The Pleasure of My Company by Steve Martin

This book succeeded in endearing me completely to Steve Martin. The character even comments on this at one point, that each human being had their own secret 'rules'. It was a story of a man with challenges, but it didn't harp constantly on how different and alien these challenges made him. I guess in that breath I was also glad that the disorder was not really the focus of the novel. I think the character was very believable, although admittedly I have a very limited very of this kind of mental disorder.

It was easy and natural, yet still the voice was clear and distinct. The style this time seemed less reaching and less verbose. Yet at the same time I would have been disheartened with anything else. Felt closer to them each time the main character reached just a little bit more out of his self imposed bubble.Įverything worked out almost too perfectly in the end for all of the characters-it reminded me of Love Stargirl in that way-the kind of optimism that could make you uneasy. The difference? I loved and cared about the characters. This book is obviously less meditative, and certainly more outright sappy-but I loved almost every moment of it. Hesitant, but some moments of Shopgirl made me feel like I also sort of owed him. I have to say that after I read Shopgirl I was hesitant to give Steve Martin another try. Many readers are going to love this brief, big-hearted book. What's most remarkable about it, though, is its tenderness, a complex mix of wit, poignancy and Martin's clear, great affection for his characters. This novella is a delight, embodying a satisfying story arc, a jeweler's eye for detail, intelligent pacing and a clean, sturdy prose style. Daniel, 33, lives in a rundown Santa Monica apartment, his life constricted by an armor of defensive habit (all the lightbulbs in his apartment must equal 1,125 watts he can't step over curbs so can cross streets only where two opposing driveways align, etc.), his dull days punctuated only by imagined romances and visits by his student social worker, lovely and kind Clarissa.ĭaniel's ways (a product of child abuse, Martin shows with subtlety) are challenged when Clarissa and her infant son, Teddy, move in to escape an abusive husband when Daniel wins a contest as 'Most Average American' and must give a speech to claim the $5,000 prize and when his beloved grandmother dies, sending him on a road trip of discovery back home. Daniel Pecan Cambridge, a gentle soul suffering from a mild mix of autism and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

The Pleasure of My Company by Steve Martin