Louis C.K.

When it comes to novels written by people who can be labelled, with the broadest brush, as 'celebrities', there is always an element of doubt: whether their talent in other spheres can carry across to novel-writing, which is harder than it looks; whether they have been sufficiently challenged by an editor or publisher who may be starstruck or, worse, lazy because they know the name alone will shift copies; and whether it is, when all is said and done, merely a vanity project while real show more authors starve.

But in the face of these default concerns whenever a 'celebrity' writer says howdy and here's my book, Ingram comes out surprisingly well. This is really a rather impressive literary debut from Louis C.K., and worth your time. There are some flaws: the first half strays a bit too close to his inspirations, aping the likes of Mark Twain and, perhaps, Cormac McCarthy without doing enough of its own thing, whereas the second half hints that this is actually a near-future world where racial segregation and civil war rage (with our protagonist, the titular Ingram, oblivious to it all), without building that world or using it to any real narrative or thematic purpose. Ingram himself, while largely well-drawn, also strains our credulity at how little he knows about some basic things.

That said, flaws are to be expected in any debut novel and there's no reason we shouldn't grant Louie the same grace we would any other promising first-time author. Because when you ride over these bumps in the road, the whole vehicle's been built so well you'll barely notice them. While Louie occasionally leans a bit too heavily into Ingram's podunk naivety, the voice of the character is, in general, quite well-honed. The reader enjoys his company and roots for him. Likewise, the various characters Ingram meets along the way are well-drawn, even if they're only there for a single scene – the sign of a capable and confident writer, for a lesser writer would guard what achievements they have jealously and spread them thin.

There's little plot in Ingram, and that may frustrate more casual readers who have come to the book solely because they are fans of the name on the cover, but it's a perfectly legitimate approach in literary circles to orient what is essentially a character study in this way. It bodes well for any novel-writing Louie might do in the future, though I do confess that I had hoped the creator of Louie and Horace and Pete and Fourth of July had written something closer in spirit to those fine experiences, for there is little to no comedy in Ingram, the dialogue is homespun and authentic rather than razor-sharp and witty, and the nature of the book – a Huckleberry Finn-esque odyssey told through the eyes of a child – does not easily fit into the mold of what we imagine Louis C.K. to be or seek to take from him. Nevertheless, if this is one string Louie is adding to his bow, I for one won't mind at all if he shoots me in the ass. show less