A very frustrating book in several respects, but especially in the working out of the plot, which was both squirm inducing and implausible.Strauss clearly wanted to make the point that media coverage and public relations are more powerful than the truth, but the reader knows this already and feels no satisfaction in seeing the protagonist, Darlene, skewered by these forces. One of the other main characters, Josh, is said to have the gift or curse of noticing every detail, and Strauss shares this feature, sometimes to good effect, but often to a degree that will make the average reader scream (as in a complete list of the snacks in the vending machine at Josh's office). Strauss' writing can be entertaining, but sometimes borders on the bizarre, as when Josh compares himself to a Big Mac, with his head and feet representing the buns....this took me right out of the narrative, to be sure.Warning: the scenes involving the child abuse that is at the heart of the book are very creepy. Think early Ian McEwan creepy. Real life is complicated. I'm sure that any life involving Munchausen is uber complicated. I'm sure that any life involving medical maladies is complicated. I'm sure that racial stereotypes and trying to break racial tension is complicated. I'm sure that class on the North Shore of Long Island is complicated. I'm sure bi-racial marriages, bad marriages, fatherless families, and fathers in jail are all complicated. After reading More Than It Hurts You, a culmination of all these issues balled up into one novel is about as complicated a tale as a season of 24 (one of the good seasons, not the one that the writers screwed up by finishing the plotline too early and then adding in what amounted to extraneous last minute filler for the second half of the season, causing most fans to throw their arms up in disgust and actually root for the terrorists).Darin Strauss offers a detailed inside scoop on dealing with Munchausen syndrome, or as the novel calls it, Munchausen by proxy syndrome, or MBPS. That idea alone is a pretty heavy tale. The ins and outs of how it comes about, why it occurs, and the aftermath all call for an intriguing plotline. The story finds itself on the Gold Coast, in a town I've never heard of, but I'm pretty sure Strauss has set the novel in Port Washington from all the surrounding towns and roads he includes. The element of a well-to-do family increases the intrigue of the story. The intrigue didn't need to be raised, but this element of "those who have it all can be pretty fucked up too" twists the tale just right.Then the element of race enters along with questions about the medical community. As the story cracks open, the idea of media blitzes comes up. Then there's the recently-emerged-from-jail father of the doctor who jumps into the mix.Too much. Because the story of Munchausen itself is such a unique idea for a novel, the extras of race, medicine, media, and drugs piles on the issues until the novel is one big burden. Less is more. While I'm sure in real life, all these issues are not separate. In fiction, however, they can be, and in this case, they should be. Still, the story of the young husband and wife who have a child who may be sick, either by the mother's hand or by natural, mysterious causes, is a fantastically eerie read. The story of a doctor dealing with racial tension and a father in jail is a compelling story, though not exactly new. Left to their own accord, they make for good tales. Strauss brings all the issues together by the end of the novel, but by that time, it's as if the novel has become a nightly news fiasco, which may be the point, but is also overwhelming.
What do You think about More Than It Hurts You (2008)?
Good story, but way too much detail. The book could have been half as long as it is.
—missjones
If you liked Bonfire of the Vanities, you will like this book.
—Aeryn
Meh... It was a good story but not a lot of substance.
—lilly99
meh. kind of dragged, did not appreciate the ending
—Sheethal
