Apathy and Other Small Victories: A Novel

I'll keep this short and sweet. This book is laugh out loud funny. It's crude, vulgar, obscene, and it'll have you turning pages long into the night laughing like an idiot. Shane, with his dry sarcasm and complete apathy towards life, is one of my new favorite anti-heroes. This book is HIGHLY recommended!!

This is the FUNNIEST book I've ever read, bar none! I immediately read it again right after I finished reading it the first time. No joke. Captures the dreary soul-sucking unreality of office work like nothing else, with twists of the absurd and existential angst. I've never laughed out loud so much before while reading a book. Too bad the author never wrote anything again :(

Witty and enjoyable read. The author treads a bit on the cynical side, but the humor is so cutting and potent that I didn't mind as a reader. This is a perfect "recreational" book whereas I'm usually more amenable to a Hemingway or Mougham sort of novel. I had so much fun reading this story that I was done in two days (during which I could barely keep my eyes off it).

If things aren't going the best in your life right now, I highly sugguest reading this book. It negative, self-hating and you get the picture. . buy it. it's funny, I laughed a lot while reading it, and i started stealing saltshakers.

Pretty quick easy read. book reads  fast. i felt like the book was trying too hard to be american psycho or fight club. comes off as a kurt vonnegut style, but without the original charm. not terrible not great just meh

Paul Neilan's debut novel (please, Paul, in the name of all things fantastic, deliver us another) is easily the funniest book I have ever experienced. This is the second copy I've bought for someone else to enjoy because I couldn't keep lending out my own.

I don't know what to think about this book? The protagonist is a self-absorbed, overly critical, and mean spirited young man. He kind of represents the worst of the new generation. Though the book was darkly humorous at times, most of the time it was sad and depressing.

Because I like Max Barry (Syrup, Jennifer Government, Company) the store thought I would like this book. I finished it, which is more than I can say for JPOD. (I REALLY want my money back on that one!) the store was wrong. This wasn't a very good book. It had brief moments of dark, sarcastic humor surrounded by a vast wasteland of nonsensical drivel.

Utlimately, it was readable and I don't think that the store should have to give me my money back like they should do with JPOD, but in the end I will be avoiding other Paul Neilan offerings in the future. Just not enough meat on the bone in his writing.

I bought this based on the reviews of others who stated that it was hilarious, they laughed non-stop and it was brilliant satire. It is, sadly, none of these things. It's a sophomoric effort at...i'm not sure what, really. It's absurdist, but without the comedy. At times, it's strange for stranges sake (like the character of Doug the dentist who keeps getting his head stuck on bus doors). The plot is less than compelling, and overall it seems like it was written as a freshman creative writing piece. I would not recommend it

The premise is not so bad: anti-hero in a dead-end job/world.

The main character goes through this slice of his life completely cynical and overly dramatic about everything around him. Every encounter is the same thing: cynicism and hyperbole.

At first, it was kind of funny, but by the end I was really tired of reading this. He doesn't progress, he doesn't have a valid point about anything, doesn't really face any conflicts... mainly just sleeps on the toilet until he gets fired for something stupid. Would have been much more interesting if he actually was trying to kill himself as the cover suggests.

Very questionable content. Be sure you know what you are getting into before reading. If you are okay with the content then you'll probably highly enjoy it because it is humorous (usually) and well written.

This is a huge piece if crap
I wanted to like it. I really wanted to. But it turned out to be a very long boring and mean story. Told by a college guy. So if you're in a fraternity, you will love this. A long wandering pointless story spiked with meanness from a total a$$. If the author's goal was to create a character that was self centered. Unaware Cruel. Useless. Yay! Good for you! You did it! I'm only a third of the way through this rambling directionless tale of a guy who is constantly at the dentist when he's not sleeping in the handicapped stall at work or having sex with his landlord's wife in lieu of rent We won't even get into the neighbor raping Ivan the hamster. Then there's the murder of the deaf dental assistant he is accused of. I don't even care how it ends. Throw him in jail. Set him on fire. Drag him behind a truck. Make this awful nightmare Of the written word end.

APATHY HAS NEVER BEEN SO GOOD!

''The only thing Shane cares about is leaving. Usually on a Greyhound bus, right before his life falls apart again. Just like he planned. But this time it's complicated [...]
When one of the women is murdered, and Shane is the only suspect who doesn't care enough to act like he didn't do it...''

Alright, this is funny, bloody funny, cinically grotesque in the way black humor bends to a realistic, indifferent, description of what a life within this society could be - though filtered through the eyes of an self-conscious apathetic man; and folks, there's just no way you can get through it whitout stopping any here and there to crack a genuine laugh.
I mean, I'm still crying.
For real.
Among all the things I could say about this book, - this is one of those rare occasions when I can really connect with another author.
Apathy has never been so good.
Keep it up, man.

Apathy and Other Small Victories is hilarious in a way that books usually aren't. I always hear people say things like "I can't imagine reading something and laughing outloud." That's because literary humor isn't the kind of thing that is actually laughed at. And while Apathy is funny, literature it ain't. Don't walk into this book expecting Richard Brautigan's randomness or Woody Allen's absurdity or Martin Amis's wit. Which is fine, because I don't remember reading any of those authors's work and audibly laughing (with the exception of Allen, who cracks me up all the time). Instead, Neilan's book is a combination of non-sequiturs about office life, the lies people tell themselves, and the lies he tells other people.

In fact, the whole story almost seems like a tangent off something much larger and more important that is never really clear. Shane's life as a whole? Maybe. Maybe not. It's really not the issue here, and while it's possible to analyze this book from a literary perspective, it makes a lot more sense to just take it in as an easy read that is clever without being nerdy (Monty Python, the stuff I've read by Ian Frazier), irreverently hilarious without being too segregating (Bukowski, the lyrics of Seth Putnam), and funny within the context that Neilan places his characters in, as opposed to being pedestrian observational humor and lame, unbelievable situations (most sit-coms). Laughing about deaf people and bestiality feels pretty good when you get right down to it.

The writing is weak when it tries to do things that writers do, but I think that's just a problem with mish-mashing styles. Like I said: this isn't literature. It rarely feels like it's trying to be, either. And thank some lower-case-"g"-god for that. I wouldn't need Carver if I was laughing all the time. The world doesn't have nearly enough funny writing, and Neilan is a fine addition to a style that is flailing and barely surviving. Something tells me he likes it like that anyways.

