He has a considerable developmental distance to cover: at one point, Morgan declares that he hates women, except for his daughter and the mysterious Emma. His anger towards his estranged wife Jennifer, coupled with his insistence on getting laid, makes him a somewhat off-putting romantic lead. He appears to have no qualities of self-reflection until the very last portion of the book, when at last the reader is treated to the glimmerings of a man with an actual soul, not just an indiscriminate hard-on.
As a character, Morgan spends an enormous amount of time declaring how it easy it is to write and publish a book. As an author, Morgan Parker’s prose hints at why this might be so. The prologue of the book has hints of poetry and nuanced reflection, which are largely absent from the rest of the work. One gets the feeling that if Morgan Parker spent a little less time focused on explaining how easy it is to write, and more time actually honing his craft, he could combine an excellently paced narrative with worthwhile prose. As it is, the book is workmanship-like, grunting and pawing its way through a surprisingly original love story.
What NON-FRICTION lacks in literary craft, it makes up for in a reasonably compelling narrative. Readers looking for the equivalent of a pulp fiction quickie will find this book much to their liking.
Reviewed by Julia Lai for IndieReader.