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Therapy Mammals
Tom Pistilini has just discovered he’s an unwitting investor in a macabre tourism company bringing wealthy European sightseers obsessed with America’s murder culture to explore mass shooting sites. It’s a business that will make him wealthy, although he might just despise it enough to ruin his neighbors, and himself, financially.
Told from the first-person perspective of unreliable narrator Tom “Pisser” Pistilini, the Patrick Bateman of the private school community, Therapy Mammals is the story of the lengths one father will go to protect his children, his marriage, and his worthiness.
Pisser’s life is a mess. He recently emerged from a pharmaceutical blackout to find himself strangling the captain of the high school lacrosse team against the bathroom wall of Gopa Academy, a premier Manhattan private school. His wife is having an affair with a motivational speaker. His job as Channel Fourteen’s meteorologist is in jeopardy. His nanny died in a freak accident, of which he may have been involved. It is also possible he murdered the lacrosse coach with a four-iron. A group of millennial hackers has discovered the tourism business. He has a chipmunk infestation in his backyard. His wife’s vertical pancake business, Standcake, is on the verge of ruin. His son is a cross-dressing geriatric. Controversial photographs of his daughter are circulating. Various factions of parents are aligned against him, but who can blame them: he stole a prosthetic leg and an equipment bus, causing the lacrosse team to forfeit an important game. He kidnapped a feral cat, hoping it would clear his yard of chipmunks while also behaving as his therapy pet. He named it Clint Eastwood. His cat is pregnant.
Therapy Mammals is in an intriguing romp through modern parenthood navigating class privilege, digital media, hacker culture and gun violence.
Told from the first-person perspective of unreliable narrator Tom “Pisser” Pistilini, the Patrick Bateman of the private school community, Therapy Mammals is the story of the lengths one father will go to protect his children, his marriage, and his worthiness.
Pisser’s life is a mess. He recently emerged from a pharmaceutical blackout to find himself strangling the captain of the high school lacrosse team against the bathroom wall of Gopa Academy, a premier Manhattan private school. His wife is having an affair with a motivational speaker. His job as Channel Fourteen’s meteorologist is in jeopardy. His nanny died in a freak accident, of which he may have been involved. It is also possible he murdered the lacrosse coach with a four-iron. A group of millennial hackers has discovered the tourism business. He has a chipmunk infestation in his backyard. His wife’s vertical pancake business, Standcake, is on the verge of ruin. His son is a cross-dressing geriatric. Controversial photographs of his daughter are circulating. Various factions of parents are aligned against him, but who can blame them: he stole a prosthetic leg and an equipment bus, causing the lacrosse team to forfeit an important game. He kidnapped a feral cat, hoping it would clear his yard of chipmunks while also behaving as his therapy pet. He named it Clint Eastwood. His cat is pregnant.
Therapy Mammals is in an intriguing romp through modern parenthood navigating class privilege, digital media, hacker culture and gun violence.
- GenresFiction
310 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
December 9, 2020
4.5 stars
On the plus side, Pistilini has successfully predicted the weather for a record-breaking streak...and on the minus side, he may have an addiction to an experimental drugs with terrible side-effects.
The drug, Luderica, is supposed to make him more playful, but in reality contains quite a few unexpected side-reactions - such as murderous rampages and blackouts.
Oh Lordy, it's just going to be one of those days, isn't it?
I feel like dark humor books can be so hit or miss. This one was a hit for me - knocked it out of the ballpark.
Therapy Mammals effortlessly and expertly pulls off a dark hilarity that left my sides in absolute agony from laughing.
Pistilini is absolutely stunning as a main character. His take on the ridiculous situations really made this book shine for me.
For example, his never-ending war against the mutant chipmunks made me smile every time.
Definitely one to read.
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We are a juggernaut of shared sanitizer and sunscreen and moisturizer; half-consumed water bottles...Tom Pistilini, father of two, husband of one, and survivor of none, has hit a rough patch.