I bought Apathy becasue I liked the cover, as it caught my eye, as I looked for a book in the not so funny "humor" section of my local Borders. I like simple images like that which convey humor and numerous meanings. So big spot on for that alone to start with. Not to mention the sign language on the front I recognized ffrom my laborious talks with my ex wife's sister. The interior of the book was just as great.
On first read the book made me laugh out loud numerous times, the story line is almost too stupid to ever happena nd the characters are all pretty strange, a "hero " who doesnt care about much and has no spine, a Dr. that has odd panic attacks and a deaf woman in a love tryst. OK. But on fourth read through the book still made me laugh, the wording and the offbeat dark humor and sarcasm drips off the pages. One reviewer pointed out that the main character wasn't really "likable" and that he left the book with nothing; well that's part of the whole joke of apathy, it is an engaging book but you won't learn a whole lot other than how to view the world through a rather jaundiced eye. Which can be good. There is a feeling of perpetual self inflicted misery and masochism in the characters though and that is interesting. they psychoplogy of the people is strange to say the least. But for a first book this is a great one and I hope to see more of the like from the author.

If you like these type of cynical, comical books you'll definitely enjoy Apathy. And if you've never read a book by an author with severe ADHD be prepared because the beginning of this book jumps around more than a House of Pain song. I definitely enjoyed it and literally laughed out loud more than a few times. The story line really runs secondary to Shane's (the narrator) point of view on life and merely provides a context to bring everything together.
I'd compare this book to one of those comedy movies you hear about and go to the theater to see a couple weeks after it comes out: you come thinking, "man, that was a hilariously good movie", but the fact is in 9 months when it hits DVD, you're not exactly asking for it for X-mas. I just finished reading it so as of now I'd say it's a 4 star book, but after a couple more reads, I'll mostly likely have a more subjective view and put it at more like a 3.5 (rounded up it's still a 4!).
That said, I'd still highly suggest it if this is your type of read.

I didn't think I was a fan of the modern novel........until I read this book. It is less a work of literature and more a psychological study; an honest look at the inner-workings of the minds of the products of my generation undiluted by any grander plot or attempts to prove some great revelation about mankind at the hands of the author. Or perhaps the lack of a moral conundrum presented by the author is in itself some great commentary on modern America, a time and place devoid of a living moral code where the ambitious can achieve obscene wealth but the average individual is without a clear path in life.

And THAT is what the main character Shane is: incredibly average. He's a smart-ass, lazy, and too cowardly to say out loud the things he thinks about people. What makes him and the novel along with him great is just how honest he is about his averageness. He has a girlfriend he doesn't care about, a job he cares about even less, and his greatest passion is stealing salt-shakers. He's not some idealization of the modern man, he IS the modern man, only without the self-defense mechanisms we use to tell ourselves that we're not average, lazy, and cowards. Shane knows he is, he just doesn't care.

There's no great plot to this book. It's similar in many ways to Office Space or Fight Club, but, true to its character in being honest, there's no great revelation achieved by Shane, no epiphany, no strive to topple the corporate machine he finds has made life so bland. Instead, Shane just drifts through life like every one of us, hating what he sees in the world around him but accepting that changing any of it would take more effort than he is willing to put in.

And yet, it is every bit the page turner (I read it in 4 days) because of the hilarious way that lack of plot is written. The similies will make you laugh out loud, you'll find yourself reading aloud passages to whoever is in the room and you'll feel compelled to text-message them if no one is. The sarcasm is biting and every paragraph has at least one sentence which will leave you smiling and shaking your head.

And mixed in with all that humor are some genuine tidbits of wisdom, making this novel a true work of literature. Tolstoy's opening line to Anna Karenina has nothing on Neilan's "I was stealing shalt shakers again."

Personally I loved this - it was easy to read, funny funny funny, and oh so pointless. The humor might be considered dark by some, but I honestly found it a very light-hearted look at life and all of the meaningless symbols, actions, etc we go through on a daily basis. The book is a breakdown of all the arbitrary significance or logic the people around Shane, the main character, place on what's happening around them. It's this outsider point of view with the added snarky commentary that makes it worth reading, for me at least.

I read a bunch of reviews on Apathy and Other Small Victories and the negative criticism seemed geared towards the fact that the main character is a one dimensional loser, or that the storyline doesn't really go anywhere. Well, Shane himself brings up the concept of the Absurd early in the book (also in Camus's L'Etranger for starters). Read from this standpoint everything makes a lot of sense - there are no great stories to be told of most of our lives. There are no fascinating plots or particularly likeable characters. Neilan keeps it real in this aspect while making it completely fantastical in others. And, unlike L'Etranger, I didn't feel like an ever-so-slightly bad person for laughing while reading it.

Don't buy this book if you're looking for great plot development with twists and turns that keep you turning the pages. There is enough of a plot to tie the book together, but the real strength of the book is getting inside of the main character's head and seeing the world through his bizarre eyes. Apathetic doesn't even fully describe exactly how this character lives his life, but I guess it's as good a word as any. The character takes a temp job at an insurance company and his interactions with his co-workers and thoughts on corporate life really make this book memorable.

If you enjoyed Officespace or the workplace books by J. Ferris you will certainly enjoy this book as well.

I didn't think I was a fan of the modern novel........until I read this book. It is less a work of literature and more a psychological study; an honest look at the inner-workings of the minds of the products of my generation undiluted by any grander plot or attempts to prove some great revelation about mankind at the hands of the author. Or perhaps the lack of a moral conundrum presented by the author is in itself some great commentary on modern America, a time and place devoid of a living moral code where the ambitious can achieve obscene wealth but the average individual is without a clear path in life.

And THAT is what the main character Shane is: incredibly average. He's a smart-ass, lazy, and too cowardly to say out loud the things he thinks about people. What makes him and the novel along with him great is just how honest he is about his averageness. He has a girlfriend he doesn't care about, a job he cares about even less, and his greatest passion is stealing salt-shakers. He's not some idealization of the modern man, he IS the modern man, only without the self-defense mechanisms we use to tell ourselves that we're not average, lazy, and cowards. Shane knows he is, he just doesn't care.

There's no great plot to this book. It's similar in many ways to Office Space or Fight Club, but, true to its character in being honest, there's no great revelation achieved by Shane, no epiphany, no strive to topple the corporate machine he finds has made life so bland. Instead, Shane just drifts through life like every one of us, hating what he sees in the world around him but accepting that changing any of it would take more effort than he is willing to put in.

And yet, it is every bit the page turner (I read it in 4 days) because of the hilarious way that lack of plot is written. The similies will make you laugh out loud, you'll find yourself reading aloud passages to whoever is in the room and you'll feel compelled to text-message them if no one is. The sarcasm is biting and every paragraph has at least one sentence which will leave you smiling and shaking your head.

And mixed in with all that humor are some genuine tidbits of wisdom, making this novel a true work of literature. Tolstoy's opening line to Anna Karenina has nothing on Neilan's "I was stealing shalt shakers again."

