Bruce Ferber

I Buried Paul shows the stark contrast between epic dreams of being a rockstar and the reality of doing what you need to in order to get by. It shows how decisions made based on convenience can develop to regret decades down the line. It examines the emotional toll of loss and living by a policy of lowering ones expectations. It shows how someone's emotional state can change in a matter of minutes and how one may have to battle against sinking into sadness or self pity.

While all of these topics seem like heavy, dreary matters, they're balanced incredibly well with light-hearted counterparts. Our main character, Jimmy, manages to balance the grind of working a less-than-glamorous day job with any, and every, gig he can get as a musician and keeps his cynicism in check when it threatens to get the best of him. He realizes it's not exactly the dream to be living in a friend's basement, but knows it's also the most practical place to live and does recognize the comfort it brings him. He may have the biggest prima donna John Lennon impersonator to work with, but that prima donna is his oldest friend and there's layers of emotions to dig through in order to understand the commitment and love between them.

This is a character driven story with a significant amount of internal processing. I'll admit there were a few moments sprinkled throughout the story where I felt like I could do with a little less inner monologue and emotional processing, and there was one plot like that I felt was unnecessary, but that's a very subjective opinion and it doesn't detract from the overall satisfaction of the story. This is very real but there's enough humor and growth to keep it light-hearted and meaningful. It's a good read and if you're a fan of the Beatles you'll enjoy it even more.… (mer)

I Buried Paul by Bruce Ferber made my Beatlemania heart skip a beat. Yes, these are fake Beatles. And yes, the story isn't really about the Beatles. But between mentioning songs (I've been singing them in my head nonstop since I started the book) and some fun Beatles commentary, I got enough of a Beatles fix to make me happy. Did I mention them enough this paragraph?

It probably didn't hurt that the story was quite good. It is one of those books that will make you laugh then get a little melancholy when you think about the underlying aspect of the humor. Namely that while you're young your dreams are your goals when you get older most of your dreams are just that, dreams. You realize most will remain so and, if you want to still make life fun, you have to decide which dreams might still be called goals. Don't give up on your dreams, maybe just shorten the list to coincide with the time you have left. And yes, I am of that age.

I would recommend this to any reader who likes character driven stories that are both humorous and meaningful. I do think those of us who remember The Beatles (yes, I cried when I heard they were officially breaking up) will find the book especially moving since we will be in the same age range as the main characters.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.… (mer)