Everything Matters, the
debut novel of Ron Currie Jr., is a book that I have very few problems with,
and overall liked despite what it does at the end. But most importantly, I
liked how this books core message was one that was a positive one, and did not
resort to easy cynicism in the face of its existential plotline, and it did so
without forcing sentimentality down our throats. I liked his first short story
collection, God is Dead, for a similar reason, where it takes a concept like
god dying, which, in the hands of someone who is arrogant and cynical, would
turn into something very depressing, and somehow made it life affirming. It is
nice to come across a writer whose sense of warmth and optimism outweighs his
need to seem cool, ironic and pessimistic. I can tell that Currie is a great
humanist, and too some that may be too wholesome, but I find it to be a trait
lacking in the intellectually astute of today. The novel tells of the birth of
Junior Thibodeau, who, from the moment of conception, knew that the world was going
to end when he was 36 years old. Throughout his life, Junior must decide if
everything he does is really worth it, from his family where his brother is a
baseball savant thanks to a youthful coke addiction and his parents are
addicted to alcohol and work respectively, and the love of his life, Amy, who
he met during the Challenger crash and who relationship is with Junior is irrevocably
changed when he tells her of the end of the world. It is a novel full of
suspense and great human interaction, despite the ending section, which goes back
in time unnecessarily to give Junior another lifetime. Having read it, it is a
very moving book that I hope you enjoy.
Rating: 4/5
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