It seemed pretty simple at first. Middle aged guy working a dead end job at Staples (Roger) befriends co-worker, a gothy young adult with no direction (Bethany). So they're both fucked up, Roger, an alcoholic going through divorce and Bethany, just not knowing what to do with herself and her life.
But their friendship is told through letters and journal entries, first between Roger and Bethany, then later on, expanding to include Bethany's mom, Roger's ex wife and their co-workers. Also included are excerpts of a novel that Roger is working on. So there's that element of a novel within a novel, WITHIN a novel, since Roger's novel includes an excerpt of a novel of one of the characters. Confused now?
So the letters and the novel provide insight and some historical background to the characters. The novels within the novel uses aspects and details of the Roger's "real" life. The novel follows the characters as they grow, or have they really grown? What i remember most (since this review is really really late) is that somewhere in the book, someone says that something happens to you, and you think it's going to change you. But it really doesn't. You're still the same person you are before that event. This book could make a case for that particular way of thinking, but I think the characters do change, albeit not through some huge event, but slowly, as like growing up.
This book just follows some people, trying to cope and deal with the modern word. Maybe trying to better themselves a little bit, or at least trying to understand themselves.
It was an entertaining read and I was invested in the characters, even though I usually get irritated at mopey characters, and characters who can't just get over it. Well, these people I actually liked and i wanted them to feel better. The only thing that puzzles me about the novel was the last entry. I thought it was a bit Inception-y, or maybe I'm just dumb. I mean, was it all a novel within a novel, within a novel, within a novel???!!
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