All right, well one should read a whole book before one opens one's big fat mouth.So yes, in my preliminary review I said the book's developments were too outlandish for credulity. Let's just say without giving up a HUGE spoiler that there is reason for this: it all has a grand purpose, a grand design as it were. There was more than a decade ago a film called, "The Game"... this is all I will say.So, for most of the way, Nersesian's "Manhattan Loverbody" seems to be several notches below his famous "The Fuck-Up" in terms of readability and narrative smoothness, and even humor, but, after seeming to sputter at the outset the book begins to endear itself with the usual Nersesian wacky humor and incident and irresistible observation. It is fun, even when you're rolling your eyes in infuriating disbelief. It's not the book that "The Fuck-Up" is (it has a lot less heart, especially in regards the somewhat ill-defined protagonist), and having it all lead to an outlandish climax may not set well, but I have to say that on balance I finally found it worth reading. Nersesian has a flair for creating fascinatingly inscrutable women characters. I upped my rating on this by a star. So there.
Not quite as realistic as his other books and not quite as surreal as The Swing Voter of Staten Island, this book is trippy and twisted in its own right, but at its heart there is a creative and wacky plot. Not the book to go to for sympathetic characters or redeeming qualities, but a fun read about either randomness of life or the meaning of life, depending on how you choose to perceive it. Nersesian doesn't create characters you'd wanna hang out with and you probably wouldn't want to live in his New York, but he can make a good story out of all those unsavory ingredients.
What do You think about Manhattan Loverboy (2000)?
I've read FUCK-UP and enjoyed it, but this one just bombed for me. The character was pretty pathetic (in a generic and uninteresting way) and the story and writing, cliche. I just couldn't really root for the protagonist and as a result, didn't care too much what happened to him. (He seemed to not care much himself.) Moreover, you could see the twists a mile away (and early on in my opinion) and as a result, the book felt more like an obligation to get through after my interest waned.Pros: There are a few good one liners. It's a quick read. Recognizable NY locales.
—Amy
