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OK, ask me anything, including "Who are you?" and "Why the #$%^ should I care?"

Hi Patrick:

I'm certainly eager to ask you many questions. But, I haven't received my copy of the book yet. This makes perceptive questioning difficult. Of course, this little problem--haven't read the novel--doesn't stop TV interviews. But, someone has to have standards!

I do wonder, however, if WYB is a great American novel because its protagonist retains his optimism. Moby Dick, for example, is a pretty good American novel and it sure isn't optimistic. Gatsby isn't so optimistic either.

Maybe, you mean WYB is a great American commercial novel. If so, wonderful, and I hope to see you on Oprah, where you can tell her your book deserves more knowing readers.

Or, maybe you mean that WYB is the first great American novel that's optimistic since Augie. (I sure wouldn't put Garp (blech!) in that category.) That would be cool and good for sales.

Personally, I don't read too many optimistic novels since I'm a pessimist. And proud of it!

Anyway, it's great to have more optimism out there, and I wonder if Saul Bellow would know what we're talking about.

Regardless, congratulations and I hope you have great success with WYB. (Although, shouldn't it be: You Belong Where?)

Surely, this marks the emergence of a major new talent. And the slightly strange name might help!

Best,

Timothy/Ethan

I have the feeling Saul Bellow would kick my ass for mentioning myself in the same sentence with him.

Anyway, I think I was referring to "Great American Novel" as a great novel that captures the spirit of America and not so much a great novel written by an American. I'd put "The Adventures of Kavalier & Clay" also in that category but referencing two books already in my review, I didn't want to clutter it with a third. I'm sure there are a lot more out there like that; I just haven't read them yet.

I would consider "Garp" at least somewhat optimistic, especially in the epilogue. Sure, he dies, but in the epilogue we hear how everyone else went on to have exciting lives. And before he died, even with losing his one son and his mom, he was still looking forward to writing new novels. It's that kind of optimism I think I was referencing where even though things go wrong, you pick yourself up and dust yourself off and keep moving, which is what my guy does.

Patrick wrote: "I have the feeling Saul Bellow would kick my ass for mentioning myself in the same sentence with him.

Anyway, I think I was referring to "Great American Novel" as a great novel that captures the s..."

Hello Mr. Dilloway:

I don't know about Bellow and his treatment of emerging writers. But I do know that he did not like NIGHT TRAIN (and said so) even though Martin Amis was sort of a protege.

Kavalier is a very fine novel. And, large parts of it are about business (kinda), making the book very American.

Perseverence, but with humor, is good. Otherwise, perseverence can be THE ROAD, which was a post apocalyptic and gloomy. Maybe WYB is Faulknerian, with man just not persevering but prevailing!

An Oprah selection, to be sure.

There's a recurring joke in the book about a Somali immigrant my guy befriends who ends up writing a roman a clef of his life story and gets on Oprah's couch, becoming a gazillionaire in the process.

Hi Patrick,

Want you to know that my copy of WYB arrived this morning. All the pages are there and in the proper order and the text is set properly on the page.

Looks like a good book.

That's good to hear. I hope you enjoy the book as much as I enjoyed "Tom's Job" and "Smooth in Meetings."