On the plus side, Pistilini has successfully predicted the weather for a record-breaking streak...and on the minus side, he may have an addiction to an experimental drugs with terrible side-effects.
The drug, Luderica, is supposed to make him more playful, but in reality contains quite a few unexpected side-reactions - such as murderous rampages and blackouts.
Had I murdered the captain and best faceoff man in Gopa [their high school] history, it would have been a blow to the offense, through possibly a good thing for team unity. Nothing coalesces a republic like tragedy, a fledgling band of athletes engaged in a righteous mission for the fallen.Pistilini's teenage daughter can't stand the sight of him, his wife is having a therapist-sanctioned affair and his son? Let's not even get started on that.
He awakens in the middle of the night to do laundry, de-grout the bathtub...but every once in a while I see his back straighten....and I know my son is in there. Transgeneration. That's what our therapist, Devin Brenner, calls it.Top top it all, he lives on an island, run by an exclusively rich HOA. The HOA's genetically-engineered chipmunks (bred for cuteness and are allergic to peanuts) continuous kill themselves in Tony's man-made lagoon, the Gopa elementary school's bunnies are interbreeding like mad (creating more and more horrifying offspring) and somehow he's managed to be an investor in a mobile museum (that emphasizes at visiting locations of mass murder).
Oh Lordy, it's just going to be one of those days, isn't it?
I feel like dark humor books can be so hit or miss. This one was a hit for me - knocked it out of the ballpark.
Therapy Mammals effortlessly and expertly pulls off a dark hilarity that left my sides in absolute agony from laughing.
Pistilini is absolutely stunning as a main character. His take on the ridiculous situations really made this book shine for me.
For example, his never-ending war against the mutant chipmunks made me smile every time.
Everyone knows about the BB gun, but not about the crossbow, nor the scythe, and certainly not the titanium-handled hammers or the chainsaw. Jason and Jackson know about the bow because it was delivered accidentally to their house after it was delivered accidentally to the Hendersons. When you have a rodent problem like I have, you never know how much firepower you might need.Heck, there are so many little moments scattered throughout the book that his perspective turned into hilarity.
I tell her everything will be okay even though I know a truck carrying mannequin parts jackknifed on the BQE causing mass confusion about fatalities...I reveled in the society that Methven created. Gopa is such a horribly elitist, classist and just about every 'ist' imaginable - except for racist or anything else that may cause offence in their carefully kept PC society.
a team of ethicists hired specifically to ensure that no entity would be offended by the moniker. Parents refused to name an animal mascot. Personifying an animal was deemed unethical. Anything weather related, such as the Hurricanes or the Tornados or the Gopa Volcanoes, was considered cruel to victims of natural disasters.I swear, b*tchy, elitist parents keep the world going.
The parents spread the word that it was complications from a juice cleanse, but we all knew it was drugs.Overall, I adored the darkness, the characters were always on the right side of crazy and the storyline was fun throughout.
Definitely one to read.
"Car exhaust causes global warming. Global warming is why we have weather like this. It's why I bike everywhere."With thanks to the author for a free copy in exchange for an honest review
"It's a tricycle, Raymond."
"Urban trike."
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December 22, 2018
”Awaken at four in the morning, a car alarm, a stifling heat, we knew we would not sleep. I led her naked onto the fire escape. The metal was cold beneath the sheet, a slight wind leftover form nighttime shade, nothing moving but the sound of blind creatures foraging for existence in the rubbish below. We made love under the slumbering dwellers--no, that is not the memory that cradles my nostalgia. We fucked there, giggling at our deed, not needing the proper mattress or higher thread count, only the chaos and mess of youth. I think how I got from there to here, a ruined marriage, a dying career, a contemptible investment, and I know I am missing something vital that Laura and the children can sense each time I force my presence upon them.”
