I was drawn to the subject area of this book -- a commentary on society and economic inequality in the San Francisco Bay Area (the same backdrop for my own upcoming novel). The writing style is unique and engaging -- a deliberately disorienting, almost dreamy (or drunk, given the characters?) stream-of-consciousness. And I thought it did a great job capturing and critiquing the wealth stratification of the Bay Area. It almost has a timelessness (again perhaps deliberate) to the story of class and extreme wealth, like it could have just as easily been based in Victorian England. A very original story, while still providing insightful commentary on our time. ( )

I have never read a Daniel Handler book. This is half-true. I grew up reading and loving A Series of Unfortunate Events, written by Handler under the pseudonym of Lemony Snicket. But I have never read one of Handler's novels written for adults, under his own name. With that in mind, I really didn't know what to expect when approaching Bottle Grove, his most recent novel. The synopsis promised something along the lines of magical realism, and I was definitely intrigued to see how Handler approached writing for adults versus writing for children - would he still have lots of fun wordplay and interesting prose? Unfortunately, I didn't love Bottle Grove. I don't know that I'd say it's a bad book or anything, but it definitely wasn't what I expect and I'm not sure it's what I wanted, either.

The first thing to talk about is the novel's prose. It's written in the present tense, which is always a disarming choice in prose. Something about reading a novel written in the present tense makes my brain refuse to process it, which is weird considering how many film/tv/stage scripts I read - all of which are written in the present tense. I know Bottle Grove is not the first or only book to be written in the present tense, and many other books written in that tense have been very successful. But something about the way Bottle Grove was structured just didn't quite work for me. I wanted and expected a lot of fun wordplay in the novel, much like Handler's prose in A Series of Unfortunate Events, just aimed at an older audience. But that's not really what I got.

I found the first third of the novel almost unreadably dense. There were so many characters the story was bouncing between and it was incredibly difficult to get a grasp on how time was passing in the narrative. Frequently, Handler would be talking about what one character was doing and then very quickly switch to the point of view of another character, and it never stopped being jarring. These rapid-fire switches greatly contributed to my initial trouble following what was actually happening. By the time I finished the first chapter, I genuinely felt mentally exhausted from having tried to keep up with the quick-fire pacing of the story. Obviously, some books are gonna be harder reads than others and not every reading experience will be fun, but I just found it taxing as hell to get into this book - and I desperately wanted to.

With that said, once Handler actually settles into a groove and a plotline, the novel gets easier to follow and it becomes a much less frustrating read. Essentially, Bottle Grove is the story of two couples - Rachel and Ben, married in the first chapter, and The Vic and Padgett, a tech mogul who ends up marrying the daughter of the Bottle family - who was urged to date the Vic by a bartender she met at Rachen and Ben's wedding, Martin. The bulk of the story just follows these characters as they navigate their various interpersonal relationships - and, honestly, it does make for a fairly interesting read. After a while, you do find yourself invested in the lives of these characters; you root for them and you want to see what they're going to do or how they're going to react to whatever new thing happens to them. Most of the characters have a ton of faults and those are always the characters that are the most interesting to follow. They genuinely feel like real people, fully fleshed out and three dimensional, and it's always a joy to see such rich characters in fiction. I definitely think it's fair to say that Bottle Grove's characters are its best asset - I just wish we had more time to spend with them.

And what, I hear you ask, of the shape-shifting fox promised by the synopsis? Well, he's barely in the story and when he is, you tend to forget the character is actually supposed to be a shape-shifting fox. And it's here where I think the book's synopsis really does it a disservice. To me, the synopsis seemed to promise a story that involved the shape-shifting fox more. Perhaps he was manipulating various events? I expected something much closer to magical realism than we got. In fact, the shape-shifting fox is basically just a metaphor for temptation in its various forms. Which, I can't lie, is a good idea - and it's utilized very well throughout the story. But I couldn't help but feel disappointed in the overall handling of the fox, especially as he weaved in and out of the lives of the characters. His arc just sort of fizzles out - much like the climax of the book in general, actually - and you don't really get any satisfying answers related to him.

