that most people will love, some people will absolutely hate, but no one will ever stop talking about.

Noel "Satan" Dorobek is a thirty-year old eccentric at odds with just about every aspect of society as he vainly attempts to find some peace in his rather disappointing life which he unexpectedly becomes famous for extolling the health benefits of wearing aluminum foil in an increasingly ozone depleted world. Gathering a cult-like following, our reluctant hero is dragged into the media spotlight by a young, beautiful, charming, emotionally bankrupt woman. What follows is darkly funny, engagingly poignant, highly recommended adventure into contemporary pop culture and a very possible tomorrow.

The number of authors attempting literary works that actually possess a sense of fun and mischief is unfortunately small. There are humorists and there are those who write books with barns and lonely fields in black and white on the cover that somehow denote the "seriousness" of the work. Edward Savio has written a novel that, although not without its flaw, is literature with a biting, twisted sense of humor. Just as the powers that be in literary circles shouldn't be afraid of laughing out loud every once in a while, those who love a good, funny book shouldn't be afraid when "literature" is attached to a well-told piece of hilarious fiction.

Every once in a while you pick a book randomly off the shelf at the bookstore (I admit, it was because the cover looked oddly interesting), only to find later that you've stumbled onto to something much more than a little bedtime reading.

I fell in love with this book. From the leads to smallest bit players, the characters are hilarious, witty, perceptive, outrageous and sometimes they'll even break your heart. Noel "Satan" Dorobek is the greatest literary anti-hero since John Kennedy Toole's Ignatious J. Reilly. A man at odds with society, cell phones, advertising, and poorly made foil products. Yet unlike Toole, Savio has created a character that is more accessible, more human. In doing so, Savio may have cost himself a Pulitzer Prize, but he's fashioned a work with just as much bite, but one that's more modern, and more endearing. It is a thoroughly enjoyable read.

I'm always looking for literate, satirical books with a wicked sense of humor. Having read all of these 5-star reviews, and convinced that this was one of those rare finds, I rushed out to get a copy of "Idiots in the Machine." Instead of a book bursting with originality or wit, I found instead what can only be called a wannabe...the main character is flat, contrived, and totally preposterous and forced. Imitation may be the greatest form of flattery, but it doesn't mean it's a good read. Try "A Confederacy of Dunces" if you haven't already, or maybe Julian Barnes or Kurt Vonnegut or TC Boyle.

I found this book to be creative, thought-provoking and hysterically funny. So much so, I got another copy to give to a friend. This dog-earred copy has now been passed around to half a dozen people (my apologies to the author). Out of those six people, five absolutely loved it. The other one, HATED IT! I mean, hated it. I think the comparisons between this book and "Confederacy of Dunces" cause people to read too much into it, and cause people to react violently against anything or anyone that might try to stand up against Toole's brilliant tome. This novel is not "Confederacy of Dunces." Period. It IS, however, strikingly well-written, endlessly entertaining, and well, just plain funny. Even though some people just won't get it.

It's rare that a book makes me laugh out loud, but this one did on several occasions, once while getting a quick bit to eat. Let's just say, know the Heimlich Maneuver before reading this. It gets four stars because the story takes a couple of chapters to get going, but once it does, it rolls on to a spectacular climax. And the hilarious cast of characters will keep you turning pages in the beginning and throughout the book.

The cast of characters in "Idiots" includes some of the zaniest people you will ever meet on the page. How Savio manages to incorporate these disparate individuals, introduced one by one in seemingly unrelated sub-plots, then brings them together in a hilarious finale as big the skyscraper it takes place on is comic genius.

Savio's writing is as elegant as it is funny. Sarcastic as it is touching. If you can get past a somewhat slow (although funny) beginning, you'll probably enjoy the rest.

I can see why some people love this book. I can see why some people don't. It's certainly not for everyone. But it was worth my time and I'm glad I gave it. Funny. Witty. Wonderfully twisted. Not five stars. But 4.1, 4.2, absolutely. Some really observant gems in here. I was actually even more intrigued with the sneak preview of Savio's next book, "The Velvet Sledgehammer" included with the trade paperback, which just had me laughing. It was supposed to be out in late 2002, but I can't find it. Hope it's not too long in coming.