If someone does not dig too deep into Tom “Pisser” Pistilini’s life, they might think he has it made. He has a lovely home, a terrific job as a weatherman for a local TV station, a beautiful wife, his two smart quirky kids are attending an elite school, Laura’s pancake business is taking off, and he has a solid group of good friends. The icing on the cake is that he is setting a record each day for predicting the weather correctly. He is doing something superhuman. He is the Pele of weather predictions.
What people don’t know, but might be suspecting, is the facade of his life is rattling and shaking in even the mildest of breezes. He is going to cooperative marriage therapy, which is just a PC way for his wife to have an affair with his neighbor. He has introduced a feral cat to his backyard to mitigate the chipmunk invasion. Those cute, but curious, critters are ruining his illegally (another issue for him) implanted lagoon. His son is dressing like an old woman, which they have to let him continue to “express” himself. His daughter has shown up on a compromising tape that may crater her future. He is invested in an immoral business that caters to murder culture enthusiasts. He is sleeping in a tent in the backyard. His friends are fleeing the stench of defeat that is leaking from his pores. The station has hired a hot Latina to be his assistant/replacement. Tom may or may not have murdered one or two people. Otherwise, everything is good.
Basically, his life isn’t swirling down the drain. It is being thrust down the drain by an industrial grade power flusher.
To cope, he is taking a blackmarket testing phase drug called Luderica. ”It contains chemicals used in pesticides, synthetic opioid, and dideoxyclosanide--a crucial ingredient in dandruff shampoo and gunpowder. Because it cannot be prescribed, I have no choice but to purchase the pills through backchannels, an anti-psychotic, anti-depressive, anti-everything…”
Tom is quickly becoming more and more desperate to keep juggling all the ravaged pieces of chipmunks, plates of pancakes, and chainsaws in the air. As his life begins to tumble down on him, he becomes increasingly unstable, or is it more normal? As the ropes wrapped around his arms, legs, and torso snap, he becomes free to fight back like anyone would who has very little left to lose. As he implements his plans for enacting urban terrorism, with a heavy dose of flying by the seat of his pants, he becomes a man whom Edward Abbey would have gladly embraced as one of his Monkey Wrench Gang members.
Jon Methven, through the guise of Tom’s problems, takes on the absurdity of our lives. The things we find to be so important are revealed, under any kind of scrutiny, to have no real value. Tom is searching for ways to uphold his fake life when he should be working diligently to destroy it. Not only did I enjoy this book, but I found myself setting other books aside to spend more time chuckling, cringing, and muttering encouragements for Tom to find his way back to where true happiness can begin.
I asked Jon if he would accept the challenge of answering some Keetenesque questions. He graciously accepted.
Jeffrey Keeten: As I was reading your book, I couldn't help comparing your style to Joseph Heller. The suburban enclave elements had me thinking also about John Cheever and John Updike, who both revealed in their writing the hidden deceitfulness, naked envy, and even immorality that is lurking beneath the facade of upper middle class existence. I can tell by our interactions that you are well read. Could you please talk about some of your literary influences and how you managed their influences in your writing?
Jon Methven: Along with Cheever, Margaret Atwood, John Irving and Richard Russo all turned me into a voracious reader. I’ve read everything Irving and Russo have written, and I’ve always been captivated by their ability to meld characters and stories. Joseph Heller’s Catch-22, for me, is a brilliant book. More than the humor or absurdity, every sentence is crafted with a GOTCHA moment—I’ll be reading and expecting one outcome, and Heller shifts the language to a different result. For years, I carried that paperback with me on subways, opening it to random sections and reading and rereading passages. Kurt Vonnegut and George Saunders helped me to expand my appreciation of what literature can be, and how to develop a unique writing voice. For modern writers, it’s hard to provide only a short list of admiration. But here goes: Jonathan Franzen, Carl Hiaasen, Ottessa Moshfegh, Rachel Kushner, Jennifer Egan, Chris Bachelder, Christopher Buckley, Gillian Flynn. And, beyond literature, I spend several hours a day reading magazines, essays, and staying up on the latest headlines. You never know where the next story driftwood will come from, or what will make you a better writer.
