Simon Lazarus [Paperback]

M.A. Kirkwood (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2003

Barbara Rose Brooker, author of "God Doesn't Make Trash and So Long, Princess": "Truly, a story for our times. If 'The Catcher in the Rye' were written today instead of fifty years ago, it would very much look like this. Simon Lazarus is a multi-layered odyssey of humor, depth, zest and originality."

B. C. Madrigan, The Noyan Institute: "There is no way I can adequately describe the wonder of this book. Simon Lazarus is both an old and new tale taking on dimensions I've yet to see in any contemporary novel. Just the pace of it will keep you turning its pages for hours. It'll be worth wearing out the flashlight on this one!"

Eckhart Tolle, author of "The Power of Now": "Simon Lazarus resonates an extraordinary beauty and wisdom one associates with the best of spiritual fiction (Herman Hesse comes to mind). From the very first page, Simon takes you by the hand and never lets you go. Join Simon on what is both an inward and outward journey filled with a wealth of stunning truths amid a very funny landscape. A book to be treasured." Dr. Daniel J. Gustafson, family psychotherapist: "Finally, here's an aptly funny and startlingly true narrative that captures the youth of today! This one's for the post-gen-x-ers-a.k.a. the "undeclared generation". And how fortunate it is to have such a wacky yet wise writer at its helm. M. A. Kirkwood will delight and enchant you, so sit back and enjoy the ride!"

Editorial Reviews

Review

I enjoyed every page of SIMON LAZARUS. It is the spring of Simon's first year at college. He is trying to decide what kind of man he wants to be. His father is not the role model he is seeking: an apologetic recovering alcoholic; in Simon's mind "a pansy". Simon is trying to break free from his dysfunctional family, but how does a person go through his rebellious years, with parents who were at Woodstock and a grandmother who wears rock- n-roll T-shirts with leopard skin leggings? Simon says, "Sometimes I think that to top all this rebellious legacy of my parents I must retreat and become a bone surgeon dressed in a 19th Century greatcoat". Which is understandable, given that his middle name is from a Patti Smith album and his sister was named after an Eric Clapton tune. In his search for his identity, Simon leaves college, leaves Connecticut, and takes to the road, in search of the great grandfather he's never met. Perhaps he will be the "real" man to show Simon the way. This book is a winding journey from college and his first real romance, to being broke and working at an oyster bar in New Orleans, with a few detours along the way. --Rountablereviews.com

This is an intriguing, thought-provoking book. It is written from Simon's perspective, yet the style of writing gives glimpses that Simon's view of himself is not always the same as other characters' impression of him. M.A. Kirkwood manages to do this and still stay true to Simon, not changing the book's point of observation. It is skillfully done. For days, after I finished reading this book, questions and thoughts from it kept popping up in my mind. One question I have is about the title of the book, SIMON LAZARUS. I don't think I completely understand the implication of this title. The main character's name is Simon Elegie Strayhorn. I feel there is an undercurrent of resurrection implied, but it is outside my grasp. I may just have to read it one more time; it seems to be one of those books that cries to be re-read. The characters are all interesting, well-developed and likable. M.A. Kirkwood could easily turn this into a series of books, taking each character in turn. I would certainly enjoy a chance to see the family's story from his sister's point of view, or his father's, just for starters. -- --Reviewed by Molly Gaertner, Roundtablerviews.com, Copyright 2004

Product Details

• Paperback: 324 pages
• Publisher: Airleaf Publishing (November 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594530165
• ISBN-13: 978-1594530166
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #201,780 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

142 of 152 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simon's Odyssey, August 27, 2004

By 

A Reader (Phoenix, AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Simon Lazarus (Paperback)

This is a wonderful coming of age story, with all the classic elements, but with a few twists. Simon tends to the see the world in absolutes. He is quick to idolize or demonize people, and, as a result, he finds himself frequently confused or disappointed when the disparity between his ideal and the actual person is revealed. The genius of the novel, to me, is how seemlessly it presents this characteristic of Simon, while at the same time allowing the reader to discover, through Simon's narration, that he does the same thing with himself. He is his own harshest critic, and as we are learning about the divide between Simon's perceptions of those around him and actuality, we start to see the divide between Simon's perceptions about himself and reality. We largely learn these things from what others say in Simon's presence, not through anything he tells us himself. Whereas Simon feels awkward, incompetent, and easily embarrassed, we learn that he is more complicated than that, and cooler and more multi-dimensional than he seems to think. This lesson comes just as Simon is learning that the world is more complicated and multi-dimensional than he understands.

