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One Fucked
Up Book
by Spencer
Ross
"I nodded and
made a thank you expression. After a while, she asked for a glass
of water. I got her a glass, which she drank slowly. Then she
closed her eyes and lay back down. I sat on a chair near the bed
and watched her sleeping. I was still shocked over how she felt
about Helmsley. I had grazed along the surface of her actions and
made deep judgments. Rejecting someone because you couldn't
understand their love, that was a new one. The more I thought
about it the longer the shadow of doubt stretched over all my
conclusions. More often than not, things were as they seemed. But
as I stared at her, she wasn't as bad looking as I had once
thought. I realized how all this time I had seen her the wrong
way, and how one's character affects one's appearance. Although
she wasn't my type she was attractive. As I thought about her-
the vulnerable intelligence, the violent honesty, and the fact
that in the entire city she was the only one who took me in and
fed me- she became more and more irresistible. Baited by an
obscure beauty, trapped by an intense sorrow- all prior
definitions had been overruled: this was love." -The
Fuck-Up, 295-6, Arthur Nersesian
...And so ends Arthur Nersesian's
tragi-comedy, The Fuck-Up, a book that might cause some
stir among people due to its title and availability on bookstore
shelves, but rather, is a true social commentary on just how
miserable our lives aren't. This being my first book review, I'm
not exactly how much of the plot I can get away with saying
without ruining the book. However, I can say that out of five
stars, I would give this book four stars.
The Fuck-Up is a book
exactly about that- a guy who leads the normal life in the
beginning of the book but comes close to meeting death as a
street bum. In the beginning, the narrator (who's name is never
mentioned) works in a movie theater, has a steady girlfriend, an
unrecognized philosphically genius friend, food, shelter, money,
etc...However, a quick turn of events starts to throw the
narrator into a downward spiral. Shortly after asking for a raise
at the movie theater he works at (to which he is extremely
reluctantly given), the narrator's girlfriend, Sarah, leaves him
and refuses to talk to him. After that, the owner of the movie
theater fires him due to the fact that he has inspired other
people to ask for raises, thus detracting from the money the
owner makes. With no job and no home, he moves into his friend,
Helmsley's, apartment and fakes homosexuality to work as an usher
at a gay porno theater.
The narrator's creation of
different alibis is what allows him to survive his own life,
however each one also breaks his life down. "Are you a
masochist?" asks Miguel, the owner of the porno theater.
"No," replies the
narrator.
"What's with you? Every time I
see you you've been wounded."
"Fate's a sadist," (120)
notes the narrator. In this light, the narrator must be extremely
sadistic because throughout the entire book, he is a victim of
his own fates. For example, in feigning homosexuality, he is able
to land a deal as a housekeeper for a "famous" movie
director who is jealous of a man taking his girlfriend, Janus.
However, Janus becomes suspicious of the narrator's homosexuality
and we soon find the narrator and Janus snorting coke and having
sex. The narrator also gets involved with a "career
woman" named Glenn and as with most places he leaves, he
finds his past coming back to haunt him. Eventually, tragedy
strikes Helmsley and the narrator becomes angry at Helmsley's
ex-girlfriend, Angela, who is the complete opposite from the
intellectual and tidy Helmsley.
After getting beaten and sent to a
hospital the narrator wants to leave early and the doctor starts
questioning the narrator. "Would you rather have the
luxuries or the life to enjoy them with?"
"Let me put it this way: I'd
rather live a short high-quality life than a long bitter
existence to mock myself with" (227), responds the narrator.
Fortunately or unfortunately, the narrator gets to live his
longer life.
I don't think the plot of this book
was the most interesting, in fact the plot itself was rather drab
and unordinary. What I liked about this book so much was that the
character is so ridiculous that his own tragic flaws provide a
black comedy to this book. I don't think it was downright funny,
but it was a different type of humor because you realize that
there is no situation that could be worse than what the narrator
faces- he truly is "the fuck-up." However, The
Fuck-Up, is well-crafted and Arthur Nersesian designs the
plot so that each twist is intricately linked to one another, as
the narrator is often found seeking reconciliation with Sarah, in
legal troubles with Miguel, and compromising his own sexuality to
try and survive. On that basis, I'd recommend this book as good
reading, although you have to have an open mind about some of the
subject matter that the narrator describes (ie drugs, sex,
suicide, etc...). For it's not just a book with an obscenity in
the title, but rather, a commentary on how pathetic our lives
aren't.
7/11/00
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