Good and Bad
Jun 22nd, 2009 by Alex
I was reading Scott Smith’s novel A Simple Plan. It’s a dark tale about a trio who come across a large sum of money. It’s more about the sick and twisted acts that greed can inspire in people. It left me feeling very uncomfortable, such that I was having work on it. I can’t remember the last time I felt this way or gave up on a book, but this one just didn’t seem worth the time.
By comparison, Couplehood by Paul Reiser was a light and amusing read that I borrowed from a friend. The book contains many short vignettes about shared and common experiences surrounding couples and interactions between men and women, probably adapted from stand-up. There’s lots of little gems in there that left me thinking “I do that” and “I’ve been there.” There’s a few pokes at his wife (and women in general), but they’re gentle and not mean-spirited. Its many interconnected but independent little essays are perfectly suitable for a few minutes here and there.
A Simple Plan will be return to The Book Thing or given to someone else who is interested in giving it a try.
