To rise again at a decent hour, by J. Ferris

Much as I like reading the classics, I also enjoy leaving my comfort zone and experiment with modern literature:  in most cases, I'm surprised either by how good or how bad it can be.  With this book, the jury is still out.  It's so different, I was grasped onto it, and read it voraciously...

In Joshua Ferris' To Rise again at a Decent Hour, we are introduced to the mind of Paul O'Rourke, a middle-aged grumpy dentist.  He's just fed up with everything, disappointed with everyone around him, dissatisfied with his own existence.  We are then invited to listen to his most intimate thoughts...



At least half of the book is just that:  a waterfall of inner monologues about everyone and everything.  Whatever comes to Paul's mind is captured and documented. But not just what goes on in his mind:  Paul also takes decisions for me, the reader.  Thus, he already judges what he's just said, and goes on to report on how I interpret it...

No subject is out of bounds:  how lame watching games is (...), the role of the church, how important moisturising is. (Well, much as I dislike admitting it, while reading this part, I too started thinking about it and obediently went on and took my hand cream out!)

Reading this  book requires commitment, as fatigue settles pretty much from the beginning (it's a book club read, so, yes, I did read it to the end).  Like a crash site, you're uncomfortable, may not even like it, but you have to see what's going on (in my case, I desperately wanted to know how it will end, and whether it was worth my effort).  And, whether the description on the back cover had any touch with reality:  reading it I thought this book would be very interesting - that is how we had picked it up for book club reading...

Paul is in his medical cabinet, surrounded by his patients, his employees and the former love of his life, Connie.  Obviously, she still plays an important role and that is how flashbacks are now included into the stream of thoughts as well.

His daily interactions with all those people around him is what triggers this "non-fiction" fiction. The sarcastic overtones are very endearing in the beginning, but quickly become boring and repetitive.  Paul becomes obsessed with searching for meaning in his life with a lot of satire and dark comedy, twists and turns, and rabbit holes to fall into.

And then he's hacked and another Paul appears in social media.  And here is when the whole plot gets confusing:  the hacker and Paul begin an inexplicable interaction, where the question of Paul's Jewish provenance comes into play (we learn that Connie is Jewish and Paul toyed with the idea before realising that he's at best a non-practising atheist).  The only positive part I take from the remainder of the book are some intriguing details about lesser known religions (cults?), which had me occupied and searching for more information...

What is the point of this book?  what is the title of the book about?  One part got me thinking:

"Why not just go with it? Just walk to dog and send the tweets and eat the scones and play with the hamsters and ride the bicycles and watch the sunsets and stream the movies and never worry about any of it? "

We do tend to overcomplicate our lives.  We have to abide by many rules and procedures, we  feel we have the obligation to "suffer" and we are never satisfied -- instead why not seize the day, and not waste time and energy in trying to please everyone but ourselves:

"have another chance to stroll alongside them, to look out in wonder at the skyline, to lick carefully  at the edges of my ice cream, and, after a while, to leave the Promenade, off to bed for a good night's sleep ... and then to rise again at a decent hour, to walk the Promenade in the light of a new morning, eating a little pastry for breakfast and having coffee on one of the benches while looking out at the brightened waters"

Did I understand the book?  I hope so, but I'm not 100% certain.  What I know is that it just took all my energy away.  By the end, I was just exhausted  and it will take some time before I'll want to think about it again...