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Next
James Hynes
Reagan Arthur Books
320 pages



I'll be honest...


This book was a struggle. I mean a knockdown, bareknuckle, so-bad-it-hurts struggle. I am someone that has to finish what I start reading. I just have to. I'm thick like that, I guess. The whole time I'm reading, every page flip, I'm thinking to myself "Please let this book kick in! Please let this book get some energy infused into it someway, somehow!" Nope. That never happens. While reading I kept hearing this high pitched whistling sound and couldn't figure out what it was...eventually I realized it was this book in a freefall about to crash and burn.

Next, by James Hines, is about Kevin, a 50 year old man who has a job interview in Austin, Texas, and who has decided to not tell anyone that he is thinking of leaving his home, job and girlfriend in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The book takes place over the course of a few hours as Kevin lands in Austin, has some time to kill before his interview, notices a girl that reminds him of a former lover, and off he goes on what the insert of the book calls a "Quixotic" journey. Even though I had nothing to do with that comparison, I would like to take the time to offer a formal apology to Miguel de Cervantes.

The problems with the book are many. It is over 300 pages of a man who is going through a mid-life crisis. There, I just told you the plot. The book would have benefited greatly if it would have been a short story or novella. And he goes on and on reminiscing about past loves and wondering if he should marry the girl that he is currently seeing and if his job that he is at is good enough for him but at the same time he is having trouble fitting in and understanding Texas but oh look that girl around the corner reminds him of another lover and blah blah blah. Hynes' rambling style is not suitable for this topic, in which he needs to engage the reader with much more energy and motion. Also, it is hard to determine exactly when the book is set. There are so many thoughts about terrorist attacks and Lord of the Rings references that you swear that it's set in the 2003-2005, but then he goes into how bad the economy is, which then makes it 2008-2010. The dated references hurt this book. Lastly, since I need to keep this post somewhat short, the main character is not likeable in any sense, and the entire time you're following this klutz down the streets of Austin you hope that maybe the book's turning point will be when he gets hit by a bus and you can find a more interesting character to carry the book. Sadly, not to be a spoiler, the magical bus doesn't happen.

After I finished the book, and had a glass of cranberry juice to wash out the horrid taste in my mouth, I checked reviews on Amazon. Lo and behold, this book has many positive reviews (currently at 4 stars), with many people saying the last third of the book saves it (note: while there is a twist in the book near the end, instead of "saving" it I feel that it just kept getting worse). Someone did say that this was a love-it-or-hate-it book. Well, at least they were half right.

So I'll be honest...if you see this book please, for me, run. I'm not talking about a slight jog that is supposed to look like you forgot that you left the lights on in your car. No no no, I would prefer an all out sprint, like you left the door open and your baby might crawl out. I have honestly not read a worse book in...well I can't remember, but it's been years. The best part of this book? The title. Next...my thoughts exactly!

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