Jacob M. Appel

-- DNF at 43%. --

I adored A Man Called Ove, so the many comparisons to this book - also concerning an elderly curmudgeon, grieving the loss of a longtime partner - grabbed my attention. Sadly, the two are nothing alike.

The titular character of MILLARD SALTER'S LAST DAY is unlikable. Not in a "hard on the outside, secretly soft on the inside" kind of way (think: Ron Swanson; Edward Teach, born on a beach), nor in a lovable grump kind of way (Ove; Ethel Beavers). Rather, Millard is a walking, show more talking "OK Boomer" meme, constantly waxing nostalgic about the good ole days. He spends his last day on earth complaining about how "stewardesses" are now "flight attendants" and "secretaries," "office administrators,", or about how the names of the subway lines have changed; he is perpetually disappointed that colleagues 40+ years his junior aren't hip to the celebs of his day; he whips out the n-word in defense of a off-color joke about his (Jewish) son Lysander naming his dogs Adolf and Benito (really Onion and Puddles - dear Millard can't bother to remember the names of two creatures so dear to his offspring); and he quizzes a panhandler on his alleged armed service record.

Between the long-winded digressions and Millard being, well, Millard, I was about ready to throw in the towel at 39% - but then I saw that Millard's lunch meeting with his ne'er do well son, Lysander, was coming up next. Given the many mentions of Lysander's affinity for animals (always couched in negative terms - why???), I just had to find out what was going on there. Turns out, some pretty toxic shit. Millard is kind of a dick, and not just to Lysander. It's 90 degrees out; Lysander, justifiably worried about Onion and Puddles, keeps trying to steal away and find them some water. In turn, Millard scoffs at his son's compassion: "He cared for those mutts as though they were royalty. If only the boy could muster such passion for something more productive." (To be fair, Millard has this thought when Lysander wrests a chicken bone from one of the dogs, which somehow makes it worse.)

Lysander is a vegan (the horror!); when he turns down Millard's suggestion that he order the noodles, since they're likely cooked in chicken broth, Millard's inner monologue reads thusly: "So get your lousy Coke, thought Millard. Why does everything with you have to be so goddamn difficult?" Yeah, clearly Lysander is just trying to inconvenience you with his food choices! Fuck your son and his ethics!

The bottom line is that Millard has zero respect for his son. News flash: kids are not your carbon copies. Also, Lysander is in his forties, stop thinking of him as a "boy." (Yes, I am a fellow Gen X'er who is vegan, loves dogs, and has experienced her share of aimlessness. Why do you ask?)

Another thing I hate about this book? It's pretentious AF. Normally I roll my eyes when reviewers complain that a book has too many Big Words - reading is an excellent way to expand your vocabulary - but I had to look up so many terms that reading became downright tedious. And my Kindle couldn't even find entries on them all! I mean, seriously. I don't want my leisure reading to feel like homework, okay. show less

Scouting for the Reaper from Jacob Appel is a collection of short stories that seem rather understated in their telling but end up striking a distinct chord each time.

These stories are populated by characters who want to, and even for the most part seem to, control their own fate. Even the young protagonists are knowing players in the game in which they find themselves, though often not of their own accord. What I find most appealing in this collection is the way in which a reader can find show more various ways into each story. I found myself on first reading one of the stories feeling for the daughter. As I thought even more about it, I also felt for the father and mother. I did not necessarily change my opinion of who I felt had "done wrong," but I was able to understand how they came to be in the positions they were in. That, understanding without always condoning, is part of what makes literature a integral part of understanding real people in real situations. Appel excels at this.

I especially enjoyed the last story, one that essentially picks up after the death of Gregor Samsa. This kind of story, one that takes place in a familiar setting, appeals to me. And this story presented a theme that had never really crossed my mind in any detail.

I would recommend this collection to fans of literary short fiction. the stories are largely slice of life, just a slice with some unusual occurrences. show less

This was a solid collection of short stories by the prolific Jacob M. Appel. The power here is that he manages to captivate his audience by creating a sense of intimacy, realism, and gritty social dynamics within the scope of his fiction. This creates a semblance of familiarity and balance within the stories that allow you to read them as if they were occurrences in and around your everyday life. The character's motivations seem real, striking, and original. Although the collection was not show more as polished and, nearly perfect, as The Liars Asylum (which I highly recommend) some of these stories are downright brilliant-- especially the ones beginning this assemblage. This is a good collection and for those interested in contemporary short stories, it should not be missed. Jacob M. Appel is an author to watch out for- he's taking the literary world by storm!