Personally I loved this - it was easy to read, funny funny funny, and oh so pointless. The humor might be considered dark by some, but I honestly found it a very light-hearted look at life and all of the meaningless symbols, actions, etc we go through on a daily basis. The book is a breakdown of all the arbitrary significance or logic the people around Shane, the main character, place on what's happening around them. It's this outsider point of view with the added snarky commentary that makes it worth reading, for me at least.

I read a bunch of reviews on Apathy and Other Small Victories and the negative criticism seemed geared towards the fact that the main character is a one dimensional loser, or that the storyline doesn't really go anywhere. Well, Shane himself brings up the concept of the Absurd early in the book (also in Camus's L'Etranger for starters). Read from this standpoint everything makes a lot of sense - there are no great stories to be told of most of our lives. There are no fascinating plots or particularly likeable characters. Neilan keeps it real in this aspect while making it completely fantastical in others. And, unlike L'Etranger, I didn't feel like an ever-so-slightly bad person for laughing while reading it.

Don't buy this book if you're looking for great plot development with twists and turns that keep you turning the pages. There is enough of a plot to tie the book together, but the real strength of the book is getting inside of the main character's head and seeing the world through his bizarre eyes. Apathetic doesn't even fully describe exactly how this character lives his life, but I guess it's as good a word as any. The character takes a temp job at an insurance company and his interactions with his co-workers and thoughts on corporate life really make this book memorable.

If you enjoyed Officespace or the workplace books by J. Ferris you will certainly enjoy this book as well.

...and neither is the author.
Look, this book has some funny moments even some laugh out loud moments, but it does not go anywhere near that which it is trying to reach.
Looking past apathy and teetering on nihilism and then contradicting itself by showing the "protagonist" actually caring...it is muddy and lacks substance. It seemed like the author was simply trying to create a compendium of memorable lines without anything to really tie them together so he wrote a "story" and gave us a "narrator" to recite them.
We have seen the story of the modern day slacker. This has been done before and this type of character has been fleshed out by far better writers (Palahniuk as noted by one very astute reviewer).
I just don't get all of the positive reviews.
This is decent brain-fluff when it could have been so much more, but in the hands of this author, well...not so much.
Deliberate misleads, awkward sense of sexual self, filling the void, blah. A little dash of "Gen X" will do ya'.
I give it 2.5-3 stars because it was a fast read and did not take up too much of my time as well as having a few funny moments, but note they are all formula and there is really nothing organic about this.
Where is the flow? Where is the novelty?
The apathy comes in my review.
This book has little to care about.

There are just enough funny situations in the novel for me to finish. The ending however was very anti-climatic and stupid.

Shane never makes any effort and as a result ends up in strange situations. But no matter how strange the situation is, he remains there because he doesn't care enough to leave.

He hardly works as a temp, never does his job but no one ever notices. He finds the job so uninspiring that he naps in his office bathroom to pass time. But typical of Shane, he doesn't do anything to change his job so he goes in everyday and naps in a stall. Shane also somehow ends up in a "relationship" with a woman who believes they have a "connection." Shane again, made no effort to be in the relationship, but he stays in it because he doesn't care enough to break it off.

Although most of the characters feel like caricatures because they aren't well developed, there are some pretty memorable ones. I especially like Gwen - who is completely clueless about Shane's lack of romantic interest in her. Gwen mistakes his apathy for deep thoughts. She also believes that they have a deep connection, so she sexually devours him everytime they are together. Shane of course, does nothing when they are in bed even though he is being flipped and throw in different directions and is usually writhing in pain.

We all have a little bit of Shane in us - the underachieving slacker side that just don't even care to try. I would recommend it if you want a good chuckle when passing time.

This is my favorite book by far. I recommend it to just about everyone I talk to, and I've gotten five people to buy & read it, they all praise it as the most hilarious book they've ever read to this day. I have never laughed out loud so many times at anything, much less a novel. It's generally pretty hard for me to laugh at writing while alone, but Apathy had me cracking up several times each page (seriously). Although the book isn't serious or necessarily inspirational in any way, it taught me a lot about life and that everything can be taken with a grain of salt (that's a reference to the book). I can hardly explain Neilan's brilliance. READ IT

Gave the book 4 stars because I loved that the main character wasn't apathetic because he had some sort of terrible past, but rather he is just naturally that way, Also this main character straight drives all the humor in the book, which is legitimately laugh out loud funny, just because of how the author perfectly captures how much humor can come from situations when you just don't care enough to give the socially acceptable response. Also, for anyone who works an office job with low chances for advancement this book completely voices basically everything you've ever hated about your job.

The only reason that I didn't give this five stars is because well to explain why I didn't give a five star review would basically spoil important plots of the book, but it is most definitely well worth the read.

Warning: A lot of classic Lit people are going to hate this book. It seemingly has no direction, no purpose, and no likable characters (though I beg to differ, what it does not have are flat, perfectly moral, boring characters who say and do everything right). However, "Apathy..." is an examination of modern American society in which people are too preoccupied with their own dilemmas to truly engage in fulfilling relationships with one another. Indeed, the only 2 characters that seem to truly enjoy each others company are Shane and Marlene, while every other interaction is either faked, forced, professional (another word for faked) or extremely awkward and uncomfortable.

the story begins in medias res, and continues to jump back and forth between past and present. Shane, an unemployed drifter, awakens covered in salt on account of his compulsive desire to steal salt-shakers (perhaps hinting towards a misplaced sense of self-preservation, one he could really use throughout the story, but instead gets wasted on his kleptomania and a need to add some spice to his life...) and finds two investigators standing over him to question him about the death of Marlene, the deaf dental-assistant who worked for Shane's dentist. From this point on, you learn about the events leading up to Marlene's death, how it is that Shane came to be implicated, and just how easy it is to get by in this world without really trying at all (albeit, by the skin of your teeth, hence why Shane's dentist was so important of a character)

Shane represents the modern American male. Most of his references/analogies come from TV sitcoms and movies. He feels his job is too stupid and easy to actually perform, and so he spends most of his days in the office recovering from hangovers by sleeping in the men's room handicapped-stall, which none of his co-workers even notice. (Now, could that likely happen? probably not. The question is: have you ever FELT like you could disappear from your job for a day, a week, a month, without anyone noticing? If you work in a large corporate office, the honest answer is probably yes.) In fact, Shane continuously gets praise for the excellent work he is not doing. This is just one of the many times you will be reading this story and think, "yes, that's exactly how it feels."

