“Life is a big joke – it only hurts if you don’t laugh.” This quote from the book perfectly encapsulates Tom Soter’s explorations of the comical, the tragic, and the mundane. Something Like the Truth is a compilation of essays from earlier titles divided into six thematic sections: “Romance,” “Life… and death,” “Lost causes… and found ones,” “Dogs and cats and schools… and nuns,” “Family and friends,” and “Famous folks and me.”
Soter comes from a family of Greek heritage. He’s had a successful career as a writer and editor, and he’s also been teaching and performing improv for decades. The book introduces the reader to many aspects of the author’s life, from his family, friends, and even pets, to his encounters with celebrities.
Crushes, online dating, funny stories, sobering reflections on death, you name it; the book has it covered. The reader experiences joy, sadness, embarrassment, and much more as they travel through the wide variety of themes in the book. The fourth part, in particular, is masterfully structured: it begins with fun stories about pets, indulges in healthy nostalgia that leaves you with warm feelings, and ends with a heartfelt tribute to a professor and friend.
The book’s tone is casual and friendly, with a few literary sprinkles and a generous serving of humor. If you enjoy sarcasm, you’ll likely have quite a few chuckles at passages such as: “The last addition to the Soter pet family was Coco. I think he was a gift to Effie from the boys, but he might also have been delivered by Satan.”
My favorite essay was definitely the one about the author’s father and his passing. It makes the reader intimately familiar with this interesting and witty man named George Soter, and it’s easy to tell how much the author cherished him. Though we feel sorry for his departure, we also celebrate his vivid personality by enjoying amusing anecdotes:
I didn’t dislike anything in particular about the book. The only minor issue is the occasional repetition, as a few essays reference the same events. These occurrences are fairly short and infrequent, however, so they shouldn’t bother most readers.On an emergency room visit to the hospital, I overheard this exchange between a nurse and a groggy George: “Mr. Soter, you have a temperature.”
“No, I don’t think so.”
“You do. I just took your temperature.”
“Well, if you knew, why did you ask me?”
Something Like the Truth is a wonderful compilation that should please many different audiences. It’s also exceptionally edited, as I’ve only found five minor errors in almost three hundred pages. I confidently rate the book 4 out of 4 stars and recommend it to everyone. There are brief instances of profanities and discussions of mature themes, but the book should be suitable for teenagers. You might want to avoid this one if you prefer objective, analytical essays.
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Something Like the Truth
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