A Close Reading Of The Description For Disgraced Comedian Louis C.k.’s Forthcoming Novel.

Louis C.K., nan disgraced comedian, has written a caller called Ingram, group to travel retired successful nan fall. If you request a refresher connected C.K., Megh Wright’s fantabulous portion from 2018 lays retired nan intersexual harassment accusations, and why C.K.’s return to drama was a sad inevitability pinch bigger stakes than 1 man’s redemption arc. And much recently, Seth Simons wrote astir why MeToo mattered, particularly for a drama manufacture that has aggressively learned nan incorrect lessons aft discovering predators successful their midst.

In nan years since, C.K.’s gone correct backmost to performing and releasing specials, and now we’ve learned that he’s besides written and sold a novel. On his Instagram, C.K. described nan book arsenic “a literate fabrication novel. It’s a very melodramatic story. And I amended confess to you this book is not peculiarly funny.” All to say, it’s a departure from his erstwhile stuff.

So what is nan caller about? It’s benignant of difficult to show astatine this point, particularly based connected what’s disposable correct now. Marketing descriptions for books thin to beryllium vague, and particularly for literate novels that don’t lend themselves to elemental synopses. But I was struck by conscionable really vague this 1 is. Let’s return a look.

A suspenseful, often harrowing yet hopeful odyssey done agrarian America follows a young drifter’s coming of property successful an indifferent world, successful this debut caller by comedian Louis C.K.

Okay, not a bad log statement astatine nan jump. A small gestural, but it sounds breathtaking astatine least. “Suspenseful,” “harrowing,” “hopeful,” and “odyssey” is piling connected a lot, but possibly pointing to thing action-packed and adventurous. Could this beryllium flirting pinch genre fiction?

But a young drifter successful agrarian America group against an indifferent world gives maine a small spot of pause, insofar arsenic it feels excessively adjacent to a GOP SuperPAC advertisement astir really “real America is being near behind.” But it’s also, to beryllium fair, a measurement you mightiness picture Grapes of Wrath, truthful if C.K.’s secretly been capable to constitute for illustration Steinbeck this full time, I conjecture this explanation could break either way.

When Ingram is forced by overwhelming poorness and belief exhaustion to locomotion distant from his home, he leaves down a neglectful puerility connected a ungraded workplace connected a dead-end road.

We’re not getting a ton much circumstantial here: a workplace and a bad, mediocre puerility is something, but still beautiful broad.

We’ve astatine slightest sewage a sanction for nan character. And Ingram isn’t a communal name, truthful possibly we’re meant to publication thing into that. I cognize that nan feline who killed Christopher Marlowe was an Ingram—Is location thing astir really a spiritually exhausting America is sidesplitting nan writer and/or unrecorded theater?

This 2nd condemnation is dashing my hopes that this book mightiness person immoderate nosy genre elements, though.

With nary family, nary resources, and nary applicable knowing of nan world, Ingram’s only compass is nan regular conflict to past and nan constrictive dream of 1 time owning a truck.

A small repetitive: Ingram’s bad business is getting worse, and troubles are piling up for our young drifter. And if that wasn’t enough, he besides has nary applicable thought of what’s going on. This is possibly group earlier nan net would person allowed Ingram to entree a wealthiness of how-to YouTube videos.

We are getting 1 bully detail: Ingram wants to ain a motortruck someday, which is simply a very circumstantial motivation. Other than nan name, it’s possibly nan astir circumstantial item successful this full description. Still reference for illustration a governmental advertisement though: “Real Americans conscionable want a motortruck and alleviation from their belief exhaustion.”

A picaresque caller group against nan backdrop of working-class Texas, Ingram invites readers to spot nan world done nan eyes of a kid who drifts done a reliable American scenery of maize farms and lipid fields, guided by diner waitresses, migrant workers, and criminals, trying to make consciousness of a world that doesn’t attraction astir him anymore than a jungle aliases godforsaken does for nan creatures that toil to past wrong them.

Amongst nan lists of American things, we find retired that this book is group successful Texas. Or I conjecture nan “backdrop” is Texas, which mightiness encompass neighboring states. Would you opportunity that nan confederate portion of Oklahoma has Texas arsenic a backdrop?

We study that Ingram is simply a kid and that he’s gathering a batch of banal characters. And this world is so reliable that it’s simultaneously some a jungle and a desert, immoderate benignant of ace biome that is little caring than either would beryllium connected their own.

I’m resisting nan impulse to psychoanalyze, but I’ll conscionable opportunity that we’re 4 sentences successful and we’ve already heard a batch astir really nan world is cruelly group against our hero. “Picaresque” is simply a spot of a reddish flag, too, successful that I’ve ever understood nan shape to beryllium a measurement to satirize nine and its faults done nan eyes of a clever rascal, who is besides typically obscene aliases a criminal. A spot excessively adjacent to home.

The reality Ingram discovers is chaotic and cruel, but filled pinch unexpected wonders. Though this young boy faces tornadoes, explosions, thieves, and rampant violence, his curiosity, humor, and resilience ne'er dull.

We’re treated to a small ace of sunshine pinch “unexpected wonders” earlier being bludgeoned pinch different database of horrors. “Tornadoes, explosions, thieves, and rampant violence” is an awesome list, successful that it gets much vague arsenic it goes on: we commencement pinch a circumstantial benignant of large wind and extremity connected nan nonspecific thought of nan unchecked dispersed of brutality.

As he originates to push against nan tide of societal and earthy bad luck that seems to almost pursuit him, Ingram originates to forge himself into an individual pinch agency and nan expertise and correct to take his ain moves, moreover if he’s not ever prepared for nan consequences.

Okay, we’re getting immoderate characteristic agency here! Ingram is pushing, forging, and choosing. It’s difficult to debar putting this condemnation connected nan therapy sofa too, what pinch nan “tide of social…bad luck that seems to almost pursuit him” and nan rediscovery of “agency” and nan “right to take his ain moves.”

Has he gotten that motortruck yet?

Through Ingram’s journey, he originates to travel to position pinch a forgotten calamity from his past that shapes nan measurement he understands himself, his family, and his ain spot successful nan world.

A late-breaking “forgotten tragedy”: truthful there’s a trauma crippled also. Interesting, perhaps, but it’s conscionable different vague point we don’t cognize a batch about.

Thinking astir what this book could be, I’m reminded of Matt Zoller Seitz’s caller reappraisal of nan movie Rust, and his statement that “it’s reliable to measure this film’s virtues and defects without nan real-life calamity intruding.” When nan explanation of Ingram is truthful vague, it’s difficult to debar filling successful nan blanks pinch existent life specifications and guessed-at motivations. Is C.K. conscionable penning a roadworthy caller astir America? Or is nan book astir a funny and resilient character, who rises from nan ungraded only to find a world group against him and his humble dream of motortruck ownership, astir thing else?