"Alleys, thinks John Lincoln. At least Chicago has alleys." These are the opening lines, immediately catching you off-guard but in so doing drawing you in from the off.
John Lincoln is comparing Chicago to New York, the place he sees as his future. "He wants to attach himself to a great publishing house, edit profound writers, maybe even write a book or two himself. Bask in the pride of his parents. Wave those credentials in front of his rivals. Be somebody."
The reality though is that he is stuck in Chicago, 33-years-old, on a marriage vacation from Mary and is just a small-time editor at a small publishing house, Pistakee Press, on the road to nowhere. That is until he meets Amy who on first impressions resembles a "little ruffled grouse", but provides John with his ticket out of here. Will he finally be happy?
Overall I was reasonably happy with the book. Maybe the first-half with all of John's woe is me stuff got a little depressing in places, "Am I going to die in exile in Chicago?" he muses whilst he has the law on his back, his wife filing for divorce, plus a nagging feeling that his boss is soon to sack him. Woe is me indeed, but a book is about escapism so I didn't need that.
The second half of the book picks up though as John has something to focus on, namely Amy and her book. But in "blindly pursuing his ambition, he's corrupted an innocent." And so his idea of what would bring him happiness gets trodden on a little along the way, although by the end he realises once and for all what it is he needs to finally be happy giving a uplifting ending after all the doom and gloom before.
(I got this book through Amazon Vine UK. It is listed HERE.)
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