Hi, guys. This is a mini review because this does not cover a sf/f novel. I just read this novel and felt I shoudl to a little review about it. Don't worry my review for The Gathering Strom will be up in a few days.
Hand to Mouth is a memoir of the highest caliber. This novel, while short, is jam-packed with humor, wit, interesting perspective and perseverance. Hand to Mouth is essentially Paul Auster chronicling all of the events from the time he was young until the time he was a contracted and published author.
This novel only clocked in at 169 pages but it was filled with interesting experiences. However, even better than that was the fact that these stories each had an arc. Each story that was told in Hand to Mouth had a beginning, an interesting middle and climax and a fulfilling—though usually morbid—ending. Something that made me gain even more respect for Paul Auster was that the entire memoir read like a narrative and had an actual climax and ending.
But, that ending is one of the problems I had with this book. The climax was drawn out, morbid and very well done, however the ending was not. I could sense Paul Auster becoming border with this story and saw that he simply wanted to finish up the story. In my book that is a big no-no. I don’t care if the author is bored with the story, I do not want to sense that when I’m reading.
Besides that, Hand to Mouth was a good memoir. It is not up there with the great swooping epics or fast-paced fiction I usually read, but it was a solid read. I recommend it to those who want to see some of the struggle of becoming a full-time author.
Content:
-Language: There was some used and in a few instances it became harsh.
-Violence: No.
-Sexuality: I think the topic was brought up but never really discussed or shown.
-I recommend this story for 14 and up.
My rating:
8/10
-Dylan