I would also point out that Shane's firework-peddling neighbor Mobo, who always brings a guinea pig with a bondage mask on a leash with him, is not in the book just for shock-value or gross-out humor. But rather, he seems to serve the purpose of examining how we tend to think the worst of people, even when we don't know the whole story...

I won't continue this half-assed analysis, but I will say that despite what some of the other reviews say about this book, it is very funny, and it is very well written, and there are some poignant moments of the book which make it very much worth reading. No, it is does not carry any profound revelation and the character does not go through any massive transformation, but that is what makes it so true to life in this century. Things just happen, people move on, no beginning, no end, just a few days in the life of a nobody who could've been a somebody, but just didn't care enough to try.

I was turned onto this by chance at a local library when searching for "comedic satire" since I'd been through the entire Christopher Moore collection and needed a new read. Fans of CM and his style of joke-counterjoke will probably love this story.

This is quite possibly the funniest book I've ever read. Any guy of this generation can pick up this book and relate (granted, in some odd ways) to Shane - or at least empathize with his dejection. It's a sharp tale of absurdist truths about the human condition.

I found myself reading this book and constantly shaking my head, thinking, "wow, this guy is F-ed." I also had several moments of laughing so loudly that people asked me what I was doing or wanted to hear some of it out loud. It's one of those stories that's hard to read out loud because you start laughing halfway through a sentence and just can't control yourself.

I often struggle to discern how the story could have possibly been conceived, but then fall into my own apathetic victory. Several scenes in this book are boiled down to a catchphrase used as inside jokes these days.

After reading this story, I will never, *ever consider a pet guinea pig; I'll probably never sit in a dentist's chair without thinking about this story, either.

Good god this was hard to get through. A friend recommended this book to me based off my love for "the contortionists handbook."
The writing was so poor I can't even believe it got published. It's seems like the author is just another chuck palahniuk fan boy with no skill at all.

This is a very strange book, about some very strange people. It just rolls along with the protagonist (and narrator) coming off with apathic, and often very funny, one liners. It's rather difficult to accurately describe the plot (if there realy is one), but if you have a few hours to kill and nothing more pressing to read, this is a good book to have. I downgraded it to four stars because the protagonist spent the entire book felling sorry for himself, and it got to be quite wearing on me.

Fantastically written, this is definitely the best book I've read in a long time.

This book is literally laugh-out-loud funny. Similar to the dark comedy and wit of Chuck Palahniuk, the main character is very self-critical, and tells the story in a tongue-in-cheek manner. I think the style is somewhat similar to David Sedaris' as well. The story progresses rather quickly, and the book is seriously hard to put down.

Do yourself a favor and read it.

This is a book about a guy who is sarcastic, underwhelmed by everything, underachieving, and well, apathetic. It's fairly anticlimactic. There are some funny parts, but not nearly as funny as other reviewers make it out to be. He makes funny observations about people that we can all relate to. It's a story about a few days in his life and how he is the suspect in the murder of an acquaintance. This book is just okay. It is a quick read and fairly entertaining, but forgettable. I cannot say that I would recommend this to anyone, but I do not necessarily regret reading it. I suppose my reivew is rather apathetic.

Shane's thoughts about people who ride the bus and their stories (and their need to tell them): "Everyone, no matter how old or young, has some lesson they want to teach. And I sit there and listen and learn all about life from people who have no idea how to live it."

The book really has about a dozen laugh out loud moments. Neilan does a great job dissecting life in a corporate prison, from people singing happy birthday in cramped quarters to inspirational quotes that don't inspire to the horrific way that people tend to decorate their cubicles.

About his co-workers, he writes, "Nobody there hated their job nearly as much as they should have."

Wow..the title says it all. I'm leery of choosing books from new authors just because I don't want to waste my money. But I was recommended this book and boy is it great. I laughed on practically every page and not just chuckled. Real laughs. Some moments are a little... WTF? But it's still hilarious. The plot follows the title: apathetic. If you're looking for some deep plot, you won't find it here. But don't pass this one up just because of that. The story is told from Shane's perspective, and Shane is definitely apathetic. Neilan takes it to another level; I can't wait to read another book from him. He needs to hurry up and write more!
Basic point: Read it and you won't regret it. But expect some raunchy, weird, HILARIOUS scenes.

I can't say it enough -- I thoroughly enjoyed this book... It had just the right mix of cynicism, sarcasm, pessimism, and dark [often bordering on offensive] humor to make for an absolutely hilarious read... I caught myself laughing out loud on several occasions and loved the imaginative and descriptive writing style...

GREAT book for a quick weekend read and some good ol' belly laughs -- at least, if you enjoy this kind of humor (which I do). I, for one, loved it!

I loved this book. That said, the critiques that this book has received (somewhat flat characters, no major arc, etc...) are not unreasonable. However, I think that to judge this book by those standards is missing the point. This isn't high literature, nor should it be treated as such. Given that, I thought it was the funniest book I have read in years. It is biting and hysterical. It is clever and more intelligent than it appears to be. It contains a few interesting insights into human behavior (none of them terribly profound, but worthwhile nonetheless) and into the nature of humor. Its not meant to make you contemplate your existence or delve into the rich inner lives of the characters. It is meant to make you laugh while providing the aforementioned insights and commentaries on related matters. This is does well.
I highly recommend APATHY. After reading it, I felt like I indulged in something that I shouldn't have been laughing at but couldn't help doing so. And that was the best part of it.

Very often, people recommend books for me because they are "hilarious." Every so often, they're actually right. This book, had me rolling.

To write too much on this book would be to spoil it for the reader, but suffice it to say that, the protagonist is a kleptomaniac of the most hilarious variety, whose sarcasm and no nonsense attitude will make you feel like the world's most sensitive, tactful person.

It seems that every disaffected slacker who hates his job has a similar story - No motivation, no desires, drunkenness, meaningless sex, etc... the list is constant and most novels featuring this type of protagonist fall short because they take themselves too seriously, Neilan's hero, however, does not. And the results are wonderful. "Apathy" is fast, funny, and above all a good story. It is a good thing for us that Neilan does not have any filters about what is appropriate and what is not, because he writes without fear of offending. There is a certain respect I have for writers who don't tip-toe around the line of what is offensive and what is not, Neilan crosses that line and never looks back. The humor, absurd and reeling, serves this novel.

The other thing that separates this novel from the rest of the pack of slacker fiction is that you will care about Shane, the hero of the novel. The story is engaging and allows you to roam around in its weirdness. This is a book that you need to read.

It will make you look forward to more from Neilan.

