Loser lit can make you feel good
Written: Sep 04 '00 (Updated Sep 05 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: very quick read
Cons: main character has few redeeming qualities
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| bethy's Full Review: Kate Christensen - In the Drink |
Note: If you don't want to learn any details of this book's plot, you should stop reading now.
I picked up Kate Christensen's In the Drink because of its cover. It wasn't the cover pictured above; it was a rich black and pink cover, boasting enchanting typefaces and keen retro illustrations of drinks on a place mat. I read the back: it was about a female in her twenties, struggling through an appalling job, living in a disgusting apartment. The main character, it said, had a "wry sense of humor and keen appreciation for the medicinal properties of whiskey." 'Just like me!' I thought. (Well, not the whiskey part, not really.) I read the first page: it was written in the first person. Thus, it met all the criteria for a good, cheap read. First person novels tend to move quickly, and I could probably relate to the character without much effort.
Well, it turned out, I could relate to the character, somewhat. She was all I feared I would become after college: a smart girl, a writer, who got herself into a terrible job situation and couldn't bring herself to get out of it. Claudia Steiner's boss Jackie is an aging debutante who has taken to writing novels about her life. Think character from a 1970s episode of Columbo: wealthy, self-consumed, occasionally charming, and a general burden to all who know them. She's quite a pest; as a reader I found myself enjoying the Jackie scenes but always hoping they would end soon.
Well, thing is, the boss-woman doesn't actually write the novels; Claudia does. In fact, it's her favorite part of the job, as she aspires to become a famous writer someday. Indeed, she thinks of herself as a famous writer already. One of many pathetic moments in In the Drink is when she spies a woman reading "her" book on the train, and tells her she wrote it. The woman looks at the picture on the back cover, sees it's not Claudia, gives her a strange look and walks away. Poor Claudia.
Claudia is also in love with her yuppie best friend, William, who seems perfect, but who has a "dirty" secret, which, when revealed, kind of falls flat. I wasn't sure how we were supposed to react to the discovery of William's imperfection (we find out he used to practice S&M), but it wasn't shocking or even very disturbing. I think we were supposed to feel betrayed because he was Claudia's closest friend, yet he never told her about his private life. Overall, though, I didn't care about his character except to find out what would happen between Claudia and him. Something does. It's vaguely satisfying.
The character of Claudia is self-aware. She knows she's in a bad situation or four (particularly regarding her job), and she knows it would be best to escape. But her methods of escape are temporary and ineffective, and generally, you the reader want to slap her numerous times throughout. You want to sit in her roach-infested apartment, waiting for her to return from her terrible job and tell her what's what and what to do about her life.
Christensen's book is funny, but it's not funny in the resonant way that the writing of an author like Lorrie Moore can be. The humor here just brightens the depressing atmosphere of Claudia's surroundings slightly.
The book is also fairly well-developed in parts, particularly when Claudia's mother enters the scene and when Claudia thinks back to her childhood and her upbringing. Unfortunately, there's more focus on Claudia's job sitch (which is where most of the humor originates) than on her meaningful relationships with the people around her. Her relationship with boss Jackie is somewhat meaningful, but not so much as her friendships and family life. This would have been a better novel had it focused less on Claudia's working life, or if her working situation had eventually changed. It doesn't change, though, and that seems to be the point.
Ultimately, and throughout, Claudia is a loser. It's frustrating. She doesn't have to be. Hopefully Christensen's next novel will give us the same sense of humor In the Drink boasts, but with more depth, more developed relationships, and more sympathetic characters. In the Drink, if nothing else, will make you feel good about yourself. For almost certainly, you will not be as low as Claudia is. And you might enjoy it, too. Despite all my criticisms, it's a pretty fun, fast read.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
bethy
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Member: Beth
Location: NY
Reviews written: 60
Trusted by: 36 members
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