Review by ab2020 -- Call Me Pomeroy by James Hanna
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ab2020
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Review by ab2020 -- Call Me Pomeroy by James Hanna
[Following is a volunteer review of "Call Me Pomeroy" by James Hanna.]
3 out of 4 stars
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Don Quixote, Don Juan, Huck Finn—these are a few of the major names in the picaresque genre of literature. These heroes (or anti-heroes, depending on your viewpoint) move from one place to another with apparent ease and use their wits to survive and thrive. Picaresque fiction is often satirical in nature and is definitely an acquired taste, but it can prove highly entertaining. Call Me Pomeroy by James Hanna is an excellent example of picaresque fiction. The book’s subtitle bills it as “a novel of satire and political dissent,” and that is exactly what it is.
As the title suggests, Call Me Pomeroy is about a man named Pomeroy. (His real name is Eddie Beasley, but he prefers to be known as Pomeroy.) When the book opens, he is a street musician who is confident that he will be the next “big thing” in the music world. He also happens to be on parole for rape. His parole officer is irritated by him and thinks he is ruining his chance at a decent future, but he does not care at all. Instead, he spends his days pursuing various adventures. The book follows Pomeroy as he journeys from San Francisco to Paris and beyond.
Call Me Pomeroy is an incredibly unique and incredibly weird book. Considering that the picaresque genre isn’t terribly popular in contemporary literature, one would be hard-pressed to find anything to compare it to. Pomeroy is probably one of the most distinctive and strange characters you will ever meet. The author does a wonderful job of bringing him to life. Pomeroy narrates the story (i.e. it is told in the first person), but he prefers to refer to himself in the third person (as “Pomeroy”). He also speaks with a distinctive accent (which is written out in the text), swears excessively, and cares nothing for political correctness. He is a fascinating and engrossing character, and the reader is made to hate him and love him at the same time.
Satire is a notoriously difficult genre to master, but James Hanna tackles it quite successfully in this book. His writing is nuanced and thoughtful. His diction and style are laudable, and he makes the reader feel welcomed. He captures the setting with grace and ease, and his storytelling will make you feel anger, amusement, and everything in between. I did not find any errors in this book. In fact, the formatting and editing came across as very professional.
As stated earlier, Call Me Pomeroy is definitely an acquired taste. Pomeroy’s misogynistic turns of phrase made me quite uncomfortable at times, and by the end of the book, I had had enough of him. However, this is still an enjoyable novel, so I rate it 3 out of 4 stars. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys satire, picaresque fiction, and main characters with distinctive (and perhaps dislikable) personalities.
******
Call Me Pomeroy
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
3 out of 4 stars
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Don Quixote, Don Juan, Huck Finn—these are a few of the major names in the picaresque genre of literature. These heroes (or anti-heroes, depending on your viewpoint) move from one place to another with apparent ease and use their wits to survive and thrive. Picaresque fiction is often satirical in nature and is definitely an acquired taste, but it can prove highly entertaining. Call Me Pomeroy by James Hanna is an excellent example of picaresque fiction. The book’s subtitle bills it as “a novel of satire and political dissent,” and that is exactly what it is.
As the title suggests, Call Me Pomeroy is about a man named Pomeroy. (His real name is Eddie Beasley, but he prefers to be known as Pomeroy.) When the book opens, he is a street musician who is confident that he will be the next “big thing” in the music world. He also happens to be on parole for rape. His parole officer is irritated by him and thinks he is ruining his chance at a decent future, but he does not care at all. Instead, he spends his days pursuing various adventures. The book follows Pomeroy as he journeys from San Francisco to Paris and beyond.
Call Me Pomeroy is an incredibly unique and incredibly weird book. Considering that the picaresque genre isn’t terribly popular in contemporary literature, one would be hard-pressed to find anything to compare it to. Pomeroy is probably one of the most distinctive and strange characters you will ever meet. The author does a wonderful job of bringing him to life. Pomeroy narrates the story (i.e. it is told in the first person), but he prefers to refer to himself in the third person (as “Pomeroy”). He also speaks with a distinctive accent (which is written out in the text), swears excessively, and cares nothing for political correctness. He is a fascinating and engrossing character, and the reader is made to hate him and love him at the same time.
Satire is a notoriously difficult genre to master, but James Hanna tackles it quite successfully in this book. His writing is nuanced and thoughtful. His diction and style are laudable, and he makes the reader feel welcomed. He captures the setting with grace and ease, and his storytelling will make you feel anger, amusement, and everything in between. I did not find any errors in this book. In fact, the formatting and editing came across as very professional.
As stated earlier, Call Me Pomeroy is definitely an acquired taste. Pomeroy’s misogynistic turns of phrase made me quite uncomfortable at times, and by the end of the book, I had had enough of him. However, this is still an enjoyable novel, so I rate it 3 out of 4 stars. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys satire, picaresque fiction, and main characters with distinctive (and perhaps dislikable) personalities.
******
Call Me Pomeroy
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: The Altitude Journals by David J Mauro
