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If you haven’t had the misfortune of dating a George, you know someone who has. He’s a young man brimming with potential but incapable of following through; sweet yet noncommittal to his long-suffering girlfriend; distant from but still reliant on his mother; charmingly funny one minute, sullenly brooding the next. Here, Kate Greathead paints one particular, unforgettable George in a series of droll and surprisingly poignant snapshots of his life over two decades.
I picked up The Book of George by Kate Greathead on a whim. One of those shelving returns and the cover caught my eye moments. The book flap made me think of my partner a little. Something about how George corrects people’s word choices and pronunciation felt familiar. But once I got into the book? Definitely not him. Thank goodness.
George, the main character, is kind of stuck. For most of the book, he floats through life with no real ambition, no drive, and very little awareness of how much space he takes up in the lives of others. He is not evil, just extremely self-absorbed. He always has a reason why this is not the right time, that job will not work out, and he seems to believe the world is just happening to him.
What struck me is how long the women in his life put up with it. Mostly his mother and his long-time on and off girlfriend Jenny. They enable him, make space for him, and then eventually get fed up. And honestly, same. As a reader, I kept waiting for George to do something. Get a job, show some interest, make a decision, try. But that moment never really comes.
It is a very quiet book, mundane in a deliberate way. You follow George from boyhood into adulthood, but there is no big arrival and no transformation. He stays, in many ways, exactly who he is. That was both frustrating and kind of the point.
It is not a book I would recommend to everyone, but if you have ever known a George or worried you might have dated one, it definitely gives you something to chew on.
The Book Review Template is perfect for taking quick notes on how you feel about the characters, theme, plot, or whatever seems important to you. Additionally, there are helpful phrases and descriptors to help write your review.
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