5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
I'm a User baby...so why don't you, April 1, 2003
This review is from: User (Paperback)
User is Blake Nelson's own answer to his first novel, Girl. This time it's a boy, a young man a few years older than the teen Andrea of that book. Mitch is 23, in between menial jobs, not in school, and generally going nowhere. His family involvement is minimal and with no encouragement from those around him to do
anything, he does nothing. User refers not so much to the familiar drugs and booze of twentysomethings but to the use and attempted use of those around him.
The problem is, Mitch isn't even good at it or good at anything for that matter. The thing he does most expertly is smoke a cigarette, as Nelson writes repeatedly,
"He smokes." ..., which would sum up the main character. Broke, bored, and with little personality to get him more than sex with people he doesn't even care about, there is no request for sympathy and none given. Stealing something here and there, bumming a ride, trying to get into a club for free ("I used to work here") all sum up the not-as-cool-nor-fun-as-it-seems life of a slacker.
Nelson has a smooth writing style that makes this a fast read. However, it comes off as a watered down version of the kind of young and the useless stories that Bret Easton Ellis began in the 80s with Less Than Zero. Ellis is both loved and reviled, but one thing has become clear. In the years since Less Than Zero, Rules of Attraction and even American Psycho, he looks that much better compared to the competition.
Not to say that User is going for the same thing. The reference to Less Than Zero on the back cover is ill-advised but undoubtedly inserted to sell the book. (Hey, I bought it!) And that's part of the problem. Don't expect a Less Than Zero for the end of the century. This book basically meanders through the few weeks (or was it months?) in the life of Mitch. There's no real plot and there is no pretension on the flip side. No larger statement that is present in Ellis' work (even though that author prefers the sledge-hammer to the head form of subtlety to get his point across.) As a slice of post-grunge youngsters with nothing to do and nowhere to go (through their own doing I might add) this is harmless enough. It's only occasionally insightful but actually seems less mature. Mitch is a less consistent narrator than Andrea in Girl. There are moments, however, where Blake gets right inside the mind of a twentysomething guy with perfection.
I'd recommend it to anyone interested in novels about the young and disaffected. However, be aware that you could do better. Nelson is a writer for Details, which may tell you as much as you need to know off the bat.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Time Capsule for the Post-Grunge 90s, May 6, 2002
This review is from: User (Paperback)
Given that the publication date kept being bumped up and that it was rumored the novel would never see the light of day, I was a bit concerned that Nelson's latest effort, User, would not live up to my expectations. Wrong. Although the tone is different--more mature--than Girl, the subject matter and ear for dialogue are pure Nelson.
Set in the Pacific Northwest at the end of the century, User picks up where girl left off. It is, in many ways, a novel without a point, a story for the sake of a story. We follow Mitch, a twenty-something, directionless, thrill-seeker through a myriad of situations that will resonate with those who lived through the period: sitting in the dj booth, getting tossed out of bars, brushes with heroin, one night stands...
To compare the book to Less than Zer0 (as did Martin on the back cover) is misguided and smacks of laziness on the part of the reviewer. Less than Zer0 was social commentary set against a synth pop sountrack; User is a fun, quick read without lofty ambitions or pretension. Read and enjoy.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cooler and more "hip" than Girl., November 29, 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: User (Paperback)
I've read all of Blake Nelson's books, and I have to say, far better than Exile and better (but different) than Girl because the author here is more mature...or at least he explores other aspects of youth culture. Whatever. I loved it -- get this book, it's funny and "hip" and very frustrating, if you're a girl, because he writes about guys so well! Very, very accurate. Shame on you Blake Nelson for being so perceptive!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