Jeffrey Keeten: As I was chuckling over therise and fall of Tom "Pisser" Pistilini, I kept thinking about Michael Douglas's character Tom Foster in Falling Down and, of course, Peter Finch's character Howard Beale from Network, who both famously reached a point of I can't take it anymore. As we see Pisser evolve into Pistol, he hits the juncture where he realizes the absurdity of his life and begins to do things that would be considered abnormal, but frankly compared to his life seem like rational responses. The way he rails at the community on the GOPA message board, and of course, the "weaponizing" of his household with feral cats, BB guns, and crossbows is considered dangerous to his community, but oddly to this reader, he doesn't seem that crazy. Do you think that most of society is starting to question the absurdity of their own situations?
Jon Methven: One of the people that Tom Pistilini admires is Ray McClutchen, the self-help guru having an affair with Tom’s wife. He admires him because, in spite of everyone dealing with the meaninglessness and complexity and absurdity of life, Ray sees it as a half glass full. That means a lot to Tom who wants to be one of the good ones, a person who believes in the spirit of life in spite of how all life ultimately ends. I am probably a half-glass-full idealist, so this may seem naïve, but I don’t think society is questioning the absurdity of our situations anymore than past generations. The sky has always been falling. It may seem more so in these times, but I think that’s not the case. I think the world, and humanity, is on the upswing.
JK: Tom is unwillingly in a cooperative marriage as the third wheel in an affair between his wife and his neighbor. A harkening back to the commune experiments in the 1960s, which eventually all fell apart as unsustainable. It is clear that Tom not only loves his wife, but is still passionately lustful for her. "I want to tear off her panties with my teeth and let them dangle from a fang 'while we argue.'" Tom and Laura are at a point where divorce isn't even an option due to the high water level of debt they are floating in. Divorce rates are still high in this country which also contributes to more people living in poverty or at a severely curtailed lifestyle level. Obviously, you have spent some time thinking about the future of marriage. What do you feel the future of marriage is?
JM: More than a statement on the importance of vows, for me Tom and Laura’s marriage is an examination of how absurdly liberal and politically correct his life has become. He gets together weekly with his wife, her pseudo-lover (Ray), the pseudo-lover’s estranged wife (Olivia), and a therapist (Devin) to applaud the Cooperative Marriage, which is a fancy way of condoning the assumed adultery going on between Ray and Laura. While they discuss the school and sip Prosecco, he imagines himself punting Olivia’s severed head across the room. That’s how many of us feel in social situations, but there are these rigid rules to which we’re expected to conform. But your question—what do I think the future of marriage is? I have put some thought into what it means to be married, and if two men or two women are able to be married, why can’t three people get married? Why can’t we marry our pets? Why can’t we marry artificially intelligent robots? Can we marry extraterrestrial life, if and when we discover them? And if all of this is marriage, what’s so special about it? While not knowing the answer to this question, my life has benefitted from being married, having a spouse who is my partner through the absurdity, by raising children, learning to listen, and developing humility.
JK: For Cheever and Updike, alcohol was the go to drug for most of their characters to keep them numb enough or loose enough to continue to uphold their preposterous lives. Alcohol is still the bedrock of the Slancy community, but Tom is also supplementing alcohol with a drug called Luderica. The Opiod epidemic has not proven to be the perfect complacency drug, but I'm sure the pharmaceutical companies are working day and night to come up with the perfect sheep drug. Luderica, too, fails to produce the results intended, but hey, Viagra started out being a heart pill. I personally think even without the influence of Luderica that Tom was going to snap. I really feel that, overall, society is much more anxious, depressed, stressed, and unhappy than ever before. What do you think is going to eventually have to happen for Americans to find a way to be happy? Or is that an impossible dream?
