Men and Other Mammals A man's life By Steven Martinovich
Scott's attractive girlfriend leaves him after only eight months -- just as he unconvincingly tells her he loves her -- and his career looks to be derailed after he drunkenly vomits on-air on a BBC literary program. He hits rock bottom after a devastating family tragedy and an unwelcome face from the past returns to complicate matters even further. If things haven't become bad enough for Scott, his relationship with his brother -- whose own relationship with his wife becomes strained -- begins to deteriorate. Men and Other Mammals is solidly planted in the Nick Hornby school of novels about men. It is a story of a man who has few solid connections with others -- his friendships with men are superficial and his relationship with his ex-girlfriend was shallow at best -- and who must undergo a trial before he sees truth. Only with the truth will Scott realize what life is really all about. Healthy book sales and pretty girlfriends are all quite good but the most important thing in life is our relationships with those we love. For men like Scott, who are in their early 30s, single, and who tend to ignore their relationships with other people, Men and Other Mammals may hit a little close to home. Keeble reminds us that in the midst of all the hard work to establish our careers, the enjoyment of personal freedom that success and youth provide us and the self-absorbed navel-gazing we occasionally indulge in, it's the people in our lives that should matter most to us. It's a pity that some of us take our time learning this lesson. In this excerpt early in the novel, Scott discusses his shattered romantic life with his sister-in-law Samantha:
For the most part Keeble is sure-footed through his novel. He handles quite well the turmoil Scott goes through as his carefully ordered world begins to collapse on itself. He successfully weaves humour and a touching look at human relationships through his narrative until an unfortunate subplot that sees Scott kidnap a penguin from a zoo in order to make things right with his brother. From there the novel threatens to come apart under the weight of being excessively maudlin and nearly does so until Keeble manages with some effort to right the ship again. That said, Men and Other Mammals is a first-rate effort from a new young
novelist. It's a funny yet touching story about the kind of love that many
of us ignore for the more superficial pleasures and distractions in life.
Though it is weaker in some parts than others, his take on the issues surrounding
romantic relationships is spot on whereas his treatment of conflict could
be a little more nuanced, Men and Other Mammals is a winner. Hopefully a
few more of us will take the opportunity presented to us that was given to
Scott Barron. Steven Martinovich is a freelance writer in Sudbury, Ontario. Buy Men and Other Mammals at Amazon.com for
only $10.40 (20%
off)
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