The Good Luck Of Right Now

"A unique funny bittersweet book "

"I have gotten in a bad habit of not reviewing books as soon as I finish them. It makes it harder for me to remember what I wanted to say about a book when I have read two or three since finishing. <br/><br/>I went into this book with very high expectations. I absolutely adored [b:The Silver Linings Playbook|13539044|The Silver Linings Playbook|Matthew Quick|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1358277412s/13539044.jpg|2915346] and [b:Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock|13477676|Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock|Matthew Quick|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1370282544s/13477676.jpg|19008613], both by [a:Matthew Quick|1251730|Matthew Quick|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1384874930p2/1251730.jpg]. I read a couple of reviews for this book before starting, but stayed away from spoilers because I wanted to like (or dislike) this book based on my own opinions. <br/><br/>I am pleased to say I was not disappointed. <br/><br/>Quick does a fantastic job of capturing broken people. The protagonists in his novels I have read - Pat, Leonard and Bartholomew - have a number of similarities. As I said, they are broken. They are dealing with varied levels of mental health issues. They are experiencing grief and loss. But even though they share these things, they are different, too. They're not carbon copies of each other. The stories are not the same basic plot with names changed. <br/><br/>Bartholomew is <i>not</I> a retard, despite what other people say, whether it's the angry man in his stomach or kids in high school. While he can be naive and ignorant of some things, he is insightful and wise about others. I like how Quick writes characters that, as a reader, we would be hasty to put into a category, but Quick doesn't. Labels are not necessary to this book, or to these characters. <br/><br/>Anyway, Bartholomew must deal with the loss of his mother, and, in doing so, meets a variety of different people on his path. They're all memorable, and are each battling their own demons. As a reader, I figured out some things before Bartholomew did, but seeing him get there was exciting and heartbreaking and wonderful. That's how I would describe everything about this book. The characters, the plot, the writing itself. <br/><br/>Arguably the best chapter in the book was when we get to know what "The good luck of right now" is all about. It's about halfway through the novel, chapter 10 I believe. That chapter brought tears to my eyes. It was beautiful. It made me think about synchronicity in a way I had never really considered before. I also loved how each chapter - and really, the entire narrative - was framed. At first I thought it might be awkward to read a series of letters written to Mr. Richard Gere, but it worked. I should have known better than to doubt it. While I'm sure many people didn't appreciate Max's vocabulary, I still think it worked for the character and the plot. Again, we're dealing with broken people<br/><br/>I feel so inarticulate when I try to talk about the beauty of Quick's writing. But it really connects with me in a way that I've never really experienced before. That's what I love about his books. They're touching and beautiful and quirky and thought provoking. <br/><br/>I was left with a question or two at the end...<spoiler>At the end of Bartholomew's last letter, we find out that he's seeing a therapist, and he admits that he's not been the most reliable narrator. He's embellished at times to impress Mr. Gere. I admit, I wasn't exactly surprised to learn this, but it did leave me wondering <i>what</i> he embellished. It doesn't really matter, but I was curious.<br/><br/>I was also curious about what Bartholomew looked like. There was very little physical description. He would sometimes mention that he was fat and ugly, and I think he even talked about balding. Again, it wasn't completely relevant to the story, but it did make me wonder.</spoiler><br/><br/>I am really looking forward to reading [b:Sorta Like a Rock Star|6763730|Sorta Like a Rock Star|Matthew Quick|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1263329051s/6763730.jpg|6961579], [b:Boy21|11138172|Boy21|Matthew Quick|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1337214235s/11138172.jpg|15961297] and the release of [b:Love May Fail|23287159|Love May Fail|Matthew Quick|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1418853718s/23287159.jpg|42715786] later this year."