JM: I would agree that people are stressed out frantically looking for answers, and our pharmaceutical industry has tapped into that angst for revenue. I think happiness, in the context of taking a pill or having a drink, is probably an illusion. Because in that sense we’re thinking about how we can acquire happiness on the cheap, or have access to it at all times. That’s not how it works. Maybe happiness is being content with how things are, in the midst of unhappiness. Maybe—while it’s a cliché—being grateful for what we have is the way forward. I like books. Reading, writing, and talking about books makes me happy. I like lakes and nature (despite living in NYC). Taking care of the environment seems like a step toward happiness. I like my kids, my wife, my family. Putting in my full effort with them makes me happy. So maybe the Ray McClutchen answer is that if I spend enough time concentrating on what is closest to me, I’ll inadvertently acquire happiness.
JK: I want to say how refreshing it was to read a novel dealing with so many real society issues with such honesty, humor, and raw power. You didn't flinch away from PC issues or shy away from those subjects that most writers run away from. You revealed the warts of a "successful," upper middle class existence and showed that failure is sometimes the only road to future success. So what is next for Jon Methven? Are your crossbows and BB guns and feral cats in position?
JM: That’s kind of you to say and I’m delighted you enjoyed the novel. I usually have a dozen television pilots, film scripts, essays and novels ongoing at any one time, 90% of which will fail. And then I’ll pick up the pieces and try something new. I completed a novel about the NFL, titled GRIDIRON HUSTLE. When the league’s expansion into London is derailed due to an international sex scandal, the league must venture into the U.S. prison system to field a missing franchise. And I’m nearly done with a novel titled HUMAN WINE, about an extraterrestrial species siphoning human stress as an energy source.
Thank you to Jon Methven for answering my questions and also for sending me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
I also have a Facebook blogger page at: https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten
If someone does not dig too deep into Tom “Pisser” Pistilini’s life, they might think he has it made. He has a lovely home, a terrific job as a weatherman for a local TV station, a beautiful wife, his two smart quirky kids are attending an elite school, Laura’s pancake business is taking off, and he has a solid group of good friends. The icing on the cake is that he is setting a record each day for predicting the weather correctly. He is doing something superhuman. He is the Pele of weather predictions.
What people don’t know, but might be suspecting, is the facade of his life is rattling and shaking in even the mildest of breezes. He is going to cooperative marriage therapy, which is just a PC way for his wife to have an affair with his neighbor. He has introduced a feral cat to his backyard to mitigate the chipmunk invasion. Those cute, but curious, critters are ruining his illegally (another issue for him) implanted lagoon. His son is dressing like an old woman, which they have to let him continue to “express” himself. His daughter has shown up on a compromising tape that may crater her future. He is invested in an immoral business that caters to murder culture enthusiasts. He is sleeping in a tent in the backyard. His friends are fleeing the stench of defeat that is leaking from his pores. The station has hired a hot Latina to be his assistant/replacement. Tom may or may not have murdered one or two people. Otherwise, everything is good.
Basically, his life isn’t swirling down the drain. It is being thrust down the drain by an industrial grade power flusher.
To cope, he is taking a blackmarket testing phase drug called Luderica. ”It contains chemicals used in pesticides, synthetic opioid, and dideoxyclosanide--a crucial ingredient in dandruff shampoo and gunpowder. Because it cannot be prescribed, I have no choice but to purchase the pills through backchannels, an anti-psychotic, anti-depressive, anti-everything…”
Tom is quickly becoming more and more desperate to keep juggling all the ravaged pieces of chipmunks, plates of pancakes, and chainsaws in the air. As his life begins to tumble down on him, he becomes increasingly unstable, or is it more normal? As the ropes wrapped around his arms, legs, and torso snap, he becomes free to fight back like anyone would who has very little left to lose. As he implements his plans for enacting urban terrorism, with a heavy dose of flying by the seat of his pants, he becomes a man whom Edward Abbey would have gladly embraced as one of his Monkey Wrench Gang members.
Jon Methven, through the guise of Tom’s problems, takes on the absurdity of our lives. The things we find to be so important are revealed, under any kind of scrutiny, to have no real value. Tom is searching for ways to uphold his fake life when he should be working diligently to destroy it. Not only did I enjoy this book, but I found myself setting other books aside to spend more time chuckling, cringing, and muttering encouragements for Tom to find his way back to where true happiness can begin.
