The Wishbones

This was a reread of what should be considered a classic tale of the “drifter” generation: the one that missed the love and peace of the ‘60s but was too old to be the Boomers’ spoiled children.

Dave, the main character, is conducting an aimless life as a guitarist in a wedding band who accidentally becomes engaged to his girlfriend of 15 years, then just as haphazardly begins an affair with another girl weeks before his wedding. Dave can’t seem to feel passionate about anything, and perhaps that’s why he has no purpose. But we like him despite that, as well as his cronies in the band, and when they really start to rock together, we are right there with them, asking for just one more song.

I really enjoyed this early novel of Perrotta's (his debut, I think, following a collection of stories?) about a guy in his early 30s, still living with his parents, and playing guitar in a wedding band. He impulsively proposes to his on-again-off-again girlfriend of 15 years, and this sets off an existential crisis of sorts in him. There is a lot of heart in this story, along with humor, and I loved the suburban New Jersey setting.

Perrotta's "lad lit" book treats many of the same themes Nick Hornby addresses in High Fidelity - music, commitment, a no-longer-young man facing himself and making choices about who he wants to become - but with little of the nuance and generosity of spirit that Hornby summons. Perrotta's women exist solely to make a point about the men they accompany, not as fully realized characters in their own right, and his "nice guy" protagonist Dave doesn't grow up so much as fall into marriage with his long-time sweetheart. She's no prize either, encouraging him to give up the one thing that's been a meaningful constant to him since his teen years. Perrotta's take on relationships is both depressing and juvenile, but his easy style and smooth show more plotting at least make this a breeze to read. show less

Dave Raymond is thirty-one years old and still living with his parents in suburban New Jersey, but then again, so is his on and off girlfriend of fifteen years, Julie. They find living with their parents a drag, especially when they need to sneak around to have sex but given the circumstances, who wouldn't at that age? For Julie, living with the 'rents is a matter of convenience but for Dave it is a necessity in order to be a New York City courier by day and a wedding band musician on the weekends. The courier job is just to get him by. Playing guitar with the Wishbones is all he has ever known. So what is it that makes him upset this whole little world by announcing to Julie one night "let's get married"? Immediately he wants to stuff show more the words back in his mouth and pretend no such pronouncement passed his lips. Maybe that's why he starts an affair with an edgy Brooklyn poet named Gretchen. As the wedding draws near Dave is at a crossroad in his life and for the first time ever, he needs to make a mature decision. show less

If it wasn't about a bunch of 30-and 40-somethings, this could almost have been one of those teen reads I used to get out of the library twenty five years ago. I could feel the gravitational pull of a happy ending from very early on, it was just a matter of how schmalzy it was going to be, and whether it was going to make me want to throw up.

Top marks to this author, he managed to pull off a really witty story with enough going on to make it interesting, peopled by characters with plenty of bad points so they weren't just cardboard cut-outs. Clearly there were never going to be any major tragedies here, it was tightrope walking with a big fat safety net. But on the other hand, sometimes you want a straightforward read, and a story that show more isn't clouded by symbolism or couched in flowery language. A read that is, above, all, fun. That's exactly what this book was, and though it ws a bit cheesy at the end, there was just enough grit in there to counteract the cheese. He even managed to work some Nazis into the plot somehow. Sort of chick-lit with a side order of punch-ups and bad hygiene in the Gents'. Great! show less

A fun story that merges bits of humor with interesting characters, the primary one being Dave, the lead guitarist of a wedding band. Having been a musician for years and played with bands like this, it brought back hysterical memories of ethnic weddings along with the drunken dancing and hijinx. I like how Tom focuses on Dave's issues with getting married given the nature of the band. It's 'light reading' yet well written nonetheless.

Outstanding book. Excellent sense of the joy in playing music, plus the difficulties of love and marriage.