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