I’ve determined that the more exciting and exclamation-point ridden a book title, the more depressing the book. Infinite Jest? Not infinitely jesty (although to be fair, blackly funny at times).
Book 80 was Swamplandia!, and you can see where I’m going with this. I don’t generally demand of my books that they wrap up with happy endings all around, but this book had me shaking with anger at the author by the end. If writing fiction is playing god with imaginary characters, this book was written by some mean drunken Old Testament god.
It was otherwise alright, but probably should be renamed (or at least subtitled) Sad Swamplandia.
thanks for the heads up! a title like “swamplandia!” would probably have drawn me right in.