The story is about Simon's awakening, or as the book's tilte suggests, his rebirth. Simon plunges into a type of post-Gen-X odyssey -- complete with sirens and trials of all sort -- initiated (probably subconsciously) by his father and with the encouragement of his surrogate father, a therapist that he has begun seeing just prior to the beginning of the events described in the book. In many ways, it is a quest book -- a book in which there is a final truth, and which, it turns out, is exactly what the character has been searching for. There are some rabbit holes along the way, the either go nowhere or end abruptly, but in the search, he learns what we've learned for 323 pages -- that the world, and the people in it, are complicated, as he is himself.

The quest motif is what keeps the pages turning, and it's a very difficult book to put down. But at bottom, I think, this is a story about fathers and their sons. The women in the novel -- primarily Simon's family -- are all characatures, and Simon's chief romantic interest is so heavily idealized by Simon that we really don't know much about the real her at all. The relationships most heavily explored are the four father/son relationships that spread over five generations in Simon's family. The thread is woven around an object -- which serves as the catalyst to Simon's odyssey -- from the war that took the first father's life, and that nearly took the third son's. In the string, we see (1) the grief and despair of a son who has lost his father to war, and the consequences of that loss, (2) his relationship with his own son, who has turned out to be disappointing, (3) that man's son, who was never good enough for his father, and carries the guilt of perhaps being the cause of his father's greatest loss, and (4) the fourth son -- Simon -- who has the chance to act as surrogate to find for his father the redemption that has alluded him, and to mature in the process. Woven in to the story are some incohate thoughts about the need of men to get in touch with their emotional side, which to me were a little less satisfying than the father/son threads.

Anyway, he's a great character to get to know, and the trip is worth the ride. It reminded me very much of another book, Rule of the Bone, which explores very similar themes in a very similar way. If you enjoyed that book, you'll almost certainly like Simon Lazarus, and comparing the two main characters -- Simon and Chappie -- is a great deal of fun.

92 of 97 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Have a great trip with Simon Lazarus this summer!, May 6, 2004

By 

Karen Almgren (Menlo Park, California USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Simon Lazarus (Paperback)

Taking a trip with a self-centered nineteen year old is not on the top of anyones "to do list", especially if you want to have a relaxing, good time. That is exactly what I am proposing for book lovers to do this summer! And you will have a fabulous time! When Simon starts his adventure he is a person you would love to leave behind but very soon his wonderful metamorphus begins to evolve. His character grows exquisitely,and captures the reader with lots of humor, zesty conversation, and enjoyable storytelling. Simon gains a depth of spirituality along his way that is enticing to the reader. Other characters in Simon's world are so rich that you would love to pick up your next book and learn about them as well...I ask the author to please give us more stories about these well manicured characters...Simon's father, sister, grandfather, and girlfriend...I for one was not wanting the book to end!

51 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good read-- beginning to end, November 6, 2006

By 

Zachary W. "Zoundo" (Redmond, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Simon Lazarus (Paperback)

This strange little story started with a few huffs and puffs. I wasn't so sure about this one (so many others have ended up duds). I didn't quite know what to think of the dark pensiveness of our protagonist, Simon, but heck if the kid doesn't have a lively voice, albeit a warped sense of humor? Perhaps, this kept me in the game--but it took about 50 pages in before I really began to like Simon Strayhorn and his sharp take on the world around him.

I found it hard not to laugh. I could not resist the other characters, either, and I think this is what is so special about this read. The assortment of types from the rich-kid and nerd-brain roomies, to the middle-aged, balding Boyce, the Fleetwood Mac-gen parents, and on to the many others that populate our hero's odd adventure. Maybe this read isn't exactly for everyone--but I surely enjoyed it. And far more than Augusten Burroughs' repetitive memoirs or the many day-in-the-life novels for the assumed (by the publishers, it seems) navel-gazing, 20-something crowd. It's a smart read that also entertains. That, in itself, makes this novel so special by today's "anything goes" standards.