| I have my finger in many different pies, and | | | | |
| one of those pies is an adult literacy | | | | The turning point for Jake arrives when his |
| program. Although I am only peripherally | | | | father is taken ill, and is obviously not |
| involved. I am always on the lookout for | | | | long for this earth. With the elder Garrison |
| suitable material. Every book I read gets | | | | fading away in hospital Jake makes the |
| pigeonholed into one of three categories, | | | | discovery that his father does not have the |
| beginner, intermediate, and advanced. There | | | | money to cover his bills. Jake comes from |
| is no doubt in my mind that Succession | | | | honorable stock, and the his 'honorable' gene |
| belongs in the Advanced group. | | | | takes him from his writing back into the |
| | | | murky world of business as a way of covering |
| The writing style reminded me of a genre that | | | | the growing expenses. |
| was popular in the late 60's and early 70's, | | | | |
| and during that period many authors fell for | | | | His old acquaintance Carnusty is happy to |
| the lure. John LeCarre for example released | | | | loan the money to Jake, but there are |
| The Naive And Sentimental Lover, while | | | | catches. Jake once again becomes embroiled in |
| critically acclaimed it did not sell well, it | | | | industry, this time checking out a failing |
| was too complex in structure for many | | | | typewriter company. But rather than operating |
| readers. | | | | on the up and up, Jake is forced to go |
| | | | undercover in the guise of being the new |
| Succession is complex in its structure, the | | | | editor of the company newsletter. |
| language is simple enough, but the concepts | | | | |
| and constructs are involved. It is not so | | | | Through very short vignettes author Herbert |
| much a flowing story, but rather a series of | | | | Lobsenz takes us on a wild ride inside Jakes |
| sometimes disjointed vignettes that the | | | | mind. His insecurity at home, his insecurity |
| reader must assimilate themselves. That is | | | | with the relationship between his wife and |
| not meant as a criticism, merely an | | | | Carnusty, his thoughts about his father. All |
| observation. | | | | of these prey on Jake, the doubts reaching |
| | | | ear splitting volume when his wife announces |
| Herbert Lobsenz like his books is a complex | | | | that she is pregnant. |
| subject. There are few authors that win a | | | | |
| coveted Harper Prize (1960) and then decide | | | | Can he resolve these issues? |
| to abandon writing in favor of the corporate | | | | |
| world only to return over 40 years later. | | | | Well only you can decide, and you can do that |
| | | | by buying your copy from Amazon. The author |
| Let's talk about the book. Succession has at | | | | also maintains a blog with his recollections |
| its core Jake Garrison who some years prior | | | | from the past at Old Time Writer. |
| had abandoned the business world in favor of | | | | |
| becoming a writer. Alas his genre, Civil War | | | | (Originally published at Blogger News |
| 'faction' does not seem to be garnering the | | | | Network, and reprinted with permission of the |
| acclaim and kudos from the publishers that he | | | | author, Simon Barrett). |
| thinks he deserves. | | | | |