I figured this would be a good one to read right before my high school reunion, right? The premise is a loser-ish guy (nicknamed "Teabag" from a gross locker room incident) writing really literary, intense "updates" to his high school alumni bulletin. The writing is just awesomely smart and funny, but also dark and weird. There is very little plot holding the book together, but it all culminates in one sick, strange high school reunion or "Togethering," as it's called.

Things that stick out in my mind from this book: Lewis AKA Teabag has a recurring dream about a champion masturbation artist. Lewis' best friend Gary lives on money from suing his therapist for making him think his parents molested him as a child. The former high school principal, Fontana, has bondage-type sex with a woman whose husband is trying to kill him with a mace. The mace-toting husband is also a drug dealer and Gary's AA sponsor. Lewis' ex-girlfriend is in love with her film star brother. Lewis earns his meager living writing fake facts for a cola industry journal.

If I had to subtitle this book, I think "The American Nightmare" might work. ( )

My favorite book for years. ( )

Meh. I had high hopes for this book, but it felt insubstantial as I approached the end. It was funny, but that's all it was. Every time it approached real emotion, the narrator veered off into crudity. Strangely, in its plea for attention by saying the unsayable, Lipsyte's book reminded me of another book I read this year, L.A. Rex, which was not funny at all, but rather over-the-top violent. The other thing these books resemble is, I think, pornography. Maybe that's taking it too far. Lipsyte is obviously talented, but he seems not to trust in his own talent. ( )

Intelligent semi-misfit high school graduate trying to figure out what he wants to do with life. Not much especially remarkable besides writing for publication brutally truthful but never published letters for his school newsletter in complaint about school and life, and also about other alumni, school friends and himself. I got ⅔ through the book. Written fairly well, lots of dialogue, very good collegiate wit, entertaining for a while.

I did skip ahead for the "Togethering", about page 194 (of 229 in my book), an all-classes reunion, maybe pound for pound the best part of the book, if moderately surreal. Added ¾ of a star.

Archiv.org has this for free. ( )

A WMFU novel before anyone seemed to catch on that there were so many of them. But Mr. Lipsyte has some writing chops and fun turns of phrase to make a WMFU novel SLIGHTLY worthwhile. I don't feel the need to read many of them. But some great lines here redeem the misery a bit. This one almost won the second Morning News Tournament of Books in 2006 (https://themorningnews.org/tob/2006/ ), after two heavyweight historical books took first and second place in the previous year... I can't help but think that the Tournament was looking for something lighter after that. Maybe this type of book was a newer concept then? But then it is very similar to something like 'The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao' by Junot Diaz that won the Tournament in 2008. Mr. Lipsyte has some writing skills, which I wish he would put to better use than some raunchy jokes where a man is constantly discussing his past classmates, trying to send updates to the class newsletter. I feel like Lewis uses his lewdness to hide his vulnerability, much like Oscar is obsessed with every female during his Brief Wondrous Life. But I know nothing about Lipsyte's other books... are most of his books like this? Is this Lipsyte and not Lewis? I'm usually a fan of unlikable characters, and I really try here with Lewis, as I try to be forgiving with any character, but no matter how good Lipsyte is at flipping sentences upside down, I just wanted Lewis to get out of his crappy haunting town and find some happiness somewhere. I do like the parts between Lewis and his dad, which I don't think is an accident considering Lipsyte dedicated the book to his dad. Lewis isn't the worst - but he also didn't walk months through an actual warzone like Zebra did in Azareen Van der Vliet Oloomi's 'Call Me Zebra' (which I don't know if that is a good or bad metric to follow -it's a rough road- I'm just surprised no one else ever gets Zebra). To compare to another Tournament winner - the incomparable 'The Sellout' by Paul Beatty - Bon Bon goes through a crap ton in his life, but his heart is gold gold gold. And of course the humor is on point there. But I also haven't walked in the shoes of Lewis - so who am I to judge? As much as he thought it was funny to bus tables at his high school reunion at his dad's banquet hall. It's like he wants to be immersed in it all the time, even if it makes him miserable. And it doesn't take a reunion for him to be dwelling on the past. He insists that none of the lives of his classmates are that great either. He sees this. So why does it bug you so much, Lewis?Just get out of there. I know it's hard, Lewis! ( )