Customer Reviews

Nothing Is Terrible: A Novel

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

 

 

This book was fast-paced and relatively easy to read, yet decidedly unnerving and creepy. Creepy, not because of the characters, who are often downright wholesome and sympathetic. But because, as it turns out, these modern-day Jane Eyre-like folks end up doing things that make most of us uncomfortable thinking about, no less doing ourselves. One can't help identifying with the innocence pervading each decadent and/or criminal relationship. The most frightening thought that crossed my mind was that somehow this book reflects the innocent decadence of our time. To sum up: entertaining throughout and mind-expanding, thought-provoking stuff. A great book.

For the last few decades, U.S. novelists have unsuccessfully played catch-up with the Latin American Boom writers of the 1960s--Fuentes, García Márquez, Borges, Cortázar--often applying their magic realism in embarrassingly mannered, academic ways. Sharpe, though has found the key. The fantastic visions of Mary (Paul) make perfect sense after a few tabs of acid. Wise, witty, daring, Matthew Sharpe takes the novel back for the gringos.

I'm actually a poet and have never written a fiction review, but this book really struck me. It is gorgeous, clever, original, and a surprisingly quick read (considering how unusual the characters are). Sharpe should be given credit for his writing style, wit, and depth, but most of all, he should receive high praise for working with material that is sui-generis, completely ambitious, and utterly risky. In this novel, he is like a gymnast doing a very difficult routine on the balance beam -- and he pulls it off. Brilliant technique, arresting grace, flawless dismount.

For those who think there's no beautiful, vital fiction being written any more, that the modern novelist is getting tripped up by his or her own cleverness, or is stumped by the challenge of emotional honesty, think again. Matt Sharpe has given birth to a fictional hero who could hold her own against Huck Finn. Nothing is Terrible is an understated masterpiece with all the wit, feeling and literary slyness of Catcher in the Rye. This book deserves to be read; and once read it will certainly be remembered.

Summary: One of my all time favorites.

This story would perhaps be considered bizarre if it were not for the calm, beautifully rendered voice of Mary, the narrator. Sharpe blends a strikingly original storyline with humorous wit. It was a delight to read and was never strange enough to lose any of its simple beauty. One of the most original novels I have ever read.

Matthew Sharpe's first novel seems quite different than his short stories from Stories From the Tube. Maybe it's because of the longer but Sharpe's style is slower and less impactful in this novel. Not to say that it doesn't pack a bang, because it does, it's just a different, more haunting bang. The overall effect is one of unbalance and mystery. The young trouble makers in this book are more entertaining than the adults and the dialogue and narration are always reaching for something under the surface. There's also the weird references to Mary/Paul's sexual identity (does she have a penis or not?). Matthew Sharpe's direction is impressive and keen on careful subtleties. This seems to be an interesting start of a potentially brilliant writing career. It is books like these that should be "book club" choices. God knows, this one could start a lively discussion!

Sharpe stirs up a trippy anti-fairy tale and trusts his readers to navigate the darkly funny, sexy, unfamiliar landscape without a morality map. He repeatedly blurs the line between creepy and comfortable, describing a child's world that moves back and forth from nightmare to erotic fantasy. Sharpe deftly reels the reader into the narrative and then tosses him back out again, playing an edgy, risky game of cat and mouse, never letting the reader settle too comfortably into the easy-chair. The pages bubble over with humor: the brutal, mirthless kind that reminds a person anything can be funny. Nothing Is Terrible flies by quickly, but gets under your skin. Read this book and then read it again.

For the last few decades, U.S. novelists have unsuccessfully played catch-up with the Latin American Boom writers of the 1960s--Fuentes, García Márquez, Borges, Cortázar--often applying their magic realism in embarrassingly mannered, academic ways. Sharpe, though has found the key. The fantastic visions of Mary (Paul) make perfect sense after a few tabs of acid. Wise, witty, daring, Matthew Sharpe takes the novel back for the gringos.

I actually agree with many of the reviewers that this is a well-written book and a quick read. I kept reading it because I found it interesting. However, the "happy" ending, in particular, seems to me to suggest that childhood sexual abuse is OK. (Don't continue reading this review if you don't want to know how the book ends.) It's bad enough for a twelve year old to have an affair with her teacher, but Mary/Paul spends years with her, leaves her, and then goes back, and will apparently now live happily ever after. I found this offensive. I don't understand why people would say this book is hilarious.

We all know those round vanity-top makeup mirrors that both magnify and distort what reflects in them. In a sense I think that is a good way to think about Nothing is Terrible. It reflects a cynical world in magnified and distorted ways. It is important to keep this in mind, and, if you do, the novel is an interesting read. But if you're looking for a way that these reflections might come together and become anything more profound than an interesting read, then I think you will be disappointed.

This is a story of a young orphaned girl who grows up in a very atypical way. She ends up living with her grade school teacher and lover and does all sort of "bad" things. Boy, isn't she naughty and loveable, I think is what we are supposed to feel here. To its credit, the story is a bit more complicated if you care to think about it. The range of misfit relationships and the silly eccentric deeds these relationships create can be interesting, but there's something about it all that's just a little too easy to poke fun at.

Some parts are quite good. When Mary -- our protagonist -- describes exploring her friend Dierdre's body ... That was pretty good.

This is a novel of the times, I think, in that it doesn't really develop any focus or depth! (Yes, that's what I think. Perhaps that's supposed to pass for postmodernism.) Instead the story is a pastiche of events told in a manner that reminds me mostly of present-day sitcoms: just a string of gags, or, in this case, a string of gaffes. Readers who enjoyed Delillo's latest novel -- Underworld -- or My People's Waltz (I forget the author) might enjoy Nothing is Terrible. But I found that the more I read, the less it held my interest. It simply wasn't convincing.

One more note -- and aside, perhaps. I couldn't help remembering all the while that I read that this novel was written by a man. Considering a lesbian relationship between a school teacher and her young female student was just part of it. Also, this is a white educated man appropriating some silly nuances about gutter life. I don't know...My concern may not matter much, but I bring it up because I did think about it as I read.

I couldn't decide between 3 or 4 stars so I flipped a coin and so I give it four.