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The Mysteries of Pittsburgh by: Michael Chabon

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Rating: - When you're young

I picked this up after seeing the trailer for the film adaption. In my copy, before you get to the story, there are a lot of reviews that praise the "expansive skill" of the 24 year-old writer, who's described in the publisher's blurb as having attended the University of Pittsburgh. So when the story turns out to be narrated by a young man who's just graduated from... the University of Pittsburgh, it's slightly difficult not to wonder whether it's a real-life confessional with all the names changed. If it was, there'd be a lot to talk about: a difficult relationship with a powerful father, alternating sexual congress with a girl and a boy, and a darkly attractive friend who's going off the rails, complete with a girlfriend who drags herself through the mud for him.

For the most part, the author handles these characters very well, giving them memorable, funny and interesting things to say. I was more impatient with their actions - particularly the narrator's swithering between his romantic interests, and the length of time it took for the friend to arrive at a destination which had been clearly telegraphed from the moment of his introduction. At the end, the narrator decides whether or not he'd loved his friends according to whether or not they'd changed him. Such a view expects a lot of effort on the part of his friends, but I've got an uncomfortable feeling that - as far as I recall - that's how you think about people when you're young.

Rating: - Strangely compelling

This book was slow to grab my attention, but once it had I was then hooked. I read it in one sitting and was pleasantly surprised at how entertaining it turned out to be. It's crammed with humour and dry wit but also has moments of great poignancy. The main character, Art, whose father is a big time gangster, gets caught up in a love triangle with his homosexual friend Arthur and a girl called Phlox. The story relates the summer that he spends trying to discover who he really is and what his true feelings are for his partners. Events reach a traumatic conclusion when his father hears about his gay relationship, and steps in to put an end to it. This is a beautifully written book, and one that I found strangely compelling.

Rating: - Starter for just 3 out of 5; the best is yet to come...

I've only recently discovered Chabon, and this was only my second read after Kavalier & Clay. Given that it's his debut novel from '88, I can see how reviewers would have been excited. Whilst the story is little more than a cousin to Reality Bites, the narrative is refreshing and crackles with ideas, revealing hints of the mastery in his later style to come.

However, quite often I found it unnecessarily beguiling, as the author sought to begin yet another chapter with an off-the-wall opening sentence - as if he'd taken the publishing rule of grabbing people with your opening line, and nervously applied it to his work as a whole.

And for one who possesses such an inspired ability to grasp and define the more elusive qualities of what it is to be human, and the fireworks of consciousness, this first work sees the author bizarrely getting himself bogged down in more basic descriptions. MOst notably when trying to describe character orientated scenes to us: who sat where, or how two people have a spat and slap each other. To me, it was as if Chabon couldn't decide whether he was writing a novel or a screenplay, and the complexities of his directorial aspirations got the better of him.

That said, this is a genuine treasure of a novella, and ultimately gives more than it takes.

Rating: - The awakening of Art

Art Bechstein, fresh out of college, notices an attractive young man in the library, no sooner is he outside the library than this attractive young man, the very appealing and flamboyant Arthur is standing beside him. In addition the attentions of Arthur, Art struggles with his uncertain feelings for Phlox, the strange girl who works in the library. So begins a summer of friendships, sex and parties, and a beautiful relationship that eventually dispels any doubts Art might have had about his sexuality. Add to that the hint of gangsters and the mysterious smoke from a factory; it all contributes to captivating read.
This is a thoroughly engrossing and interesting story, beautifully written and full of vitality, wit and humour.

Rating: - What can happen if you have too much time on your hands...

This is the tale of Art who, after finishing college, hangs around Pittsburg waiting for something to happen. Art is a bit of a trustfund baby but the source of his income is an embarrasment to him. But the life he starts to lead starts to become an embarrasment to his income...

This is a book that burns slowly but gradually builds and takes you in, along with Art, on a journey. I loved the way he develops new relationships and how he described the adulation for his new friends, his fears and his doubts. The relationships are so delicately drawn that it feels like reportage and I really liked that.

I gave it only four stars because there is a spark missing from this book. There are no sympathetic characters, the lazy days of summer - though well evoked - made me a bit lazy as a reader. I felt a little bit like Art in this book - continually waiting for something to happen, but when it did it was neither surprising nor exciting. I did enjoy the book, but I don't miss it and was glad to finish it.

I don't want to be too negative because it was a good book and it is worth reading.

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