A Book Review slash Dating Tip

Another Bullshit Night in Suck City by Nicholas Flynn

So I just got finished reading the above-titled book. It is a memoir about Flynn, describing his drugged-up adolescence to his lengthy stint working at a homeless center to his present day life. At the same time, he weaves in the story of his father’s troubled existence. His father, ironically (Is anything actually ironic? I’m having some Alanis-esque trouble here, folks) ends up sleeping at, you guessed it, the homeless shelter where Flynn works.

In the end, I was happy to have read this book. But really, it took me till the end. For the first 4/5 of the book or so, I had the following assessment: yes, this is well-written, but if I am going to read yet another entertaining, yet depressing, memoir, I would rather be reading something by David Sedaris or Augusten Burroughs. (On a side note, I am blown away that Microsoft Word recognizes the word “Sedaris” and does not give it a red squiggly.) Flynn's book just didn’t have enough of a story to captivate me: boozing, drugs, unhappiness; rinse and repeat.

Even though the plot didn’t really do it for me, the writing was absolutely beautiful. Really poetic. Dare I say: very PO-MO. He uses unique writing techniques to grab your attention and keep the story moving. I am a sucker for things like that, and it kept things fresh and also kept me reading.


More witty literary commentary and advice on how to get laid, after the jump!

(Haha, just joking. That would involve me knowing how to insert these magical "jumps." "Please help me," Smed pleads as she looks pointedly at mathgimp.)

The end both surprised me and prompted me to contemplate interesting ideas about family forgiveness that I think would be useful for most of us to think about, me more than anyone. Nicholas Flynn admits at the end of the novel that he wrote it in the same style as Moby Dick. He circles his father like Ahab circles the whale, but neither of them really reaches his target until the very end of each book. So the focal point of each book (the father and the whale, respectively) shape the book even though they are not really present for most of the story. We only get to know each main character under the shadow of what they are chasing after or running away from, however you want to look at it.

Nicholas Flynn is an amazing person, and he has put together a very readable account of his not-so-happy life. It only took me a few days to read, and I would recommend it. It gets the Smed Seal of Approval. Bing!

But let’s get to the important part. This book is an INVALUABLE commodity to strike up conversations with attractive and literate strangers. Here is all you have to do. Even if you don’t want to read this book, buy it anyway. Trust me on this one; it is an investment in the future of your love life. Take the book everywhere with you. I, for instance, took it to a coffee shop, Central Park, and Chipotle. Then, lay the book out beside you, face up. Don’t actually read it, that will ruin the effect. I GUARANTEE you that someone of the opposite sex will come up and say something like this: “Isn’t that an interesting title!” Ok, I can’t exactly guarantee this to my male readers, but I am fairly certain some interaction will occur.

OK, now you have to respond intelligently to this potential love match. If you haven’t actually read it, and are just using the book as a love-prop, I recommend you say the following: “Yeah, great title huh? And it’s actually really engrossing. About a man working at a homeless shelter - and get this - his father is homeless. Written in a stream of consciousness, but in a good way. True story, too.”

You can all thank me when you are happily dating (or at least sleeping with) that good looking person from the coffee shop with whom you have been wanting to strike up a conversation.