Sam Moffie's No Mad ($9.99) can be a little difficult to get into, as the writing style resembles stream of consciousness and the mind of the protagonist is one that seems to suffer from ADD/ADHD. One thought leads to another, but eventually the does come back to the story line. It wasn't long, though, before the story itself started pulling me along and the style took a backseat to the plot line.In No Mad, Aaron Abrams is an author who has just landed his first big book deal. He cuts short his daily errand run and rushes home to celebrate with his wife and after repeated attempts to reach his brother, only to discover the reason that his wife seemed distracted and his brother was unreachable was that they were having sex in the backyard pool (at the bottom of which was his brother's phone). He packs a bag and his dog, then dumps a bucket of ice on the two from the balcony and walks out, beginning a journey that lasts the rest of the book. A journey that covers not only a considerable portion of the United States, but one that ends with Aaron, if not in a state of peace, at least in a position of emotional security (good thing, with his entire family re-united at a wedding, with the kids keeping the warring sides separated).
The humor and style won't be for everyone (a good guide might be your reaction to the movie Superbad). I'd definitely recommend taking advantage of the free sample ability on the Kindle, in fact. There is plenty of adult language and explicit descriptions of adult subjects (some of which I, quite frankly, found a bit disgusting). There is a continuing theme involving the game of Jinx (not just here and there, but with mentions on what seems like nearly every other page). It' s hard to believe that someone who grew up in the 60's had never heard of the game until college, as is claimed for Aaron Abrams, but even harder to believe that he would continue to play the game thru his 40's with anyone other than his own kids and then only until perhaps their teens. But, indeed, the game of Jinx, complete with shoulder punching of friends, family, peers and even aquaintances, is featured with such frequency that I felt it detracted from the story. A more positive theme that recurs throughout the book is how Aaron relates to the world thru the music of his youth. There are frequent references to songs and artists from the 70's and 80's, along with quoted song lyrics that illustrate how Aaron feels at the time.
Overall, the book is quite funny, but there are some elements that detract from it being as good a story as it could be, and I'd give it 3.5 stars out of five. I also think the pricing is a bit steep for the Kindle edition. This is Moffie's third book, but he isn't quite at the bestseller level yet.
Jinx! I knew you thinking that, too!
