Tales of the Madman Underground
"Darkly comic . . . as troubled, relevant, relatable and hilarious as J.D. Salinger."--Los Angeles Times
"Rarely will you read something so lovingly vulgar, so fiercely warmhearted, and so exuberantly expansive."--Booklist, starred review
If this book was a monologue . . . it would be ****ing censored.
Today is Wednesday, September 5, 1973. Welcome to the life of Karl Shoemaker, which includes:
- getting through his senior year of high school
- getting out of Lightsburg, Ohio, hole of the world
- trying to lose his virginity
- five jobs
- a dead father
- a seriously unhinged drunk mother
- a house that is basically a litter box
- his membership in the Madman Underground (a group of kids forced, for no apparent reason, to attend group therapy during school hours)
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Community Reviews
This was really, really, really, really, really good.
I feel like pointing that out because I am actually surprised by this.
At first glance, Karl Shoemaker is Holden Caulfield. At second glance, Karl Shoemaker is nothing like Holden Caulfield. Karl may be a little screwed up, but it's more of an environmental result. His dad is several years deceased, and his mom is a cat-hoarding, Go-Get-Laids-boots-wearing, man-collecting, stealing-money-from-her-son, hippy-dippy-astrology-and-UFO-believing alcoholic.
She says things like this:
The glow of the moon bathes your soul because you are a special child of the universe.
and
The stars shine on you because you are a special light to the universe.
Needless to say, she is not this.
The Madman Underground is a group of teenagers that are in a special therapy group at school. They get their "ticket" each year to be put in the group for various reasons - outbursts and crying jags during school, a tragic event in his/her home life, talking through a stuffed rabbit and threatening to blind her little brother with Drano, etc. They are an interesting bunch to say the least and each is memorable.
The book starts with Karl just wanting to be normal. He doesn't want to get a ticket this year. He just wants to work (workaholic doesn't even begin to describe Karl), join the military, and get the hell out of Lightsburg. He doesn't want a fuss.
But that was no excuse for all the hollering. We could all get along a lot better in life if people weren't always standing up and hollering about this isn't right, that isn't right. You know what? Maybe it's not right. But maybe nobody fucking wants to listen you holler.
Karl's voice is so easy to slip into (be warned: he swears worse than any sailor or truck driver). He's honest and flawed and funny and loyal and tough and vulnerable. I could have listened to/read his voice for a thousand pages more. He is the perfect narrator (and a more reliable one than ol' Holden, bless his heart).
This is well worth the read.
I have no problem putting 5 stars up for Karl and his fellow Madmen (with special recognition going to the special adults that pop up along the way).
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