A Calling for Charlie Barnes

This book follows the life of endless dreamer Charlie Barnes, with the meat of the narrative taking place in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis and a pancreatic cancer diagnosis.

This one took a bit to pick up, but once it did, I could have chugged my way all the way through to the end in a sitting if I had the opportunity. It's funny from the get-go, with a kooky cast of characters that only build in endearment (or, more often, it's opposite). If you were to summarize the plot, it would sound depressing as heck, but the narrator puts such a charming spin on events, all relayed through the lens of love and admiration.

But what's most captivating to me about this book is the meta-fiction aspect; the way it explores the art of crafting a narrative is fascinating to me. Particularly good ending. Worth a read!

it's a testament to ferris' writing that such an unremarkable premise (the front to back life story of some guy) could still be so captivating. my biggest qualm is that the last quarter or so of this book is TOO good. so much so that it kind of overshadows the rest of the book and i worry i won't remember much that happened outside of it.