Straight White Male

By John Niven

Book Overview

Irish novelist Kennedy Marr is a first rate bad boy. When he is not earning a fortune as one of Hollywood's most sought after script writers, he is drinking, insulting and philandering his way through LA, 'successfully debunking the myth that men are unable to multitask'. He is loved by many women, but loathed by even more including ex-wives on both sides of the pond. Kennedy's appetite for trouble is insatiable, but when he discovers that he owes 1.4 million dollars in back taxes, it seems his outrageous, hedonistic lifestyle may not be as sustainable as he thought. Forced to accept a teaching position at sleepy Deeping University, where his ex-wife and teenaged daughter now reside, Kennedy returns to England with a paper trail of tabloid headlines and scorned starlets hot on his bespoke heels. However, as he acclimatizes to the quaint campus Kennedy is forced to reconsider his laddish lifestyle. Incredible as it may seem, there might actually be a father and a teacher lurking inside this 'preening, narcissistic, priapic sociopath'. STRAIGHT WHITE MALE is a wildly funny and whip smart tale of Kennedy's transatlantic misadventures. It's an uninhibited and heartfelt look at the mid-life crisis of a lovable rogue.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0802123031
• ISBN13: 9780802123039
• Release Date: October 2014
• Publisher: Grove Press, Black Cat
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.4" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Fortunately, I'm taking the trash out tonight

Was this written by a 12-year-old boy who equates maturity and sophistication with profanity and promiscuity? Most of the words begin with "f." Also, the premise makes no sense: a prestigious writing award is bestowed on an alcoholic has-been who "polishes" others' work (missing all deadlines) when he's not churning out hack movie scripts. Sadly, no one "polished" this work because the title is senseless, the grammar is often messy, and cliches abound. The endless obscure references suggest that Niven is oh-so-proud of having majored in English (an education that obviously didn't include any creative writing courses). After all, heavy-handed erudition is always such fun for the reader. The book is supposedly wickedly amusing and cry-out-loud tender. I can only assume the child's proud mommy wrote the reviews. After suffering through 100 pages, I'll be putting this not-funny, not-sentimental dreck right where it belongs.