I don’t know if my review can do this book justice – The Great Man Theory deserves…well, greatness. I’ll give it a try anyway.
This is my third read by the author and I would consider myself a fan, but this book was by far the best out of three. Not only that, it was by far one of the best books I’ve read in a while, which considering how many books I plow through, is really something. Granted, I’ve been reading lots of genre fiction lately and the sheer difference of spending time with a proper work of literature was a joy in itself, but it was a joy very specific to this book; a book so clever, so timely, so stunningly well written that it does that unicorn thing that most authors set out to do and few succeed at – it actually puts you, the reader, inside someone’s mind, inside someone’s life. Meet Paul. A man out of time, a staunchly anachronistic professor of English, a proud Luddite, a sometime writer of essays, a divorced father of a young girl. Paul had recently hit the official middle-age marker and, at 46, doesn’t have much to show for himself, but a semi-comfortable rented existence. And outrage. Like many Brooklyn liberals of a certain age, Paul is potently outraged by the 44th’s administration, appalled at the direction the country has taken, dismayed with its ever-declining values and morals and so on. It isn’t just the politics, it’s also the new generations that Paul valiantly tries to teach, it’s also the new technology that Paul valiantly tries to avoid…but mostly, it’s politics. And, because Paul is Brooklyn liberal of a certain age, his rage is impotent and muted. He writes about it, but his words don’t travel far. And so, like most rage, it becomes a simmered toxic stew that slowly poisons him. To exacerbate the situation, Paul’s circumstances are rapidly tumbling down – he gets cut down at work, he has to move in with his mother who turns out to be livelier and more opinionated than he remembered, his daughter is aging out of the adorable kid he knows what to do with into a moody complicated pre-teen. All of this precipitates Paul’s slow but inextricable tumble down and circumvention of his principles – soon enough, he’s got a smart phone, he becomes an unwilling participate in gig economy to supplement his income, he begins dating for ulterior motives and writing posts online. Paul is spiraling. Soon enough, Paul’s in a freefall. Let’s pause and consider for a second the sheer courage it must have taken to write a book about a plight of a first world middle-aged white man in this day and age. Bravo, Mr. Wayne. Way to subvert expectations. But seriously, is this one going to be ripped apart much like Paul’s frequent and failed efforts at political correctness and staying hip to the times? One hopes not. And to be fair, Paul isn’t exactly a flawless lead, in fact it is his manifold flaws that make him such and interesting and compelling character. He isn’t good at life, he admits as much himself. Which, for all his faults, is as relatable of a reveal as a character can make. He tries and tries, tirelessly at times, and it seldom proves good enough. To hold on to one’s morals in an amoral world, to maintain a financial solvency in a society of Mammon devotees (in one of the most expensive cities in the world, no less), to strive for life of meaning, intelligent discourse, values…it’s admirable. It’s also a sure way to live a life steeped in disappointment. And as Paul further and further compromises all he stands for, he reveals sides of himself that are ugly – he’s hypocritical, intolerant, tediously sanctimonious. He doesn’t really see or understand too far outside of himself. He doesn’t authentically relate well to others. He’s passive, all talk, fairly useless. Flaws, flaws, flaws. His trajectory is tragic and the ending is appropriately perfect in reflecting it for this, above all, is a story about a reasonably good man driven mad by the world around him. A man who wasn’t good at life. (If this world isn't riving you mad, you're not paying enough attention.) All I love in fiction is here in this book - it’s magnetic, difficult to put down, it’s eloquent, linguistically elegant, a virtuoso rendering of a man who (as much as he is out of time) is very much of his time. Great read. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.
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