Dylan Schaffer

Every self-revelatory, parent-implicating, pain-revealing story touches and perhaps even alters hordes of people who've kept their own similar experiences in the dark. I love this sort of memoir, but I wonder if for the general audience the genre gets old? After how many of these books does the reader get bored...and then resentful...and finally contemptuous?

I'm not sure, but when the author's voice is as gentle and humorous as Dylan's, the story seems simply brave and addictive. I just wanted to know what old Flip would do next, and even when he was at his worst I couldn't help liking the old fart a bit, and when he was at his best I couldn't shake the disappointment of all his failings.

Reader identification can be a tricky thing. Readers can find it hard to understand how the author avoided the shame and self-loathing that keeps their own story buried. At its best the reader realizes s/he is not loathesome, as feared; at worst, s/he feels suspicious of misrepresentation, fictionalizing, etc. a la frey et al.

Concerning Dylan's dad Flip: it seems clear he is a product of shame himself; see the very strong passage near the end of the book about how Flip tries to run away from everyone, mostly himself. But Dylan? He does/has done so many positive, fearless things...taking on careers, women, friendships. He's strong enough that I don't want so much to take care of him as, I don't know, have him cook in my kitchen.

Issues - minor:
Interesting tangents into Dylan's mother's story are always yanked back; it felt like DS kept reminding himself that this was his *father's* story, that the universe outside that story must not overly intrude. But I felt that this and other things (Wendy's story, the brothers, etc.) could have been including without damaging the book as a whole.

2. The baking focus seemed a bit heavy-handed to me. Could have been cut by half and I, for one, wouldn't miss it. Also the baking doesn't ever really respresent a *theme* - what does it represent to Dylan, to Flip? - seemed clear that it's a response to their control-freak-ness which is in turn a response to their own chaos.… (mehr)