Dave Barry's Insane City
Posted: 25 Mar 2013, 14:36
Okay, first a disclaimer: I will follow Dave Barry's nonfiction to nearly the of the end of the earth. At his best, he is the funniest writer in America, and the best non-fiction chronicler of the true insanity of life in south Florida. I went into mourning when he cancelled his weekly column. I look forward to his annual "Year in Review" more than the new year itself. I've got most of his books and generally can't get past the first sentence or two without breaking into hysterics. I even watched a few episodes of "Dave's World" until I couldn't take it any more.
BUT of all things Dave Barry is, a great fiction writer he is not. His last two fiction books, Big Trouble and Tricky Business, were second rate Carl Haaisen ripoffs, right down to the use of epilogues. Insane City combines third-rate Haaisen and the plots of "The Hangover" and "Trading Places."
He tries oh so hard to create lunatic fiction, but other, far better lunatic Florida fiction writers like Tim Dorsey, own this space. Barry's forced pile-the-absurdities-thicker-and-thicker just fall flat. Stereotypical characters, frat boy humor, and a clumsy attempt at important "serious" themes make this the narrative equivalent of throwing everything at the wall and seeing what sticks. There are funny lines here and there, but overall it's tedious. Barry is a great comic writer, but he should stick to his nonfiction day job.
BUT of all things Dave Barry is, a great fiction writer he is not. His last two fiction books, Big Trouble and Tricky Business, were second rate Carl Haaisen ripoffs, right down to the use of epilogues. Insane City combines third-rate Haaisen and the plots of "The Hangover" and "Trading Places."
He tries oh so hard to create lunatic fiction, but other, far better lunatic Florida fiction writers like Tim Dorsey, own this space. Barry's forced pile-the-absurdities-thicker-and-thicker just fall flat. Stereotypical characters, frat boy humor, and a clumsy attempt at important "serious" themes make this the narrative equivalent of throwing everything at the wall and seeing what sticks. There are funny lines here and there, but overall it's tedious. Barry is a great comic writer, but he should stick to his nonfiction day job.