I actually picked this book up at the local bookstore. I read about 2/3 of it and was well on my way to finish the book inside the store. However I liked the book so much that I bought it to encourage the writer.
This book is an interesting novel on the slacker life. Of course much of it is about nothing as some previous reviewer already stated. However it is really entertaining. The book is not trying to teach or preach something, it's main purpose is to entertain you through a smoke mirror of the main character. In that respect it is wildly successful. Since nowadays movies cost $10, this is definitely more than worth the price.

It's rare that I invest myself in a fiction read and feel so thoroughly rewarded for it. While I've read the authors mentioned in these reviews as the bar this writing "should" be measured to, those reads have been ultimately unsatisfying, either in consistency or resolution; I'll finish them being somewhat bitter for having expected more. Palahniuk, in particular, has a lot of great ideas tossed willy-nilly into over-stirred pots of fiction gumbo. People really need to stop comparing EVERYONE to him-100,000 books are published yearly; let's move on. Though Apathy also didn't end quite to taste for me (perhaps a touch of salt), this in no way dilutes the pure joy of what preceded. I laughed so hard through most of it, I was sure my roommates thought me crazy. A highly intelligent, insightful and yes, satisfying little gem of a novel.

All of my friends said, "You have to read David Sedaris." And I did. I chuckled a few times, but couldn't help thinking, "Is this really as funny as literature gets?"

Paul Neilan answered that questioned for me with a resounding 'No.' He tears everything and everyone a new one in his debut novel. If you're one of those awful people who is easily offended and can't laugh to yourself about other people's inadequacies, then you probably want to avoid this book (and my company).

I was going to say something like, "If you enjoy X, then you will enjoy this book," but I just couldn't think of anything - movie, television, or literature - that has the same tone as this book. If anyone does have a good comparison, please let me know, because I am in desperate need of more of this type of humor. And, like a lot of people, I discovered this book because of Max Barry, but Neilan leaves Barry in the dust.

By the way, the story is weak, the characters are undeveloped, and all the other cliches about sub-par writing probably apply, but who cares? It's the funniest book I've ever read.

How can some of you claim to be bored by this? A.D.D perhaps? I was sucked in immediately. Total Gen X book. I can't believe some of you picked a book up that was clearly entitled APATHY yet still failed to get it. THis quickly became one of my favorite books due largely to the offbeat humor and deep (and honest) cynicism. If you love sunshines and rainbows this book isn't for you. If you hate everything this will make you feel happier about that. You keep thinking that you're gonna get another Barry or another Palahnuik or whatever else but you won't okay. What you got is a Neilan. And thats a first. I found this to be an incredibly triumphant debut. Passages from this book go through my head while I'm at work and I catch myself trying to suppress random grins at inappropriate times. Can't wait to see what he does next. Go Paul!

Darkly comedic book with many laugh out loud moments. I think my major problem with this book was the reader started getting apathetic towards the main character. I wasn't rooting for him, I wasn't rooting against him either. He was telling his story and I didn't care. However, there were def moments where I was cracking up out loud, which caught me by surprise. I guess you should read it if you come across it, but, I don't think it's worth a full price purchase.

Apathy and Other Small Victories by Paul Neilan is by far one of the funniest books of the recent past. Neilan's sarcasm, one-liners, and situations had me literally doubled over in the bookstore. Furthermore, the reader is almost immediately sucked into the hilarious randomness of Shane's (Neilan's protagonist and narrator) drunken excuse for a life. From his sadistic, work obsessed girlfriend to his repeatedly concussed dentist, the characters are so insane as to be almost believable.
Unfortunately, that's where the list of the book's good qualities ends. Neilan's narrative takes it's disjointed randomness too far, and ultimately fails to make any sort of a point whatsoever (other, perhaps, than that one shouldn't persue a dead-end job at an insurance company). The character development is practically non-existant, the plot doesn't so much come to a resolution as run out of steam, and in the end nothing in the book seems to have any relevance at all. While Shane's apathetic and frighteningly alcoholic tendencies are viewed at length, they are never explained, let alone resolved. Perhaps Neilan is attempting to convey something about the assumed nature of the modern generation, but his point is obscure at best. Unfortunately, aside from the laughs, this book doesn't have much to offer, and contains little if any re-readability. Although Neilan's humor was appreciated, Apathy left me feeling very indifferent.

I think I will make achieving apathy my highest ambition. Considering how little the main character actually cared his life turned out well. Also I have been in a job like he had-- actually most of my jobs-- it's like you are beamed in to a strange planet, a star trek episode where you just dont get the culture of the people on this planet-- er job.

Did i say turned out well? Well better than some.

It's a good read.

Some of the writing in this book really is "read out loud" funny; I found myself hounding others with certain passages. It is also intensely dark and a little gross, but it works well with the main character.

The first half, or maybe three-fifths, of the book is easily the best. The writing is extremely funny and the absurdity of the characters is genuinely fascinating. But the story takes a nosedive when the author starts focusing on, well, the story. It seems like Neilan convinced a publisher to take this book on the basis of essays he had written. This guy could really be effective as a comedic essayist, but I guess he wanted to write a book.

Overall, the book was a very enjoyable, and very quick, read. I would definitely recommend it to those who like good funny. I think I would buy his next book because, hopefully, he will be able to cobble together a better story the second time around.

That's the good part. The laugh-out loud for the first half of the book part. Some of the lines in this book are priceless.

You'll snort on the bus. Giggle in a cafe. People will ask what you're reading.

But somehow, it's not very satisfying. It's missing plot, character development, a point, or anything else you can hang your hat on and remember more than an hour after you read it.

Writing (especially first half of book): 5 stars, easy.

Everything Else: 1 star, maybe.

This wasn't my usual type of story but it grew on me quickly. I didn't even realize it was sort of a mystery until about 70% into it. Very good story and I'm glad I read it. I look forward to the author writing more novels.

This is one of two books I've bought recently because the cover caught my eye. I wasn't too disappointed -- parts of it are very funny, but overall the book is poorly edited in terms of basic mechanics. I don't have a copy in front of me, but I was annoyed as a reader and for the writer. He should have gotten better care.

For some reason, his writing and the way the plot is structured reminded me of some of Steve Martin's books, especially "The Pleasure of My Company." Different voices but similar subtle effects, at least for this reader. Maybe it's the sense of isolation around the main character.

Neilan definitely has a point of view, even if it is sort of post-modern slacker, and I hope to read more of his *edited* work in the future.

I love it when something amazing is not critically acclaimed and essentially ignored. Doesn't it seep credibility? I've read others' reviews of this and I am wondering why no one has hit on the obvious: this is our generation's foul-mouthed Holden Caulfield.

Oh my goodness the story is not perfect- duh - it's not supposed to be. We don't get completely developed characters -duh - we are not supposed to. We don't know why Shane has hit this point in his life- get real...we aren't supposed to. What happened to symbolism and thought and stretching our minds? We are supposed to absorb the prose and imagine and work through and enjoy this.

