Wonder Boys

For me Wonder Boys is Michael Chabon's greatest book, and it sits near the top of the list of my all time favourite books. This book feels much more authentic than his Pulitzer prize winning Kavalier and Clay (K&C). Where K&C feels unreal, set in the Golden Age of Comics with extraordinary characters and an overly melodramatic plot, Wonder Boys feels firmly rooted in the real world. Although the absurd events described occur over one weekend during a liberal arts college town's book festival, the narrow focus and believable characterisations actually make it a far more entertaining ride than the much praised K&C.

Many of the episodes and much of the plot in Wonder Boys feels like it has come from Chabon's own experiences and observations of life around him in a setting he knows well. The protagonist, Trip Grady, is a believable flawed character who gains sympathy despite his mixture of arrogance and self loathing. His journey over that weekend as he grapples with the fall out of his own infidelity, his failures as a husband, teacher, writer and partner, and his failing health is actually entertaining and uplifting. This is a funny and a times absurd story, but at it's heart it's about a middle aged child finally growing up.

Where Kavalier and Clay feels like it was written as an attempt at a grandiose "Great American novel" (and has won the plaudits from the literary world for trying so hard to grasp that epithet that seems so oddly prized by American writers), Wonder Boys is a far more successful book focusing on humour and people in a part of America that feels like it might actually exist. I love this book - beautifully written, sharply observed and most of all an uplifting read; Wonder Boys really is a great book.