Description:
Anyone who was already an adult in the '80s might remember those years as the decade of conservative politics, Wall Street dirty dealings, and a Reaganesque "Morning in America" as pretty as cotton candy and just about as filling. Those who came of age then probably recall a pervasive sense that the baby boomers had already skimmed society's cream for themselves, leaving just the whey for those who came after. Zachary Lazar's first novel, Aaron, Approximately is definitely meant for the latter population--twentysomething readers will no doubt have a keen appreciation for the hopes and fears (mostly fears) that motivate protagonist Aaron Bright. When we first meet young Aaron, he is 26 years old, involved with a gorgeous, wealthy, and talented young woman and unable to bring himself to take that final step: marriage. The reason for Aaron's ambivalence lies, of course, in his childhood, and most of Lazar's novel is dedicated to excavating his troubled hero's rather bizarre past. We learn, for example, that Aaron's father, a popular children's television show host, died in a parachuting accident as 8-year-old Aaron looked on, and from that moment on, Aaron became both an object of fascination and of ridicule to his peers. After years as the school outcast, he gains a degree of acceptance as class clown and eventually finds a place on the outskirts of popularity. Lazar then follows his hero through angst-ridden college years and beyond until the novel returns full circle to the point where it began: Will Aaron marry Clarissa or won't he? If past is prologue, readers of Zachary Lazar's novel won't have any trouble accepting Aaron's decision.
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