Wow- when was the last time we read something, not for the story, but just for the words? Not to skim for the action but to sip on each sentence like a fine wine? No, not Salinger but maybe Salinger mixed with a bit of ourselves.

Critics go back to your bestsellers---I prefer something that makes me think AND laugh.

If you were born to Generation X, and you're tired of the everyday banality of modern life, get this book. If you hate corporate culture and their misguided stupidly evil empire imposed on your life, get this book. If you feel a twinge of guilt looking at a childhood photograph, realizing you failed all the hopes and dreams of the bright-eyed kid looking back at you, get this book. If you need something to read after your fourth scotch and water, get this book.

If you hate the way things are but are too lazy to change them, get this book.

I'm not a book critic so you won't see anything in this review about how this book does or doesn't convey an underlying sense of the struggles between man and his conscience, blah, blah, blah. Bottom line is I read fiction books for entertainment and this one is wildly entertaining!! I think I pulled more than a few abdomen muscles from laughing so much!! It's hard to believe this is Neilan's first book! Most of the situations Shane finds himself in are totally routine (except the landlord with the rodent slave), but Shane's thoughts and reactions to them are brilliant!! I could certainly see this book turn into a movie in the same class as The Big Lebowski, Napolean Dynamite, Pulp Fiction and a host of other dark comedic flixs. You have to read this, unless you have a political correctness problem!!

This book was absolutely hilarious. Most of the humor is completely inappropriate but you'll laugh anyway. It's a good look at how easy simply not caring would be and how much easier it would make our lives... until you move in next to a guinnea pig rapist, somebody ends up dead, you're covered in salt and the cops make you give a DNA sample in a ziploc bag. It's a quick couple hundred pages you'll be glad you read, especially if you need a laugh.

This is without a doubt the funniest thing I have ever read. It was recommended to me by my high school english teacher, and I never would have expected it to be what it was. This book will have you laughing out loud from cover to cover. It takes a stab at the deaf, the disabled, the emotionally unstable - all the things we're taught not to laugh at - and somehow makes it all seem shamelessly hilarious.

Unless you're easily offended and haven't the slightest sense of humor, you will enjoy this book.

I've recommended it to all of my friends. Buy it and don't be disappointed.

Hands down one of my favorite books. This book has everything you could ever want: a romantic interest, mystery, interesting characters, and the sharpest wit. I've reread this book a few times (which I almost never do). I cannot express how highly I recommend this book. My only criticism is that this is the author's only book, so I can't binge on more of his well written work.

Apathy and Other Small Victories rests squarely within a genre I call Slacker-Lit. These books are populated by lazy, cynical, self-loathing protagonists whose role in life is simply to be as self absorbed and unproductive as is humanly possible. Usually there isn't even a real story--the book is one long, interminable soliloquy of chaotic misery.

Enter into the fray Paul Neilan who has written what may well be the ultimate slacker book. True, this is tantamount to damning with faint praise and placing this text atop and almost inverted pyramid of literature--to use that word loosely.

However, this effort is wildly--if incoherently imaginative, well written and very, very funny. There is even a discernable story thread of sorts ranged around the death of one of the characters and the suspicions the police have to about Shane--the main character--being a murderer.

The book suffers many of the inherent flaws of the Slacker Novel--the characters are little more than caricatures, there is little to no action of any sort, no one in the book is likeable and self-loathing is interesting for only so long.

Shane gets you through it. At least he's an introspective and thoughtful self-loather. His congenital sense of confusion and consternation fuels much of the humor. And, while goal-less, he's not tragically antisocial.

Finally, the book is funny--very, very funny. Shane's world view and his sense of humor are almost--but not quite enough--to get you to consider the notion that this genre might theoretically be capable of producing an actual novel.

But, hey, at least Neilan came close.

I have read this book twice now and i recommend it to everyone I know. The first time through I thought the ending left me unfufilled but on the second time around I picked up on some deeper story lines. It's a great read and LAUGH OUT LOUD funny.

If you didn't like this book, there is something wrong with you. Or perhaps, if you did like this book, there is something wrong with you. It definitely is geared towards people with a specific sense of humor, and a high threshold for crossing the line. Thankfully I am an avid line crosser and found this book to be insanely hilarious. Definitely recommend it.

Apathy and Other Small Victories is about as funny as a book can get! I literally could not put it down! Its really easy to read and delivers one laugh out loud moment after another. Its fairly short and not at all difficult to read. Definitely pick this one up - you'll be sorry when you finish it!

I have read this book twice now and i recommend it to everyone I know. The first time through I thought the ending left me unfufilled but on the second time around I picked up on some deeper story lines. It's a great read and LAUGH OUT LOUD funny.

If you didn't like this book, there is something wrong with you. Or perhaps, if you did like this book, there is something wrong with you. It definitely is geared towards people with a specific sense of humor, and a high threshold for crossing the line. Thankfully I am an avid line crosser and found this book to be insanely hilarious. Definitely recommend it.

Apathy and Other Small Victories is about as funny as a book can get! I literally could not put it down! Its really easy to read and delivers one laugh out loud moment after another. Its fairly short and not at all difficult to read. Definitely pick this one up - you'll be sorry when you finish it!

Neilan has written Shane somewhere between Peter Gibbons of Office Space and Tyler Durden of Fight Club without blatantly ripping off either. Apathy is not as funny as the former nor as dark or culturally vitriolic as the latter, but it is probably more palatable to many because of this balance.

I know others have probably said it before me, but I consider myself too cool to actually "laugh at loud". At best, I may chuckle. This book had me almost crying, choking, and pissing myself....simultaneously. On the critical side, it's too short and the end is lacking, but it seems to me that most contemporary authors struggle with good conclusions to good story ideas. I would best describe this book as Pallahniuk-esqe, but slightly less morose...but not much less (that's a good thing).

Memo to Paul:

When writing a book, it is fundamentally essential for the author to make his/her protagonist at least superficially likeable--or interesting. No need to thank me.

Reading APATHY AND OTHER SMALL VICTORIES is akin to swallowing air. Nada. Granted, Neilan's bizarre musings make for some eyebrow-raising passages, and much of the story is funny, but at the end of the day I walked away from this book feeling completely underwhelmed. A story about a chronic underachiever who cares about nothing and lives for nothing ultimately comes to the grand total of: Nothing.

