Facebook – Machine Man – A “Review”

I love Max Barry. Always have. His first novel, “Syrup” is one of my all time favorite books. Its going to be a major motion picture, soon, but I don’t really care about that, much. Because I wanted to see a movie based on “Jennifer Government”, his second novel. While its not as entertaining or well loved as “Syrup” it does have an appeal to it, a certain level of character that I always felt lent itself better to a film adaptation. Same could be said about a comparison between it and his last book, “Company” – another funny novel that I enjoyed a ton, but didn’t need to see a movie of. Having said this, seeing Barry’s work turned to screen would be a fun experience and, while I’m always wary of big screen adaptations of books I like, I would still see any of these films.

NOT “Machine Man”

Barry’s new novel, about a man who begins discarding his organic limbs and replacing them with ones he designs and builds himself, is his greatest work to date. I want to stress the importance of this statement, here. If you were to make me write a list a week ago and rank my favorite books of all time, “Syrup” would be #1 and then I’d have to think about the rest of the numbers. Its funny, its quick, and its got such heart and character and love. I love the h-e-double hockey sticks out of that book. But “Machine Man” changes the game, moving Max away from the strict comedy genre he flourishes so well in, and finally showcasing him as an author who can really do it all.

I’ve read a ton of reviews that state the book is a “one-sitting” kind of narrative. That is to say, once you start, you won’t put it down until you’re done. This is (mostly) true. I spent a good chunk of a 12-hour day at work reading through this, off-and-on, but even when I wasn’t flipping through the pages and diving into Max’s exquisite word-play, my mind was racing, trying to think of what Charlie (the main character) was going to do (or have done to himself) next. I was in the break room, taking my lunch, and Lola, Charlie’s love interest, has something tragic happen to her. In retaliation, Charlie shouts at the man responsible – a guard named Carl – who had opened up to him previously about his fiance, and a book he loved. The line Charlie shouts, “That book sucked! That stupid time travel book!” caught me as so goddamned funny, I busted out laughing amongst my fellow staff members. I was enjoying Max’s signature wit so much, I didn’t even care.

Then Lola talked about her dad. And I was sunk.

I would never suggest that I “bawled” in the traditional sense, but I did put the book down and wipe a few loose tears from my eyes. And then I proceeded to call Max Barry a dick on Facebook. And a monster, I think. What a jerk move. Making me experience a number of emotions in one narrative, getting me attached to the characters. When Jennifer Government is struggling and shouting at Billy NRA to help, using all of her power to convey her anguish and sorrow, I didn’t get worked up once. When Scat was at rock-bottom and frustrated, I never really felt his pain. I usually laughed at it. Here, Lola Shanks and Charlie Nuemann, two fake as can be characters living in an over-the-top fictional fantasy world, have touched me. I was moved.

 

I could go on and on about how cool the story is, or how awesome the setting seems. I could talk about the severe and brutal simplicity of the section where Charlie meets The Manager. I could applaud the action-packed finale for paragraphs. But the moment Lola opens up about her father, I felt a connection to the text. It was uncanny, unexpected, and undoubtedly the best moment in the entire experience. Not to say, of course, that the rest of the book was weak in comparison. Far from it, in fact. But – no pun intended – it was the heart of the story, for me. The moment these two characters understood each other, and I understood them. It was magic.

It was $%ing magic.

Give the book a fair shake. For some stupid reason (that I haven’t found an answer for) it is only in paperback so its pretty cheap. And its at any of the normal book seller locations (aside from Borders because, well, they got owned to death by Amazon). And, of course, check Barry’s other works because they’re also wonderful. But “Machine Man” is now the place to start. Or, no, to stop. Its so good, you might not think his previous works are even interesting. Read it last. Or, now, its out now. Just read this book. Oh, fie! Now I don’t know what to recommend!

I just know that no movie would ever capture this books essence. I hope they never try

Rating: 10/10

Additional Thoughts: I hate the cover. I voted for #4 (back when there was a poll on Max’s site) because it looked classy as hell. Been saving that for when I read the book, thinking it’d be worth it to see if the cover matched the content. It didn’t. I will be printing my own cover (note: never going to print my own cover).

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Added September 27, 2016
Never did print my own cover.
This was a great book and possibly his best.
I keep waiting for whatever is next, though.

Added August 30, 2017
Added ‘A “Review”‘ tag.