Review: "The Financial Lives of Poets" by Jess Walter

The Financial Lives of Poets by Jess Walter really came out of nowhere for me, and I ended up finding this book to be very readable and very poignant, while at the same time being scathingly funny in moments of spiritual ruin. I knew very little about Jess Walter until this book came out a couple of years ago. It had a cool premise and cool cover art, but I never got around to buying it until I got the paperback for Christmas last year. I was very curious to dive in and put this very high on my to-read list. And after reading it, you should to, because unless you are a cynical literary type who finds entertaining narratives low brow (then I don’t think you would be reading my reviews), there is something in here I think everyone will like. We meet Matt Prior, a failed Internet mogul who just got fired from a newspaper job he had to crawl back to, as he is souring the aisles at a local 7/11 at midnight looking for overpriced milk. He has six days to pay of 30 grand, or he will lose the house he worked hard to build and his somewhat materialistic wife, who may be flirting with a former boyfriend on Facebook. While at his lowest, he gets high with a bunch of 20-something stoners, which leads him down a path of hilariously bad decisions, that may destroy his life, but that may be the kind of rubble he needs to find hope in the ashes of his life. Not to give too much away, but this is kind of like a very funny version of Breaking Bad, a television show I recently became a fan of. Prior is more sympathetic than Walter White, and less sociopathic the deeper he gets, but they both represent the insane kinds of things likeminded citizens will do when the world they have put their trust in for so long decides to toss their lives aside like a candy wrapper. But the message of this insanely funny and ultimately hopeful book is the meaning we put behind material objects, and what it means to let go of things in order to keep the real, emotional bonds we make with those that we love. We find out about Matt’s past and his wife’s, and how money problems have plagued them with a since of financial urgency that no one but truly poor people can really fathom. They cannot help but equate money with happiness and connection, because they see what happens to loved ones when money becomes scarce. But by the end of the book, as contrite and simple as it may seem, the overall theme of this book is that it really is going to be okay. Despite how cynics may treat that phrase, the people you surround yourself with can make things better given a chance. A kind of cheesy review, but my feelings and the feelings of this book are not. I highly recommend it.

Rating: 5/5