Review: "Early Work" by Andrew Martin

Early work, author Andrew Martin’s debut novel, will send shivers up the spines of aspiring writers, this one included. It does not tread new ground or present any new ideas readers haven’t seen in countless permutations, but it really acts as a kind of update to the “writerly” novels of the mid-20^thcentury, where overly educated, mostly white men used their hyper intellect to justify their terrible, childish behavior. It’s easy to see echoes of Updike and Roth in certain passages. I’m still wondering where its heart lies though, whether it is lampooning such behavior, the narrative voice guiding the protagonist laughing behind his back, or if it has a little more sympathy for those involved, who have overthought their way out of any kind of enjoyment, quick to always improve their situation and unable to happy where they are. It concerns a man named Peter, a man who wants to be a writer more than he wants to put forth the work to do so. He is out of college and teaching at a women’s prison. His girlfriend, Julia, a pre-med student, is overworked and both slowly fall into a habit that does not include regular sex. That all changes for Peter when he meets Leslie, a woman he assumes he has a connection with, and from there, he begins an affair with her with the expected consequences. Like I said, this book is very familiar but well written and knowledgeable, and its tendency toward self-abasement makes some part easier to swallow, evidenced by the character of Molly, a cinephile whose self-seriousness is the book’s most humorous aspect. My qualms are minor, like a sections devoted to Leslie’s previous sexual history hindering what was a rather engaging narrative and an ending that lacks profundity, at least it did for me. Far from the best novel I have read this year, but one with an interesting perspective on a formula I thought was entirely tuckered out. 

Rating: 4/5