After graduating, George eventually decides to become a writer. He starts a novel, but agonizes over the point of it. Early on, George says the book is “about a boy who grows up to be a man who is disappointed by life.” The book shifts gears over time. It’s title, finally, is All For Naught.
George may be a doom-and-gloom sort, but that’s not the case for Greathead’s novel. Page after page, her writing is full of humor built around prickly sarcasm and woebegone twists in George’s life.
There are serious, even sad, moments, plus plot turns that give the narrative depth. The reader may begin to feel an emotional tug. Jenny, a young woman who falls in love with George, lives with him for long, often agonizing stretches. They hit midlife as the pandemic hits the country, and Jenny brings real poignancy to the story.
She even grasps, finally, what George is all about.
‘The Book of George’ by Kate Greathead is out on Oct. 8, 2024, via Henry Holt and Co.