I received an advance reader’s copy of this novel from Goodreads back in the fall. Unfortunately, I’m a bit of a slow reader, and I like to read more than one book at a time. That is why I just finished the book now. This is the first time I’ve read a novel by Michael Chabon, so I’m not able to compare the style and content of Telegraph Avenue to his other work.

Overall, I found Telegraph Avenue to be an alternately frustrating and unsatisfying read. I would often be confronted with instances where I thought Chabon was caught up in his own brilliant, flourishing prose while not advancing the story at all. And the style of the prose often wouldn’t match up with characters. For example, characters like Luther Stallings and Valletta Moore would be given voices in a scene that carried a casual vernacular that “sounded” natural. But then the third-person narration around that scene would be embellished in a way that distanced the reader from the story. I’m not sure how to put it. But it’s like Chabon wrote realistic characters that he couldn’t relate to. It’s like Chabon got advice on how to make Archy Stallings sound real, but he himself doesn’t actually know anyone like Archy in a way that would allow more empathy in his writing. The exception to that rule would be scenes involving the Jaffe family. In those family scenes, the narration gives off a sense of familiarity.

The characters were another weakness for me. Many characters are introduced, which wouldn’t be so bad if more of them were fully developed. Why are Archy and Nat such good friends, when the only thing they appear to have in common is music? Why are Archy and Gwen married, when they don’t even seem to like each other for just about all of the book? Why would Gwen stay with Archy when he cheats on her all of the time? What is the point of Titus’ existence outside of convenient plot devices? For some reason, Titus is the only character whose inner thoughts aren’t presented. As I read about more characters’ stories, I was often wondering why their stories had to be told.

I read an article a while ago that said Chabon’s original idea behind Telegraph Avenue was a television show, which would explain a lot. The novel offers more of a setting than an actual plot. It's not a bad book. But I don't think my time was well-spent in reading it.