The Moviegoer

I actually liked the book. Which is kind of surprising considering if I had been given the choice I would not have picked it up on my own. Although my tastes for reading are pretty limited when it comes to "reading for enjoyment" so it's nice to read things that are out of character for me. The overall book was interesting especially for a book where there isn't really any action. I mean the book really is about character analysis and finding a person's meaning or purpose in life. Which seems to say that each person's purpose in life is different depending on the person. So then the key question was really to find out what Binx's purpose in life was. It was really one of those "you go around the world looking for something only to end up back home and realize it's been there all along" type of stories. I believe I read something like it from Edgar Allen Poe once...

I found the main characters all rather interesting; especially Kate and Binx. They were both arrogant and socially awkward yet acknowledged their own flaws in an almost dismissive way. Yet that almost seems to make them both more realistic. There's a constant search by all the characters to find a purpose for Binx and Kate and yet their lives end up constantly revolved around the other. I actually liked how the book ended because I do think there was a certain "peace of mind" in it.

*EDIT* I've decided to do my research paper on the book. I was suddenly inspired by all the pop culture references in the book such as the references to Nieman Marcus, William Holden, etc. Though I do confess that my familiarity of these terms is mostly due to episodes of "I Love Lucy." The entirety of the book seems obsessed with making references to radio, magazines, television, movies, and other forms of popular culture and each is usually subtle in nature. What is interesting about the book is that Binx makes references to famous actors and tries to mimic them; he behaves at work in a "Gregory Peckish" kind of way. Also, Aunt Emily is obsessed with making Binx into a romantic sort of hero that one would find in a book; she is sadly disappointed with the final result.

The interactions between Kate and Binx seems to lack large pop culture references. Instead it focuses on deep introspective thought usually on the part of Binx towards Kate. She repeatedly denies any connection to him and tells him "they are not a pair of any sort." Yet, Binx tries to cling the idea of a bond between them and inevitably finds one. Kate compliments him in a way that is not obvious to those around them, but is reasonable to the two of them. At home, Kate is the distraught, frazzled one that the family worries about. However, once in Chicago is it Binx, not Kate, that panics. He fears that the "genie-soul of Chicago" will inevitably catch up to them and yet Kate is "jolly." She takes up the lead while in Chicago, but once home they both return to their former roles. I remain strongly attached to this book and hope to convey that through my work.