Z/Web

Author: Richard North Patterson

Really excellent book. This one picks up after evil behavior of Mary Carelli as “amoral” — that’s in the same sentence where he suggests she might be a murderer — that’s a lawyer trick and so typical of what’s taught in schools these days, degrading morality into something gray and less than pure, that it made me want to puke). My original interest in Patterson came from a radio interview where he talked about his new book which deals with the abortion issue, something his publishers begged him not to write about, and even though it was obvious I disagree with his perspective, he sounded like he’d be fair and the concept was intriguing. After reading just a couple of his novels, I seriously doubt that he could be fair, though we’ll see. (What bothers me about bias in a novel like this is not that an author has an opinion: I have no problem with that, even if it’s an opinion I violently disagree with. My problem is when the author claims to be fair and “unbiased” when it is obvious they are not. If I write a book, for instance, I won’t claim to be the slightest bit objective: it will reflect my values and beliefs and that’s the way it should be. When authors claim to be “fair” and are not, they essentially are redefining the word fair, i.e. fair is when their point-of-view is subtly projected and yours is mitigated or mocked. All that said, I must say that Patterson is not the worst author in this regard, just one of the most subtle, and therefore devious. Keep that in mind when you read him.)

Essentially this film is about a record store owner griping about his shabby love life and trying to figure out why girlfriends keep breaking up with him. What’s interesting is the perspective: John Cusack narrates directly into the camera, and his style of delivery and constant use of “Top Five” lists (best records, top five worst breakups, best jobs, etc.) is unusual. As for plot, there isn’t much of one. Towards the end the griping gets on your nerves and you’re ready to kick Cusack in the head for being such a moron, but finally he resolves his relationship and becomes an adult. Pretty good flick, especially interesting if you like music, though I’m not such a music geek as to actually have heard many of the albums and songs mentioned (my definition of “classic” music is music I’ve never heard of).