Neilan has talent, to be sure, and I hope he takes that talent to the next level by creating a solid, edgy comedy that makes the reader crave for more. But APATHY. . .I started this book with giddy high hopes. . .and finished it feeling as passionless as I've ever felt about a book in all my days. And that, my friends, that is apathy.
--D. Mikels, Author, Walk-On

this appears to be interesting and original and smattered with funny little things, maybe a little overdone but good, i just read part of the sample. You might also like MILFS GILFS and Trailer Park Women by Joe Crunk,MILFS GILFS and Trailer Park Women

I've read this book multiple times since randomly picking it up a year ago. It's one of the funniest books I've ever read. It's also one of the few books I've been able to convince someone to read simply by showing them the cover.

Pick this up you will NOT be disappointed, if it were possible for me to offer a money back guarantee, I'd do it in a heartbeat. I really really hope Paul Neilan writes more books either with the same character or along very similar lines.

And remember, "The world is your oyster...but you are allergic to shellfish"!

Great read with an awkward happy ending. Expressing some of the same feelings familiar from The Catcher in the Rye, and The Stranger, with the style or attitude of Chuck Palahniuk. Four stars for a really good read. It was fun, maybe funny, but not original enough for Five stars. I do look forward to his next book.

If you're expecting a solid plot you'll be disappointed. Otherwise, you'll love it. This book had me laughing to the point of tears. I've re-read it twice and I still find myself laughing until my stomach hurts. The plot is weak, as is the ending, but the book is so completely hilarious that you won't care.

Apathy is so funny that I was able to read it in one sitting. I was reading in public, and it actually made me laugh out loud in some parts. I would give it 5 stars, but the overuse of explicit curse words felt like a bit of a crutch at times. I would say that if you like books such as Albert Camus' The Stranger, but want a silly, easy to read, less depressing story, then check out this book.

I can't express how funny this book is. It satirizes that 95% of the world that makes your life more miserable with each passing minute. The breakup scene beginning on page 172 makes me so happy that I want to hang it on my wall. His ex-girlfriend tries to hurt him with shallow pop psychology insults and he mocks her so slyly and satisfyingly that I cheered. Every page contains multiple out loud laughs.

It's a difficult book to describe but an easy one to read and enjoy.

This book had me laughing, sometimes with tears streaming down my face, from the first page until the last. His dry, sardonic humor is great. If you think your life sucks or if you just need some comic relief, you MUST go this book ASAP!

I haven't seen my book in months because as soon as I read it, I gave to to a friend who "could definitely relate". Ever since then the book has been circulated through our friends and coworkers, seeming like everyone at one time or another, can relate to this book.

I think it's funny, well-written, relevant, and most importantly, a fun book to read.

Well done Mr. Neilan.

I started reading this while sitting by myself in a restaurant on my lunch break. Within the first few pages I was laughing so hard I was shaking. In fact I think a snort may have even slipped out. The others in the restaurant probably thought I had lost my mind. If sarcasm is your thing then this is the book for you. Great therapy.

I thought this book was great. If you like things like Office Space I think you will love this book. This may not be super appropriate for people like 13 and under. So don't spend all your time reading reviews on the store and just buy the book it is really funny and forth the time.

This is a great book. The story is put together as you experience the protagonist's attitude towards life. This main character, Shane, is refreshingly honest. The author condenses Shane's views on life into great statements, musings, descriptions, and actions. There are interesting characters and plotlines. I laughed aloud often while reading this book, & I couldn't put it down until I finished it.

The book has some pieces that are good but overall it does not really deliver.

The style is kind of raw which is good but in some parts it gets repetitive and the story somehow loses the glue that holds the pieces together at the end.

It feels like someone took the daily blog and put it into a book.

would not recommend it.

Somebody should tell Neilan about Chuck Palahniuk and then maybe he could try something new. A few observations about this idiotic novel: A) nobody goes to the dentist with the regularity that the main character goes to the dentist. As an editor, I'd simply ask him why he can't go the the chiropractor or his family doctor. What's to gain from going to the dentist once a month or more? Just bad storytelling because it doesn't happen. B) The casual sex in this novel sounds more like a poorly written pornography (yes, I see the oxymoron. It's part of the point.) C) This slacker thing has been done to death and by far better writers than this guy. He actually uses the "hamster on a wheel" metaphor to describe his sexual partner's goal-oriented philosophy. I think modern nihilism could look beyond anti-corporate angst. At least it could be more creative in saying nothing. I can't help but think Neilan thought of this story drunk in his parents' basement having spent their money on booze. Shane (main character) is such a brat; he hasn't a single redeeming quality. None of the characters are rich in detail, the dialogue is canned psycho-babble (reminds me of Axl Rose's "My World" - just god-awful), and the plot is terribly forced. From his blog "I don't want to say too much about myself because I'm very shy and mysterious." That should tell you all you need to know about his talent. Ugghhh.

I can't remember the last time a book made me laugh this much. It was an absolute joy to read. Shane's attitude towards his world is too perfect. Every page had me laughing loud enough that people were giving me looks.

APATHY is far and away the funniest book I've ever read! The humor is perfectly relatable to real life (if you've ever quoted "Office Space" or perhaps sat in the bathroom at work for an escape). I highly recommend this book if you want laugh-out-loud comedy!

(One-and-a-half stars) Never, in my experience, have dust-jacket blurbs been so misleading. "Triumphantly, weirdly hilarious" I was told. "Tears of Laughter" I was promised. "Sheer Brilliance"--or so Max Barry says (particularly disappointing, since I liked his "Company" a great deal). What I got instead was 200-something pages of limp prose, overwrought sarcasm, and a thin mystery plot to justify the book's existence. Neilan, in interviews, has said he tried to make the book as funny as he could. Others (including the person who lent me the book, whose judgment I trust) have found this book "hilarious" and Neilan "a genius". There must be something wrong with me--as Barry kindly suggests on the back cover--because, while I do believe Neilan thought his book was a riot, I didn't (and if you're going to spend your time making fun of deaf and retarded people, you'd better be pretty damn funny). Nor did I find it an insightful commentary on modern life, or profoundly existential, or bitingly satirical, or any of the other tags its fans give it. In the end, I just didn't care. (Mission accomplished?) To compare this blip on the literary radar screen to the work of Camus, Bukowski, or John Kennedy Toole (as the dust jacket so outrageously does) is to seriously mislead prospective readers. Not that I blame the publisher--heck, they're just trying to hawk the thing.

For me, Neilen is just another twenty-something arch nihilist with some ability to string words together but, sadly, without anything of real interest to say.

This is by far one of the funniest books I have ever read. Paul Neilan is a genuis, and Shane, the main character, is hilarious to the point of tragedy.

On my first reading, I recited one page out loud to my brothers. Both insisted they be allowed to borrow it when I was through. Neither believes in reading for fun. That is how good this book is.

i'm on page 34 and i already think it's the funniest book i've ever read. you will not regret buying this book. i'm borrowing it from a friend and i'm already planning on buying my own copy. Yes, it is that good!!!

