I've been reading Apathy and Other Small Victories, by Paul Neilan. What draws me to the story is its main character, Shane. I am always attracted to characters who are indifferent, aimless, and stricken with malaise, who populate the fringes of society and purposely act incongruently to any sort of conformity. Such is Shane.

My problem with the novel, however, is that it is too crude. There are too many outragegous, Gonzo-esque happenings. Shane is a suspect in a murder investigation, yet is apathetic; at work he sleeps in the bathroom rather than doing his job; his deaf friend teaches him to sign obscenities; and he steals saltshakers, often waking up covered in salt from the previous night's drunkenness - and this in no way captures just how crazy the story is.

So while I essentially like Shane, his likable qualities are overrun by an unstoppable onrushing of gags and punch lines that get less and less funny the more I read them. Neilan tries too hard with each sentence to be comedic, and for me the story becomes almost as dull as Shane's life is to him.