Ablutions

De: Patrick DeWitt

Narrado por: Patrick Dewitt

In a famous but declining Hollywood bar works A Barman. Morbidly amused by the decadent decay of his surroundings, he watches the patrons fall into their nightly oblivion, making notes for his novel. In the hope of uncovering their secrets and motives, he establishes tentative friendships with the cast of variously pathological regulars .But as his tenure at the bar continues, he begins to serve himself more often than his customers, and the moments he lives outside the bar become more and more painful: he loses his wife, his way, himself. Trapped by his habits and his loneliness, he realizes he will not survive if he doesn't break free. And so he hatches a terrible, necessary plan of escape and his only chance for redemption.

Step into Ablutions and step behind the bar, below rock bottom, and beyond the everyday take on storytelling for a brilliant, new twist on the classic tale of addiction and its consequences.

©2009 Patrick deWitt (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

drunkenness is daft

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Funny style, seeing world from inside one guy's head inside a scene of drunks.

What does Patrick Dewitt bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Author narrates quite well.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes one session works well for this length and momentum.

A fuzzy, high-energy migrane of a novel.

This is a novel equally about hating work and loving booze. No. That isn't true. This is a novel that is about hating work and drinking booze and hating yourself. It belongs on your untidy shelf next to Under the Volcano, Leaving Las Vegas, Appointment in Samarra and Tender is the Night. IT is a fuzzy, high-energy migrane of a novel and that is part of its clouded brilliance.

In general, listening to a novel that is read by the author is either an inspired or debased choice (like white pants on women). DeWitt was an inspired narrator.

Don’t bother

JMHOYMMV: This is bunch of boring self-wallowing and self-pitying angst delivered deadpan, droning on endlessly.

I wish I read this book rather than listened to it

I thought DeWitt’s ‘Sister Brothers’ was one of the best books of 2011 so I was anticipating listening to Dewitt’s first book Absolution.

I wish I read this book rather than listened to it. Structurally the work is a collection of character sketches of patrons at a dive bar. In book form these would probably compromise 1 or 2 pages and you could really savour the writing, descriptions, and gallows humour. But on audiobook the descriptions fade from one grotesque to another making the experience of listening to it just a hum of misanthropy.

The book itself is very much like the writing of Buckowski so if you are a fan you might like ‘Absolution’. I had nothing wrong with the message I just wish I experienced it in a different medium.

The narration suits the writing.