« Because You Demanded It
Main
Introducing Montgomery Clinton Barrett »

Indecision is written to be a novel of our times and of the 20-something generation that doesn't know what to do with the world it lives in. It is a 21st century Catcher in the Rye or The Graduate, though to make these comparisons gives the book far too much credit since it stumbles quite a bit with it's mission.

The main character, Dwight Wilmerding, is an affable slacker-ish employee of Pfizer in New York City who is led to believe by his roommate that he suffers from an affliction called Ebullia that prevents him from making decisions. Dwight loses his job, takes a prescription drug called Ebullinix that will cure him of his indecision and heads to Ecuador to meet up with an old high school crush who somewhat invites him to visit, not really expecting him to take her up on the offer.

Kunkel is a very witty writer and the book rides along on Dwight's natural way of narrarating and dissecting his own philosophy of the world. Though he may not be a character I completetly relate with, I at least recognize people I know in Dwight and he is pretty likeable most of the way through. The book is at it's strongest when Dwight is recalling his relationships in NY with his friends, his girlfriend Veneetha, his parents, and the near-incestuous relationship he has with his sister Alice.

What is interesting about the book is lost a little when Dwight gets to Ecuador and meets Bridget. The purpose of Bridget in this book is to introduce Dwight to the socio-economic problems of the world and to lead him on the path to "democratic socialism". Bridget serves this purpose in a one-dimensional way and never develops into an interesting character. Frankly I neither cared nor believed in the path that Dwight and the book wind up taking while in the jungles of Ecuador. It feels like Kunkel hammers a purpose into his character and even if he's doing it as a way of satire it still seems forced.

Still it's a really enjoyable read and since this is Kunkel's first book, I'll be looking forward to seeing where he goes from here.

Posted at October 25, 2005 09:15 PM