And that's kind of my problem with the book as a whole. Once it gets going, it does get pretty good and significantly easier to read. But it just kind of fizzles out at the end. A really interesting plotline involving a potential kidnapping is introduced, and then nothing really comes of it - due to other events that sorta put a wrench on that plan. And that, itself, isn't necessarily a problem. But we don't ever come back to that plan. We don't really check up on the characters who were plotting this kidnapping to see their reaction or if they've learned anything. The story just sort of ends arbitrarily. Only one character arc really seems to be resolved; the rest just kind of come to a stop. I suppose that's realistic, and Handler does seem to be striving for realism throughout this book, but I can't help but feel disappointed by it. It makes me feel like there wasn't a point to the story. It never really ended and most of the characters never got any kind of closure, so what was the point in telling it? What was the point in me reading it? I'm sure that kind of ambiguity will be appealing to some, but it wasn't appealing to me and I found it especially disappointing after having finally found myself interested and invested in the novel's story. I wanted an ending - even an open-ended one - and I feel like I was robbed of one.

All in all, Bottle Grove isn't necessarily a bad book. It starts off both promising and immensely difficult to read but eventually coalesces into an interesting story - albeit one with a somewhat disappointing ending. Once my brain finally adjusted to the style Handler used to write the novel, I found myself having an easier time getting into the story and enjoying it. The characters are well developed and it is easy to find yourself wanting to know what's gonna happen next to them within the story. I found the plot a little unfocused and, overall, a bit disappointing, but the novel is probably less about the actual story and more about the lives of these characters. In that regard, Handler probably achieves his goal fairly well. But this isn't really the kind of book I enjoy reading. I very nearly decided to not finish it at all. I know it's not fair to compare his adult work to his work for children, but I also don't think it's unfair to have expected something that played with language in a more fun way than this did. I'm sure this will be a novel some will enjoy, but it wasn't really my cup of tea. I can't say that it was bad, but it wasn't for me. ( )

This is the story of two marriages. It's also the story of a spirit, and a wood, and money, and technology, and desperation, and choices, and San Francisco.

The book is well-written. It pulled me along and I couldn't stop reading. I'm at an exact right time and place - I'm closer to my ten-year anniversary than to my wedding, and we have a three-year-old. Personally I had a harder time emphasizing with the hard-drinking lifestyle at the beginning but it was very realistic to the uncertain and unmoored 20s many people I know traveled through.

This book has some level of ambiguity to it. It was nice to read a book that didn't hold my hand and say, here, this is who is right, this is who is wrong, this is how to feel. But unlike so many stories that pretend to ambiguity, the end is not lost in such a fog of ephemerality as to be nonexistent. There is meat on the bones of this story. I recommend it.

I received this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )

I really like this one. He is so great at writing books for children, young adults, and adults alike. I felt like I was really there at Bottle Grove. Looking forward to more of his books in the future. Thanks for the review copy from NetGalley. ( )

2.5 - 2.75 Stars for Bottle Grove

If you have read even one of the Lemony Snicket books, then you know Daniel Handler is a talented writer with a quirky, unique style all his own. I loved those books, and I was anxious to read this one.

The story opens on Rebecca and Ben's wedding ceremony. Family and friends join the newlyweds for their reception in a park on the edge of San Francisco called Bottle Grove park. The celebration turns into an outrageous fiasco when Reynard, the officiating vicar, is caught in a compromising situation with someone other than his fiance' Nina. What follows is a huge blowout, leading to a questionable car accident where Reynard suspiciously goes missing.

We meet Padgett and Martin. They are a couple going in opposite directions. Martin owns the town's watering hole -- a bar Handler christened "the Bottle Grove." In financial trouble and sinking fast he thinks he has the perfect plan. He wants his to use his girlfriend as bait to siphon money out of a wealthy man and into his bar. The catch? His girlfriend is even sneakier and greedier.

Unfortunately, Handler's style did not translate well when paired with the Bottle Grove narrative. There were sections where his true talent would shine through; then sadly it would be followed by slow, boring dialogue. This book was confusing. I found myself reading and re-reading sentences, passages, even entire chapters in an attempt to wrap my mind around what was going on. I often felt what the author was trying to convey through dark comedy and satirical dialogue was "lost in translation." A story set amid the tech boom. A time when the division between the haves and the have nots was deeper than ever. These characters are not very likable, making it difficult to care about or connect with them. It felt to me like a lot of ideas were thrown at the reader in hopes something would stick. Love, marriage, cheating, money and how far people will go to have it. Plus a shape-shifter for good measure.

I love Daniel Handler, but I could not lose myself in Bottle Grove. For me, it was a jumbled mess that in no way represents this talented author's ability to entertain readers.

Happy Reading,

RJ ( )