4 stars! show less

I deeply thank the author for an ARC copy via Librarything. It sure took me ages to read & review it, but better later than never!

I entered this book without having any idea what to expect. While I knew the book would be a story from the viewpoint of a psychopath who starts going on a murder spree, I didn't really focus any attention to the particular aspects from the blurb, and didn't dare read any other reviews either.

We all know psychopaths are living among us, and have been spoon-fed show more from Hollywood flicks and ultra-dramatized tv shows that explain their murder sprees with succinct detail, making the layman suspect these sorts of unsolved homicides are happening everywhere. In reality, most homicides are usually spurs of the moment from muggings, gang or cartel crime, or very grisly crimes of passion. Serial killings are actually very rare, but the causes that spur psychopaths to cross the fine line are as varied as their personal profiles.

That said, the vast majority of psychopaths that engage in crime are usually both mentally very unstable and/or come from a blue collar background. This book instead decides to focus on the small group of psychopaths that are intelligent, successful, initially very likeable and have prominent social lives.

Jeremy Balint is a prominent Jewish Cardiologist living in an upper class suburbanite neighborhood in New Jersey, with a controlling and pragmatic wife named Amanda and two endearing young daughters. His life seems at first sight perfect until one day, he gets distracted on the commute home and runs over a dog. Initially desperate to save the animal's life, his instincts take him to the house of a young transplant surgeon named Warren Sugarman in the derelict hopes the man might save the pooch’s life. Little does he know, he discovers the man is alone at home half naked and caressing a woman in his living room sofa. Jeremy's prior life of being an outstanding citizen crumbles apart when he discovers the woman paying his coworker a visit is his wife!

Instead of feeling angry at Amanda or decide something civil such as reconciliation or divorce, Jeremy decides a different tactic according to his newly found twisted sense of logic: he has to murder his rival in order to save his marriage.

He never felt like a typical Hollywood stereotype psychopath with a rough upbringing and poor social skills. At first, he seems almost redeeming and his mental ramblings more the result of shock and denial of Amanda's treason. As the book moves forward and Jeremy starts deceiving people for his own benefit, you start to see figments of the monster hiding beneath the surface. A crazy cat lady neighbor yells at him because she doesn't believe those scratch marks on his face come from a wild raccoon, plenty of coworkers have spotted him leaving the hospital with a nursing student named Delilah, or the time he shuts off the radio in front of his wife in the car abruptly out of frustration when the blunding idiot of the prosecutor in charge of the new Emerald Choker killer case has stated a new discovery of the investigation that Jeremy knows is completely off track. Maybe these little things seem off-putting in a sort of way, but if people had known that Jeremy was killing complete strangers while juggling an endless life surrounded by playdates with his kids, meals with his neighbors, patient consults and the new free clinic he was coerced to supervise, these minor incidents would prove his true character.

Jeremy is quite an ironic character in the sense that he is viewed as an outstanding doctor going to great lengths to prolong the lives of terminal patients, but he sees no qualms in killing old people because they have outlasted their usefulness. His narcissism and high intellect only makes him an even more dangerous person, fueled by the way his mother puts him on the highest pedestal.

Jeremy goes to great lengths to ensure the cops have a hard time finding the killer, and he even feels a tinge of regret that he will probably get away with it.

The book was clearly well edited, and I didn't find any typos or meandering writing. There is enough description to give you a feel of the places without being overly flowery. I thought the story was thrilling to read from start to end, and if I have just one complaint, it would be that even though the book is focused solely on Jeremy's twisted POV, it would seem like he was the only smart guy and everyone around him was dumb. I also started to feel like the endless social gatherings Amanda forced on Jeremy to get tiring after a bit. Furthermore, Jeremy was being sued by the family of a girl who drowned in his pool and hesitated to even say hello to the traumatized mother due to the fears of losing the lawsuit, but he still ends up renting the house a few weeks later without any concern in the world even though the lawsuit hadn't been settled yet.

Other than that, I had a lot of fun reading this book! show less