Customer Reviews

Go Very Highly Trippingly to and Fro/the Stretch Run

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This is a fine book -- enjoyable, fresh, poignant, and funny. Raymond DeCapite's dialog twists and turns, and his characters are just charming as hell. Check out Andy, the main character in "Go Very Highly...," being given advice by his musical landlord Spinner, who's just turned him down on a new mattress ("Why should you have a new mattress? I slept on this one for seven years...") and a paint job for his apartment:

"Why do you come up and bother me, Spinner?" "It's the way you're living that's bothering you. A coat of paint isn't going to help get you through the day. And you won't sleep any better on a new mattress. What you need is the touch of her hand. What happened to that girl who used to come around?" "The one with brown hair?" "Beautiful brown hair." "Brown eyes?" "There was a light of gold in those eyes, Andy. Don't you know gold when you see it?" "You mean Louise." "Every little breeze seems to whisper it." "She got married." "Nice work." "She was just a friend." "You could never play on my team. You fumble."

Andy lives above a pool hall and spends his days taking bets for a bookie, but he's far from some jaded lowlife stereotype. He's a decent guy getting by in the world, and everything he says surprises you with some bit of brilliance. Actually, all the dialog is pretty brilliant, but in small ways that sneak up on you again and again.

Somebody should make a movie of this book, but in the meantime, you'll just have to read it!