Important Things That Don't Matter

By David Amsden

Book Overview

A provocative, moving, darkly funny portrait of family and divorce, a boy and his father, the eighties and nineties, and sex and intimacy issues that raises vital questions about a generation just now reaching adulthood.

Important Things that Don't Matter

The truth is, I really have no idea how everything I'm about to tell you happened, or why really -- how Dad of all people started diluting my thoughts lately, tugging at certain moments, making cameo appearances at the most inopportune times.

Like I'm in a bar, just trying to have a beer, and all of a sudden I'm seven again, in that bar with Dad. A girl reaches over and puts her hand up into my hair, and I just want her to stop, to get off, to go away -- you guessed it, there's Dad, somewhere.

Maybe a psychoanalyst would say it was the divorce, or Dad and the cocaine, and that I was too young then, but that I'm twenty now, and that people are prone to oppress and repress and suppress and regress and digress -- maybe he'd tell you it's part of "a larger syndrome." But I'm not sure people like that quite know what they're saying. Trust me. I've been to them.

So Dad's around lately. That's it. And I want to tell you things, throw fragments your way that I barely understand. Because it's just funny, flat out, the way someone you don't even know can get up in your face, tweak things that should be so ordinary. Or I think it's funny. Maybe you will too. Maybe you'll laugh. Maybe you won't believe a word. Maybe you'll wish you had my number so we could go out, share things. Maybe you'll know something I don't, and can tell me. Maybe --

I'm just hung up on him, on Dad, on parents in general. So many of them, it seems, act like such children these days. Some of us are adults now, and I can't help but wonder: What's going to happen?

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060513888
• ISBN13: 9780060513887
• Release Date: April 2003
• Publisher: William Morrow
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.3" x 0.9" x 5.6"

Customer Reviews

Best kept secret

My only question is why is this book not on the front table at Barnes and Noble? I loved it! I have been bored with chick-lit and best sellers so it was great to read a book that I couldn't put down! I dont know how Amsden was able to make me laugh at the same time he was describing such disturbing events in a young man's life. I am giving it as a gift to friends because a really good book is hard to find. I can't wait for his next one!

a must read

You'll pick this up and won't put it down until you finish it. And if you know Rockville, Maryland, you'll love the way he depicts its "box store" essence. The voice of the 20-year-old boy telling the story is so real and vulnerable that you feel right there in each of the vivid scenes. Considering how many kids of divorce are coming of age these days, this book's bound to be a hit. A really compelling first novel -- I can't wait to see what's next.

A New Voice

Have you ever thought about sneaking into your brother's or sister's bedroom and reading their diary? Well, no sneaking is necessary here. This quick read has the feel of a daily journal and is just as compelling as you'd hope a diary would be. You can't put it down. Riveting stories and vivid descriptions keep you turning the pages. Growing up in a two-parent home can sometimes be challenging enough. Try growing up with one completely dysfunctional parent who hasn't yet grown up himself and yet to whom you look to learn how to become a man. That's the author's challenge and you feel his confusion and frustration. A must read!

I loved it!

This is the kind of book you want to read in one sitting, it just grabbed me and I read it straight through. Very compelling. It's funny and not at the same time. The characters and situations are very touching. The voice of the 20-year-old boy telling the story is so real and vulnerable that you feel right there in each of the vivid scenes. Fantastic!

You really have to read this book!

A wonderful book written in a wry style about a boy growing up. He takes you through divorce, bars, cocaine, sex, family, and intimacy all with this amused detachment that really draws you in. He creates a vivid picture for you that allows you to really see, feel, and smell what he's experiencing. I saw a review in Entertainment Weekly comparing it to Salinger, and was amazed to see that the comparison was apt. It's a fast, smooth read that stays with you. Probably not for children under 16.