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33 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
The ending brings this one together., March 11, 2010
This review is from: Next: A Novel (Hardcover)
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As I read this it went from O.K to so-so, to surprising and interestingly different at the end. Here's the upsides and downsides of it for me to help decide if it's for you: - The book is written so you are living for a few hours inside the mind of a depressing, self-absorbed middle-aged man in the midst of a mid-life crisis while he kills time in Austin waiting for an interview. As a middle-ager myself, I hoped to like or at least empathize w/ him. But, for me, he never was really that much of an interesting or sympathetic character. - It's divided into three sections. The first two (which make up about 90%) were slow-going for me. They led me to think that there was no real point to the story. Any minor action, from seeing the way someone walks to tearing his pants are seemingly only provided to trigger long, almost stream-of-concious type recollections and reflections about his past girlfriends and life. - The author is a very descriptive writer with a gift for metaphor, themes and description. But, since the main character is mostly living in his own head dialogue and action are limited, and paragraphs often run for two or more pages as he spins through a memory or thought. - The third section is the saving grace of the book. It combines action, dialogue, and a surprise ending that cleverly brings meaning to what appeared meaningless and reveals Hynes as a better crafter of a tale than I'd suspected. And, whether you like the ending or not, it is thought-provoking and becomes more so upon reflection of what preceded it. Bottom Line: If you can stick with living in the head of a man in a mid-life crisis for awhile, and seemingly random morbid reflections on his life until you get to the end, you'll discover there's an interestingly crafted, thought-provoking result.
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28 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What's NEXT After Midlife Crisis, March 7, 2010
This review is from: Next: A Novel (Hardcover)
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James Hynes -- one of the most mordantly funny and original writers today -- is not widely known, and more's the pity. In NEXT, arguably his finest novel, he masterfully captures the post 9/11 world through the prism of an anti-hero in the midst of a midlife crisis. Kevin Quinn, a liberal and self-absorbed Ann Arbor editor who is a classic textbook case of arrested development, lands in Austin, Texas to interview for a new job. Against the backdrop of a world that's still quaking from the terror assaults, his own life is shaky: his job is stullifying, his much younger girlfriend is clamoring for a baby, and he's been told that he "lacks tenderness and passion." The vast portion of the story takes place in just four-and-a-half hours. It's a feat that Ian McEwan was able to master in his novel SATURDAY; but it's challenging for most writers to sustain interest in such a tight timeframe. James Hynes succeeds. The city of Austin itself comes alive under the pen of Mr. Hynes; even those who have never visited will wither in the hot Texas sun, and feel the energy of the coffee shops, Mexican restaurants, health food stores, running paths and more. With hours to go before the interview, Kevin Quinn spends an unremarkable day, rather creepily following the beautiful younger Asian-American girl he sat next on the plane whom he sees as his last hope of redemption, reminiscing about his carnal relationships with ex-girlfriends, wandering in and out of stores, and admiring the incredible looks and stamina of the Austin women. His life seems vaguely pathetic; there is no woman whom he doesn't obsess about and his wandering appears aimless as he waits to interview for a job he doesn't really want in a city he doesn't want to live in. Austin feels "foreign" to him, one more example of a man who is out of place in life. Toward the end of the first part, he experiences a relatively minor fall -- tripped by a dog on an Austin bridge -- a harbinger for a much greater fall later on. He's "saved" by a Latina surgeon, who quite literally doctors to his injury, and, in ways he never did with younger girlfriend, he becomes reflective with her and with himself. Upon parting from her, he wonders: "What would I be willing to die for -- anything? Who would I be willing to die for? That's what passion does -- passion makes you stupid, passion loses you and then throws you away." Much has been made already about the last 50 pages of this book -- Part 3 -- where there's a major shift in the plot and tone and where all Kevin's musings begin to form a cohesive shape. Each reader must experience the ending for herself or himself, but suffice to say, it WILL grab you into its vortex and shake you up. It's a true example of what fine writing can do. Ultimately, Mr. Hynes suggests that it's possible to get out of self-involvement, embrace one's passion and confront what's next...and sometimes, to obtain the flash of insight to welcome it.
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21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful book, great for book clubs, March 5, 2010
This review is from: Next: A Novel (Hardcover)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
Brief summary, NO spoilers. (And I emphasis NO, because I think it's important to not know what happens next to fully enjoy this amazing novel.) Kevin Quinn is a 50-something year old man who has been working for years as an editor for an academic publisher at the University of Michigan. He is a childless divorcee, and is currently in an ambivalent relationship with a younger woman named Stella. Unbeknownst to everyone in his home town in Ann Arbor, Kevin takes a planned one-day trip to Austin to interview for a new job. He does this in part because he is frustrated with his life, he feels he is an underachiever, and because he misses the feelings of promise and anticipation that came with youth. In short, Kevin is suffering from a real midlife crisis. While on the plane to Texas, Kevin sits next to a pretty young Asian woman he names Joy Luck because of the book she is reading. After he lands and while waiting for his interview, Kevin spots her on the streets of Ausin and he begins a figurative and literal chase as he contemplates his life and his past relationships (and regrets), both with girlfriends and with family. Adding to Kevin's angst is the fact there there has been a new, alarming rash of terrorist bombings and attacks that have recently taken place in Europe and in the U.S. Because I don't want to give anyway any spoilers, I don't want to say much more about the plot other than this book has several twists and turns and truly shocking moments. Even if this novel may seem to be a slow-go for some of you at first, hang in there, and I dare anyone to put it down during the incredible last 50 pages. The last part of the book will have you rethinking the book as a whole. It's a remarkable look at middle-age, and how our recollections and memories of past grievances color the way we look at ourselves and our future. And throw in a lot of humor to boot. I highly recommend this book for anyone, but especially for those of us in our middle-age years and older, and of special note - for those of you familiar with Austin, Texas. There is a lot of description of that town, which would make this an additional treat for someone from there. * Wanted to add that we choice this book for our book club, and it was one of the best discussions we've ever had. Everyone seemed to have a different opinion about this book, but by the time we were done with our discussion we each had a new appreciation for it.
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