Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Book Review: Random Homeless Guy

This is a review of a new book written by the homeless guy who sells newspapers (that are normally free) while directing traffic at an intersection (that already has efficient, working traffic lights and crosswalks).

But Random Homeless Guy’s book does not concern itself exclusively with his everyday life committing newspaper fraud and stopping cars for no reason. Of course, it does offer a brief memoir of these latter days, but it can best be categorized as an acutely self-conscious piece of metafiction. The narrator repeatedly refers to himself as author and artist and to the process of writing a book, exposing the artifice of his relationship to the story, and opening broad new worlds of reality in the mind of the common reader.

For example, he refers to his literary agent, a middle-aged woman he’d like 'to [unprintable] in the [even more unprintable] with a [yet again, unprintable].' The first three pages are devoted to this highbrow rant against an increasingly irrelevant publishing industry, while the next 200 seem to be pages torn from an old paperback of Little Women. The final half of the volume is just coupon circulars stuck together with mashed potato gravy, while the binding is made of pigeon feathers and banana peals.

On the whole, the author’s first attempt is a disgusting piece of filth that is most likely responsible for your humble reviewer’s coming down with a case of avian flu. In other words, it will probably win the National Book Award.
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10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks! I've been looking for a book to read.

The Hussy Housewife said...

Is their a waiver you have to sing before reading this book? Like may cause HIV and gangreen?

Angry Max said...

@Shawn - No problem. Think of us as a filter for tasteless crap.

@Hussy - This a risk you take when you read any new writer.

Christopher Jones said...

I'll be on the lookout for the audio book.

Me-Me King said...

Now that's what I call a good read. Can't wait to curl up with this one...not exactly sure what I'll curl up with, but a can of Lysol comes to mind.

Angry Max said...

@CB - The audio rights are currently being negotiated with Amazon.

@Me-Me - Yeah, and you might want to make sure you're up to date on your innoculations.

Meg said...

Yes, but is he SINGLE?

Angry Max said...

@Prefers - Good question. The answer will surprise you: he is. But he's been courting a nearby lamppost for some weeks now, albeit unsuccessfully.

Random Homeless Guy said...

My next book is gonna be about you.

Angry Max said...

@Random - Perhaps try an e-book this time.

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