Everything You Know

Rating:
Summary: Hilarious Novel With Tragic Undertones
Review: Everything You Know is a fascinating and hilarious novel with deeply sad undertones. Willy Muller is an unlikeable character but against the odds you find yourself enjoying his company, largely due to his twisted sense of humour. I liked the way that there were no taboos which Willy would not cross, all the things which are often avoided in 'polite' conversation were discussed many times - sexuality, religion, class divides, and so on.

I enjoyed reading about all the characters. I particularly found the extracts from Sadie's diaries to be very touching because it was clear that she was a damaged woman with little self-confidence. The description used was very original and you could really picture all the different characters clearly. Of course, because all the action was described through Willy's eyes it was impossible to know what other people's opinions were about different events, which was intriguing.

Overall Everything You Know is a little gem of a book. It is rare that a novel can have you laughing out loud while still being aware of the sad undercurrents of the story. The concluding idea that it's never too late to be good was inspiring and interesting to think about. Highly Recommended.

JoAnne

Rating:
Summary: Willy or Won't He
Review: I like the way Zoe Heller writes. She's great with dialogue and she just pulls you right along into her story--so the reading is real easy--but then, there you are reading along, and you realize this guy Willy--the main character in this story--is getting more & more obnoxious all the time. If every one of your female friends told her worst nightmarish story about what some ex-boyfriend had done to her--and you put all those stories together, you'd be in Willy's world. He is not lovable. He is not funny. He is really despicable. Heller sets him up--then says--even Willy has a choice--its not too late until you die--so can he change?...will he?. won't he?...is he--or any of us--really capable of changing? If you believe Willy can--then you & I probably can too. It is a worthy question. Not one with an easy answer but its worth pondering.

Rating:
Summary: A writer to watch
Review: Too often one picks up well-reviewed current fiction, only to find over-hyped trifles, or worse. This first novel by Ms. Heller is a happy exception to the rule, and is an astonishingly assured debut. Ms. Heller is able to muster a great deal of sympathy for a character with giant flaws, but who slowly emerges as at least as much a victim as villain. The degree to which Willy's character provokes widely disparate responses is, I think, a good indication of the complexity and nuances of Ms. Heller's craft. Those who simply condemn him as an unredeemable reprobate miss the central focus here---that in garbage culture, scum rises to the top. Reification, the treating of people and human relationships as commodities, is the central focus here, not simply a character study of a guy who has made some bad choices. There is a very acute cultural critique going on here, and although the targets, such as Hollywood and the movie scene are easy ones, they are well done. Willy is a product of this and he well knows it. A very good first effort, and I look forward to more from this writer.