The Reason You're Alive By Matthew Quick :American Conservative Literature?

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

So I finished yesterday one of the library books I'd borrowed a few weeks back which was this (even though I did a spoiler alert in the title)

Not Easy On The Eyes This Cover

Now the cover revals that Mr Quick was the author of The Silver Linings Playbook. I'd heard of the film, didn't realise it was a book, haven't seen/read either.

The best thing I can say about this novel was that it was readable. I'll give it that. Ultimately though I didn't like it. Firstly because until the end there are few moments in this book where anything really happens. It is mainly a reminiseence by the main character Vietnam War Veteran David Granger.

He is not just a war veteran but a Republican. It's his views that permeate the book. So that it's the sort of narrative where he is not just right politically but in everything else as well. He might be aware that he has certain flaws. But these are caused by what others inflicted on him. Such as him not being on good relations with his son is partly due to him being "a liberal".

He is not racist....apart from being of the view that all muslems are terrorists. Equally disturbingly he seems to think that paedophilia is accteptable if a) Done "back in the day" b) Consensual c) If your mind's messed up due to having fought in a war.

America is "the best country in the world". Well I'm old enough to say it isn't. Nowhere is perfect. Everywhere has problems they're just different.

The fact that it was a Conservative book did not bother me (I've praised Jeffrey Archer in this blog!).It's more the lack of nuance, subtlety that's annoying.

For all I know there may be hidden subtexts that I didn't catch. I don't think so. But you know any book is irritating where it has these so well hidden that you'd have to use infra red technology to highlight them.

The book cover of the UK paperback edition is interesting. Firstly the blurb says that the book "challenges us to look beyond our own prejudices and search for the good in others". That presumably refers to the politics. Also there are five comments of praise. None though from any British and only one from an American newspaper, which I think tells you how it was received.

So the question is this. Would this book have been published in Britain if it wasn't for The Silver Linings Playbook?

I don't think so.

Until the next time.