Next Book

As far as reviews go, this book went from 2 stars to 4 stars in the last 50 pages, which only proves(much to my chagrin) that you shouldn't ever abandon a book. This book really kicked me on my ass and is another one outside of my typical comfort zone. I have no problem reading books with male protagonists. Sometimes I think its like seeing inside a male mind, which will always be fascinating to a girl with no brothers or boyfriends in sight. But Kevin is no ordinary man. Or at least I hope so, for the sake of humanity. After reading Franzen, I didn't think characters could get anymore self absorded, but then I was introduced to Kevin, the main character in Next. The guy would seriously not shut up. One minute he's afraid of dieing in a terrorist attack, the next minute he's fantasizing and literally chasing after women he sees on the way to an interview, even though he is in a seemingly great relationship with his sort of girlfriend. The guy was never happy, always looking for the next best thing (Ha, I think I just figured out the title!). At first I felt bad about what happened in the end, and it sort of erased my disgust for Kevin. But now I'm not so sure. What's so great about someone if they only realize they are an asshole while they are near death? Anyways, aside from the story, I do think James Hynes can write. If he's all about visceral endings, I'm not sure my emotions can handle anymore of his books, but I do understand why this was picked to be in the Tournament of Books. People in other reviews likened him to Woolf or Joyce for his modern day stream of consciousness writing. A lofty compliment for sure, but he's definitly provides something new and unusual to the contempory writers pool.