Friday, August 20, 2010
Road Warrior
I'm going to admit something that makes me feel like a bad person. And no, it's not the fact that I purchased Easy Cheese for the first time in over ten years yesterday. When you need to eat processed cheese product, you just need to eat processed cheese product. Plus it went with the beef jerky. Anyway, what I feel sort of bad about is the fact that I just finished On the Road and I sort of hated it. First of all, I'm embarrassed that I never read it before now, because it seems like one of those books that makes it into a lot of high school reading lists. It was something I kept meaning to read but forgetting about whenever I was in a library or bookstore, and instead picking up the latest Dan Brown, which would at least fill me with equal parts amusement and rage. But then I'm also sort of upset that I didn't like it, because I always assumed I would. I mean, the beats are supposed to be so cool, and obviously so am I, so I just felt sure I would breeze right through it.
Except here's the thing: I sort of hate cool people. I mean, I kept feeling like telling all the characters in the book to stop doing so many drugs and get jobs. I couldn't get into the idea that crossing the country repeatedly was exciting and liberating. It just sort of made me feel carsick. Listening to an account of a wild night at a whorehouse in Mexico didn't impress me, it just made me feel sad for the poor women who had to fuck all these dirty losers for less than a living wage. I also didn't find myself entertained by all the drunk and high driving. I mean, I know they built cars much more substantially back in the '40s, but I don't think that made them any less deadly. Really, by the end I just felt glad that all the crazy adventures I had read about didn't have a body count. And that they were over, of course.
I admit that it was perfectly well written, though. And that should probably be all that matters. But it turns out not being able to stand any of the characters really is kind of a setback for one's enjoyment of a book. It's the same reason I couldn't finish that Ann Coulter book.
I'm going to admit something that makes me feel like a bad person. And no, it's not the fact that I purchased Easy Cheese for the first time in over ten years yesterday. When you need to eat processed cheese product, you just need to eat processed cheese product. Plus it went with the beef jerky. Anyway, what I feel sort of bad about is the fact that I just finished On the Road and I sort of hated it. First of all, I'm embarrassed that I never read it before now, because it seems like one of those books that makes it into a lot of high school reading lists. It was something I kept meaning to read but forgetting about whenever I was in a library or bookstore, and instead picking up the latest Dan Brown, which would at least fill me with equal parts amusement and rage. But then I'm also sort of upset that I didn't like it, because I always assumed I would. I mean, the beats are supposed to be so cool, and obviously so am I, so I just felt sure I would breeze right through it.
Except here's the thing: I sort of hate cool people. I mean, I kept feeling like telling all the characters in the book to stop doing so many drugs and get jobs. I couldn't get into the idea that crossing the country repeatedly was exciting and liberating. It just sort of made me feel carsick. Listening to an account of a wild night at a whorehouse in Mexico didn't impress me, it just made me feel sad for the poor women who had to fuck all these dirty losers for less than a living wage. I also didn't find myself entertained by all the drunk and high driving. I mean, I know they built cars much more substantially back in the '40s, but I don't think that made them any less deadly. Really, by the end I just felt glad that all the crazy adventures I had read about didn't have a body count. And that they were over, of course.
I admit that it was perfectly well written, though. And that should probably be all that matters. But it turns out not being able to stand any of the characters really is kind of a setback for one's enjoyment of a book. It's the same reason I couldn't finish that Ann Coulter book.
