Dale Hammer has not adjusted well to life in an affluent Chicago suburb. After living in a trendy urban neighborhood he moved his family to the suburbs for a larger house and more room to roam. But life in the suburbs is stifling his creativity (he's a novelist who hasn't published in a while, and who can't seem to get his next novel off the ground), pulled his family apart, and nearly driven him crazy.
Most guys, especially middle-aged white guys, will be able to relate to much about Dale's suburban angst. Hazelgrove takes all the MAWG issues and rolls them up into Dale (poor Dale!). One after another the problems mount: money problems, job problems, wife problem, kid problems, Boy Scout problems, in-law problems, Dad problems, business on the side problems, house problems, landscaping problems, plumbing problems . . . the list goes on. It's really pretty pathetic. I almost feel sorry for the guy. I probably would feel more sorry for him if he weren't such a jerk. But the fact is--he's a jerk.
As the weight of the problems bears down, Dale starts to feel like giving in to the conformity and bleakness of his suburban surroundings: "The dullard has always been my nemesis, and I feel he is not riding shotgun, waiting to take the wheel." His one escape is biking. "Riding has become my religion. It is the one thing in my new life that is real." Sometimes I feel that way about running.
Rocket Man is a sometimes funny exploration of all of these issues, with occasional bursts of wisdom. But that litany of problems is pretty much the extent of the story arc: problem, problem, problem, climax, and denouement in which all the problems are pretty much resolved. Hazelgrove's writing is enjoyable, Dale's life is uncomfortably realistic, but the flat exposition left me wanting more.
Thanks to the author for the complimentary electronic review copy!
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