Yes, more Tropper. I can't help this obsession any more than anyone else can, and I'll be very sorry when I've finished the last of his already published works, most likely sometime next week or thereabouts. Plan B is Tropper's debut novel, written more than a decade ago, and is pretty damn impressive for a rookie effort. I always enjoy reading an author's older work, particularly if I've already seen some of the later stuff, because there are so many interesting little things to find in the text. This book is no exception: most of Tropper's trademark wit and sarcasm is already well-established in the characters of Plan B, though they are perhaps slightly less sharp and cynical than some of his later subjects. It also shows us the first instance of what later becomes a trend and arguably the centerpiece of Tropper's works, the man on the verge of something, vaguely devastated by his life but not quite understanding why until a critical moment in the tale-- the progression is hammered home with a much heavier hand in this early story, and we even get the milestone of the protagonist's 30th birthday to help us along as we take his journey with him. Overall, glimmers of what will become a much more refined talent shine through in spades throughout this book, but it's the genuinely heartfelt story that keeps the reader engaged and, I imagine, willing to read more from this writer.
Plan B is about a group of friends who have reached 30 more or less in one piece (some more and some less than others). Ben is the protagonist, Tropper's vehicle for most of the book's introspection. He comes off a bit whiny and self-pitying at times, but it is more forgivable as the scene of his life unfolds further, revealing a group of adults who despite the passage of time have somehow failed to grow up. The group comes together in an effort to help their friend Jack, a highly successful film star, get off cocaine for good following a few well-publicized disasters. It is clear that approaching Jack in a rational way isn't going to make a difference, so naturally the friends decide to kidnap him. Ben fumbles to assist with the plan, but it is clear that his friend Chuck, a surgeon, is both the brains and the brawn of the operation, while Allison, who is in love with Jack, seems to have the purest motivation. This leaves Ben and his ex-girlfriend Lindsey largely alone with the question of where it all went wrong.
If there is anything to complain about in this book, it might just be the romance between Ben and Lindsey. It feels forced, and almost too easy at several moments, and in comparison to some of the relationships Tropper depicts in his later novels (and I just can't resist comparing), it truly pales. Lindsey's rationale for their initial breakup is an earnest, fairly reasonable one, and so their reunion is just a little too convenient, feeling like it could use a bit more substance or complication. Fortunately, I think the fact that this is an ensemble-heavy story is what saves it: the dynamic of the larger group and most particularly each person's relationship with the wayward Jack is what keeps Lindsey and Ben from becoming tedious to read about, and what proves that they could not have carried the story on their own.
Despite the specific agenda of the plot, this book is about "what it means to be an adult against your will" (I read that on the back cover and I really just love the phrasing). Ben and his friends discover the hard way that fancy jobs, money, and romance notwithstanding, you simply can't and won't be happy if you're stuck in the past or else simply standing still, waiting for life to happen to you. The novel concludes in a manner that is satisfyingly consistent with this theme, with no loose end tied up too neatly and no doors entirely closed on the possibilities of the future. They are, after all, only 30.
Read this book. Read it for your friends, as a re-affirmation that you really would do anything for them, and that their company is, 90% of the time, all you really need to feel better. Read it for a lost love, for the one who got away or for the one who stuck around for way too long. Read it for yourself, to remind yourself that life is never perfect, never, and that you have to find a way forward in spite of that.
No comments:
Post a Comment