2011 Reading #59: Couch by Benjamin Parzybok

Jul 09, 2011 19:51

Books 1-10.
Books 11-20.
Books 21-30.
Books 31-40.
Books 41-50.
51. What I Didn't See and Other Stories by Karen Joy Fowler.
52. Thunder and Roses: Volume IV: The Complete Stories of Theodore Sturgeon.
53. Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler.
54. Travel Light by Naomi Mitchison.
55. Angela Davis: An Autobiography.
56. Always Coming Home by Ursula K. Le Guin.
57. Shadow Man by Melissa Scott.
58. The Dead Girls by Jorge Ibargüengoitia.

59. Couch by Benjamin Parzybok. There's not really any other title that would make sense, here. This is a story about three roommates in Portland in financial and personal dire straits; they get evicted and head out to donate their monstrous orange couch, only to find themselves hauling it to the coast and beyond in an absurd ring-to-Mordor sort of quest. It's enjoyable and yet I come away from it feeling like I should have enjoyed it more than I did; I was hooked because I wanted to see where the book went, but I was left feeling unsatisfied. I think this was part of the point, but I also feel like the ending was perhaps too enigmatic in certain respects. Endings are hard, though. I'm a little surprised that I didn't love this book like crazy, because it seems like it should be right up my alley, but then these days I'm not exactly sure what's back there in that alley. So it's a qualified recommendation from me; this is a clever, sometimes funny book with an over-the-top plot that's perhaps a little bit at odds with its tone.

books, 2011 reading

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