I have read most of Spalding Gray's previous books, and I liked all of them. Some of them I much more than liked, which is why I kept coming back.

This one I did not finish, but not because I am yet another disillusioned or oddly angry fan who feels artistically betrayed by Gray's later suicide. On that point, I think it might be instructive for other readers to know that the depression that brought him so low that he took his life appears to have come on, at least in part, because of brain injury he suffered after a car accident in Ireland. For more on that, see the posthumous book LIFE, INTERRUPTED, which includes an unfinished (and rather interesting) monologue about the incident. I have also heard Gray's widow on This American Life explaining what life was like for him after the accident, and I think it's an element of his life story worth considering. Dismissing this book because the author's life ended in suicide seems strangely judgmental. A writer's works should not be discounted just because his last decision was misguided and irrevocable.

All that said, my problem with the book is somewhat summarized in Gray's own fears about the direction of his monologues: happiness and contentment can make for dull reading. The challenges of parenthood don't create quite the same kind of tension as his earlier problems, and it seems clear that he is also telling stories with greater self-consciousness. I don't blame him for taking into consideration the feelings of his wife and children when writing about them, but as a reader, I also don't feel compelled to read the results. I left this one unfinished, which was disappointing after following his work for so many years. It was more disappointing still since there will be no more monologues to look forward to, but I did appreciate the central story in LIFE, INTERRUPTED, and I think that one's definitely worth a read. ( )

How wonderful to read Spalding Gray in a happy place! ( )