published by: Harper Perennial
publish date: August 9, 2011
Tom Violet always thought that by the time he turned thirty-five, he'd have everything going for him. Fame. Fortune. A beautiful wife. A satisfying career as a successful novelist. A happy dog to greet him at the end of the day. The reality, though, is far different.
Gen Xers, this is the book for you. Who among us didn't think they'd have everything totally figured out by time they turned 35? Tom Violet is a new hero for everyone who isn't completely happy with their job, their marriage, or life in general.
My favorite part of this book was the relationship between Tom and his co-worker and archnemesis, Gregory. Tom's comparisons of "Greg" and Darth Vader are hilarious. He also knows that if he's blatantly rude he'll get fired so his tactic for aggravating Greg is to constantly smile at him. That cracked me up. Greg's complaints to Human Resources were priceless.
While I think this book is mainly written with a male audience in mind, women can gain a lot of insight from this book. The first chapter was Tom frustrated with his erectile dysfunction while his wife was in the other room dressed up in Victoria's Secret lingerie. It was very interesting and oh so funny at the same time. I suggest not rolling up to the Starbucks drive through if you have this one on audiobook playing in the car.
I've had this book sitting on my shelf since last August. I can't believe it took me so long to get to it. It's my first "favorite" of 2012. Hilarious, relevant, relatable, what isn't there to love about this book? I can't wait to read more from Matthew Norman!
I agree. I listened to this as an audiobook in the fall and could not stop laughing! There were times I had to pull over my car while listening because I was laughing so hard I was crying!
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear you enjoyed it too! :)