Saturday 25 August 2018

Book review : Temporoparietal - Kris Ellis


When I started reading the blurb on the back of the book, I didn't think this would be my kind of novel : "The temporoparietal junction lies at the neural interface between mind and matter, contributing to the development of a self which is distinct and differentiated from others". It sounded highfalutin, overly intellectual and heavy-going. I was therefore pleasantly surprised when I jumped into a humorous, entertaining account of slightly neurotic twenty-something Matt Pearce listing all the ways a jaunt across the States could result in his untimely death.

Despite his misgivings, he does end up undertaking the epic journey of discovery and self-discovery across America, partly to avoid the toxic fallout from a disastrous relationship. Leaping around with a haphazard chronology, the novel relates his adventures and misadventures riding Greyhound buses from Boston to Chicago, LA and Vegas, as well as his doomed attempts at relationships and numerous boozy nights out back home.

Matt has his fair share of problems - PTSD after his dad's car accident and OCD as a coping mechanism - but he is also an unwitting magnet for trouble, often with humorous results (for the reader if not for Matt).

Matt has a lot of faults, but you can't help but feel sorry for him, especially as he frequently gets into strife on his travels through no fault of his own. Don't be put off by the complicated title - it's a fun, easy read that I really enjoyed.

star rating : 4/5

  • Paperback: 360 pages
  • Publisher: Matador (3 July 2018)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1788038908
  • ISBN-13: 978-1788038904


Disclosure : I received a review copy of the book.

9 comments:

  1. I agree, I'd have been put off by the synopsis too, but it does sound interesting based on your review!

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  2. It sounds like a good read and would be interesting reading about a character with OCD and how he manages.

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  3. That does sound good; I would have been put off by the blurb, too, so this is very helpful, thank you!

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  4. Thanks for the review... Love a good book when I get the time

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  5. I'm with you on the synopsis, it wouldn't appeal to me to start with. But the book sounds interesting. I'm not sure I can pronounce the title properly. :)

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    1. I thought it was two words until I went to add my review to the goodreads page ! :)

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