Title: Revolution
By: David Dorrough
ISBN: 9798985776300
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra
Summary:
Half satire, half farce, and half slice-of-life, REVOLUTION dives into the world of Bill and Yvonne Smede, two middle-aged professionals attempting to lead semi-sane, low-profile lives amidst the loud, swirling chaos of Southern California and the colorful antics of all their friends and relations.
It’s a novel about everyday folks with everyday thoughts and feelings and experiences, and how entertaining this seemingly bland material can actually be. It’s also about ideas—lots of them, mainly small ones. And it’s about our modern Internet-immersed world. And Southern California. And middle age. But above all else, REVOLUTION is a comedy.
For maximum enjoyment of the comedy, always keep in mind that this book has been called “cynicism on steroids” (granted, only by the author (but wouldn’t he know better than anyone?))… Somebody or something is always in the crosshairs. If you get through any page without sensing a just-beneath-the-surface sneer or grimace or eye-roll or eyebrow-raise or other negative judgment, then you’ve missed out!
But this is not the grim, heavy kind of cynicism that depresses or annoys—on the contrary, it’s as lighthearted as they come. So relax and enjoy the ride, and get ready to laugh. A lot. And along the way, you just might find some food for thought here and there. You also might find you’ve become intimately acquainted with several true-to-life, flesh-and-blood characters as they struggle to maneuver through the numerous ordinary yet ridiculous situations their wacky world constantly presents them with. (Goodreads)
Review:
Well…I must say…an interesting read. Not 100% sure what to make of it. At times I wanted to throw David Dorrough’s book across the room (but I did not want to break my e-reader ☺) and at other times, I just could not put it down. I laughed, I cried (okay – not really many tears) and I shouted at some of the characters for their inane behaviour.
Revolution is a story portraying the ordinary life of Bill and Yvonne Smede, their family, and their friends – both personal friendships and work friendships. I must say, I was expecting a bit more but when nothing materializes, I finally realize – that must be the point. Life has its ups and downs and generally speaking, everyday is quite mundane. We all have a quirky friend or two in our lives, which provide both inane discussions and the occasional deep, thought out discussions.
A definite redeeming quality of this book is that it had me chuckling numerous times throughout. Bill’s friend Matt was certainly the best character to provide levity. He was a pot smoking, scheming (in a funny and a bit crazy way) individual who added levity to Bill’s life. This reader sure wanted one of his ideas to pan out…
If you are looking for a read which has LOTS of absurd and offbeat conversations between the characters, but with a touch of realism (because isn’t life absurd and offbeat at times???), and is well written, AND you have lots of free time, then pick up Revolution and start reading. Or, you can read it over a few weeks because frankly, sometimes it is a tad boring (like life!) and a break is good. But in the end – I am glad that I was able to read this inaugural book by David Dorrough.
Though I do ponder this question – why is its title Revolution…?