This book is a quick, easy read. It had me laughing the entire time. It's great for anyone who is tired of the mundane white-collar world, or anyone who just needs a good laugh at a fictional character's expense. I want more from Paul Neilan!

Among all the ranting that makes up the bulk of this mostly amusing work of pop fiction there lies one paragraph that I feel sums up what Neilan was trying to say. It's the last paragraph on page 147. Search for "But it didn't happen" in the "Search this book!" thingy, it's the last result.

this book is hilarious. i don't think i've ever laughed so much in a 2 day period. many time si found that i was laughing so hard i had to put the book down for a minute to catch my breath. neilans brand of apathy/cynicism/comedy is perfect.

Brilliant. Great comic cynisism. Always reasuring to find a beauty outside of the heard. Resfreshing and hilarous, disturbing with a twist of senimental empathy...fabulous. My favorite new author...I look forward to more!!!

I read all of Chuck's stuff and love it..... but this is the funniest thing I have ever read. I had to put the book down over and over I was laughing so hard. I almost threw up a couple of times. Reading the reviews that give this book one star...i guess you have to be a certain type of person to love this book. I like carnivals and side shows. Freaks interest me. We are all freaks......I really loved The Machinist...you see where I am going.

This may be the funniest thing I have ever read. I found myself doing my best to hold back laughter while reading in public places. Paul Neilan is beyond funny, and really proved himself in this, his first novel. And to think, I found it in the bargain section at barnes and noble.

I have trouble reading - a lot of trouble. I would have to break up Sherlock Holmes short stories (my favorite stories!) because 30 pages was too long for a sitting. So keep that in mind when I tell you that I read this book cover to cover and could not set it down. It is hilarious, thoughtful, and the perfect amount of surprising. Over the top, while somehow completely down to earth and realistic. Absolutely wonderful!

read it.....just read the damn book!
there comes a time in every man's life when he wakes up drunk on the toilet and begins to doubt the choices he has made. and when that time comes at least twice a day, every day. something needs to be done.

A friend from many years ago gave me this book. I finally picked it up and it was a gigantic struggle to make it through. The references are a stretch at best, and the author comes off as a try hard to actually make the reader think. Slacker lit may be ok, but this was a sad attempt at best.

... in the best way possible.

I compulsively read sections of it out loud to anyone who will listen.

I also highly encouraged a crowded room of librarians to buy it and read it out loud to their patrons.

Pretty funny and crude book. Part 2 is so much funnier thAn part one so stick with it. This is a very light read and good for an occasional laugh. If you were severely disappointed with this book I don t know what you were expecting.

I must be missing a funny bone, because I found this book dull and contrived. I'll admit I like my humor a bit more highbrow and clever - this was mostly making fun of handicapped people, poop, and bad sex.

Apathy is so funny that I was able to read it in one sitting. I was reading in public, and it actually made me laugh out loud in some parts. I would give it 5 stars, but the overuse of explicit curse words felt like a bit of a crutch at times. I would say that if you like books such as Albert Camus' The Stranger, but want a silly, easy to read, less depressing story, then check out this book.

This book was hilarious and sarcastic. I kept reading entire pages to my husband because I was laughing so hard he had to know why. I can relate to his need to hide in the bathroom from his mind-numbing job. This is a great debut novel for Paul Neilan and I sincerely look forward to the next.

This was a hard read. I could tell about 1/3 of the way through that this was not going to go anywhere. I agree with the try-hard prose. I feel as though this was written by a very angsty undergrad who has no real experience to share. Instead, forcing a writing style on you that you have to dredge through to see if there is any meaning at the end. There rarely is.

This book may be the basis of a live comedy routine, but as a book there is no there there. A series of commentaries (more cynical than funny, more Seinfeld that Robin Williams) on life in the new millennium needs a seemingly afterthought murder investigation to cobble together a facsimile of a plot. The author's own dedication says it all, "To my parents, who will hopefully never read this book." Neither should anyone else.

There are many adjectives that could be used to describe this book; hilarious, intriguing, exciting, dark, macabre, poignant, paranoid, and perhaps most importantly "meh". I suppose that would be the greatest of praises you could give our main character: to read the book and decide to go get drunk on pitcher of warm Miller in some bar we've never bothered to learn the name of. There wasn't a page of Apathy that didn't leave me laughing, which is perhaps hard to understand if you haven't been faced with the life of a man that starts and stops at a Greyhound station.

Ultimately this is a book about death, and a book about living without fear of it. Or perhaps it's about a fear of vampires and a compulsive need to steal saltshakers. It is without doubt a piece of dark humor worth reading, and worth buying in hardback if you can as it's something you're going to want to read again. There are so many brutally funny lines, observations, and characteristics we all share in some way.

I don't know if Apathy made me want to go pick up a decrepit child's bike and ride it to work every day, but it did throw into stark contrast that sometimes you aren't an urban warrior you're just what everyone thinks is the mentally handicapped fellow riding his bike to who knows where.

I think the greatest humor of Apathy is what we have all been embarrassed by in our lives, being the person in a crowded room talking at full volume and then suddenly it's silent and you're the victim of some horrible out of context soundbite. The things we say, think, and feel are so often taken out of context by those around us but in a state of apathy we can just let that go and without caring just roll with it.

If there were a way to encapsulate the plot of this book into a small space I would, I don't think it's entirely possible but here's a shot:

You wake up covered in salt, realize there are police in your room, get harassed for a bit and begin to question your own drinking binges. You're having sex with your landlord's wife to get money knocked off the rent and you really think your landlord is a nice guy, your neighbor is possibly violating his pet guinea pig upstairs at all hours of the day and night, you don't pay your dentist and learned sign language from his assistant. Did I mention that your dentist has to drink iced tea to get over his panic attack / fainting spells? On top of this your one night stand turned into a crazy series of weird almost dating experiences with a woman you can't be with unless drunk and she thinks body shot is when she cripples you in bed, oh and she got you a job alphabetizing paperwork at an insurance company where you sleep on the toilet all day as a form of art and protest.

See, that's not even the half of it.

Go, go, read now!

Very few writers have the ability to take a distinctly unlikable character, and make you like them. Nick Hornby (High Fidelity) immediately comes to mind. Paul Neilan comes close on occasion, but ultimately fails. While there are undoubtedly many humorous interludes, the overall book fails to hold you as a reader. The character is not rich enough to give you any reason to overlook, or even care about, his flaws. The pacing of the book is also a little curious. The bulk of the story is in the last 50 pages or so. Most of the rest of the book is just setting the scene.