The story of how this book came into my life is more interesting than the book itself.
I went on a trip to Florida with my best friends and we spent our trip alternating between tanning on the beach and exploring cute shops. In one of these shops, I spied a used bookstore that practically begged me to go into it. I was on vacation, so of course, I indulged.
And what did I find? None other than an advanced proof of Plain and Normal by James Wilcox.
To be honest, I had never heard of this book. But I was so excited to see all of the editor’s notes in the margins, that I bought it without thinking.
This book follows Severinus Lloyd Norris, a gay man who recently divorced his wife to explore his sexuality and reinvent himself. This happens seemingly against his will, and he is quite miserable throughout the novel as he reevaluates his life and all the people in it. A series of events in Norris’s life occur, mostly recapped by dinner parties thrown by his ex-wife, but none are interesting enough to note here.Â
The concept of the books seems interesting and fun, but the writing is unfortunately incredibly bland and confusing at times. It took me months to finish this book. Although, I will admit that the last 40 pages redeemed the novel and sewed the entire plot together with a satisfying ending.
I think the way this book came into my life gave me big expectations, perhaps that’s why the content was so disappointing. On Goodreads, I gave it two out of five stars, and the last 40 pages are what earned Plain and Normal its second star. This book would make an incredibly funny play, and I would love to see a stage adaptation. However, on the page, Plain and Normal was just that: plain and normal.
Thank you for absorbing with me, friends. see you next time!
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