3 out of 4 stars
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Things You Can Do by Daniel Burnette tells the story of a promising fiction writer whose creativity is stifled by the constraints of his employer's censorship committee. Rather than being allowed creative license, the hero must produce works that fit neatly into market-driven templates provided by his superiors. Although thoroughly downtrodden by the limited nature of his job, he decides to devote time to an original work of his own, and is determined to finish it at any cost.
Things You Can Do explores the frustration and despair of a writer who has lost creative control of his work. The main character (who remains nameless throughout the story) wants more than anything to be free from his artistic shackles, but is locked into his bland, thankless job by a contractual obligation. Still, he looks forward to the day when he once again has complete creative freedom, and this possibility inspires him to work on a new story without his employer's knowledge.
In addition to exposing the darker side of traditional publishing, this book discusses the larger social systems that have contributed to the hero's predicament. Media influence and rabid consumerism are given a great deal of attention, and the author shares many interesting insights on these topics. Other subjects woven into the plot include censorship, socioeconomic divisions, and what it means to be a good human being. I found the author's philosophical musings to be intellectually stimulating, and I was impressed by how seamlessly he incorporated these heavy topics into the narrative of the story.
The writing within this book is superb and almost free of errors. The novel is quite detailed considering its short length (one-hundred eighteen pages), and I was able to conjure very clear mental images of the settings and characters. The author also made the bold decision to not bestow names upon his characters, which initially concerned me, as I was afraid that the absence of names would make the dialogue difficult to follow. Thankfully that turned out not to be the case, and I had no problems comprehending who was saying what.
I have no complaints with this book, other than the possibility that some readers might find it to be a bit of a downer. As already mentioned, the author tackles some heavy subject matter and the hero's life is far from ideal, so this isn't the sort of book that one would read to alleviate a bad mood. However, Things You Can Do is a unique and well-written story, and I give it 3 out of 4 stars. This book would be especially appreciated by writers and artists, but I also feel that the main character would be relatable to anyone who has ever felt trapped by their circumstances.
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Things You Can Do
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