The Discreet Pleasures of Rejection

I really found this book quite enjoyable. Perhaps some of the other readers were expecting a different story when they picked this up. I wasn't sure what to expect, but was intrigued by the idea of a person's life going into such a crisis over what could have been an accident. This book is more about reflections one has that cause panic and growth rather than an attempt to purely entertain. I felt a sort of deep empathy for Virgil as he gradually untagles himself from a false self designed for self-protection to truly living. At the same time Virgil's eccentric nature brought a smile to my face and joy to my heart. In the end no matter how odd our circumstances may be our reactions have a more powerful effect on our happiness.

I'm not usually a fan of farce. I just don't buy into the notion that one's life can change, be forgotten, or undergo other Twilight Zone-ish changes while no one else notices. But this little book was so much fun and so well written that I was sucked in from the beginning. The author convincingly captures the pace and shallowness of a life that would allow a fiancee to be forgotten (among other bits of inspired madness). This is a thoroughly modern farce that, far from being absurd for absurdity's sake, actually ends up making a valid point and being a great little read in the process. Love it!

Virgil came home one day to find a strange message on his answering machine. Clara is breaking up with him. The problem is he doesn't know this Clara and has no memory of their relationship. He goes to his shrink and she orders medical tests for him since he thinks he is going crazy. The test prove nothing is wrong, but he is so set in the notion that he is dying that he gives notice at his apartment that he's dying, calls the phone and electric company and tells them to turn everything off because he is dying. In the meantime he tries to find out who this Clara is. His friends are all calling and consoling him, taking him out for meals and showering him with attention. So much attention in fact that he decides not to tell anyone that he doesn't know this Clara. He is so caught up in this farce that soon he starts missing Clara (yes, the woman he doesn't even know). The humor is deadpan and you might miss something if don't pay attention. Virgil is funny and you can't help but hope that he will find this Clara and live happily ever after. You'll have to read the book to find out if he does or not. I loved it!

This is the second novel by Martin Page that I've had the pleasure to read. The first, How I Became Stupid, was very enjoyable but felt not quite finished. This new book, The Discreet Pleasures of Rejection, however, lives up to its promise. Its premise is almost Twilight-Zonish: The main character receives a break-up call from a woman he doesn't remember ever even meeting, let alone dating. But instead of taking this into the expected "What is Reality" hoo-doo, Page takes the reader on a journey through the life of a man who thought he was living exactly as he chose, but finds that instead, his actions have been as conditioned and button-pushing as anyone else's. In other words, he discovers an authentic life through this mysterious phone message. I might be making the book sound dry, but it isn't at all. It has pleasures and joys of language, thought, and character on every single page. A delicious follow-up to his first novel and also a treat for any Paris-philes out there. I'm really happy I read this book.

There's a certain unity in the life of Virgil, the hapless hero of this sleek urbane comedy set in Paris. He works in advertising to pay the rent and lives in a building where prostitutes ply their trade because the rent is cheap. His parents were circus performers and Virgil has been in analysis for that for forever. None of his friends have any expectations or illusions about Virgil. He's going to be a bachelor forever. But Virgil comes home and finds a message from Clara. She can't stand it any longer, says the voice on the answering machine. She's breaking up with him. Although perfectly accustomed to getting this type of message, Virgil is stunned. Devastated. He may not survive this. He unplugs the answering machine and rushes straight to his analyst. What's different this time? Virgil has no idea who "Clara" is. Well, she might be someone he met once at a party months ago. But they've never even been out. Even though he can't remember what Clara looks like, Virgil starts hearing from all his old girlfriends as the news of the breakup spreads through their mutual social set. Old friends rush to console him; new acquaintances suddenly find him more interesting. There's even talk of a promotion at work... As delicious and funny as this situation is, Virgil's reaction makes the situation even funnier. No longer able to drift through life, he finds himself transforming in ways he doesn't expect. This isn't the kind of humor that makes you laugh out loud when you read it. It's subtle, biting comedy that needs to be thoroughly chewed first. Then memory of Virgil's predicament will sneak up and ambush the reader, causing sniggering, chortling and inappropriate giggles in odd places at random times of day. Recommended therapy for anyone who ever had a bad romantic experience, or anyone who has been to Paris or for any one who wants to go there, sometime.