I asked Jon if he would accept the challenge of answering some Keetenesque questions. He graciously accepted.
Jeffrey Keeten: As I was reading your book, I couldn't help comparing your style to Joseph Heller. The suburban enclave elements had me thinking also about John Cheever and John Updike, who both revealed in their writing the hidden deceitfulness, naked envy, and even immorality that is lurking beneath the facade of upper middle class existence. I can tell by our interactions that you are well read. Could you please talk about some of your literary influences and how you managed their influences in your writing?
Jon Methven: Along with Cheever, Margaret Atwood, John Irving and Richard Russo all turned me into a voracious reader. I’ve read everything Irving and Russo have written, and I’ve always been captivated by their ability to meld characters and stories. Joseph Heller’s Catch-22, for me, is a brilliant book. More than the humor or absurdity, every sentence is crafted with a GOTCHA moment—I’ll be reading and expecting one outcome, and Heller shifts the language to a different result. For years, I carried that paperback with me on subways, opening it to random sections and reading and rereading passages. Kurt Vonnegut and George Saunders helped me to expand my appreciation of what literature can be, and how to develop a unique writing voice. For modern writers, it’s hard to provide only a short list of admiration. But here goes: Jonathan Franzen, Carl Hiaasen, Ottessa Moshfegh, Rachel Kushner, Jennifer Egan, Chris Bachelder, Christopher Buckley, Gillian Flynn. And, beyond literature, I spend several hours a day reading magazines, essays, and staying up on the latest headlines. You never know where the next story driftwood will come from, or what will make you a better writer.
Jeffrey Keeten: As I was chuckling over the
Jon Methven: One of the people that Tom Pistilini admires is Ray McClutchen, the self-help guru having an affair with Tom’s wife. He admires him because, in spite of everyone dealing with the meaninglessness and complexity and absurdity of life, Ray sees it as a half glass full. That means a lot to Tom who wants to be one of the good ones, a person who believes in the spirit of life in spite of how all life ultimately ends. I am probably a half-glass-full idealist, so this may seem naïve, but I don’t think society is questioning the absurdity of our situations anymore than past generations. The sky has always been falling. It may seem more so in these times, but I think that’s not the case. I think the world, and humanity, is on the upswing.
JK: Tom is unwillingly in a cooperative marriage as the third wheel in an affair between his wife and his neighbor. A harkening back to the commune experiments in the 1960s, which eventually all fell apart as unsustainable. It is clear that Tom not only loves his wife, but is still passionately lustful for her. "I want to tear off her panties with my teeth and let them dangle from a fang 'while we argue.'" Tom and Laura are at a point where divorce isn't even an option due to the high water level of debt they are floating in. Divorce rates are still high in this country which also contributes to more people living in poverty or at a severely curtailed lifestyle level. Obviously, you have spent some time thinking about the future of marriage. What do you feel the future of marriage is?
JM: More than a statement on the importance of vows, for me Tom and Laura’s marriage is an examination of how absurdly liberal and politically correct his life has become. He gets together weekly with his wife, her pseudo-lover (Ray), the pseudo-lover’s estranged wife (Olivia), and a therapist (Devin) to applaud the Cooperative Marriage, which is a fancy way of condoning the assumed adultery going on between Ray and Laura. While they discuss the school and sip Prosecco, he imagines himself punting Olivia’s severed head across the room. That’s how many of us feel in social situations, but there are these rigid rules to which we’re expected to conform. But your question—what do I think the future of marriage is? I have put some thought into what it means to be married, and if two men or two women are able to be married, why can’t three people get married? Why can’t we marry our pets? Why can’t we marry artificially intelligent robots? Can we marry extraterrestrial life, if and when we discover them? And if all of this is marriage, what’s so special about it? While not knowing the answer to this question, my life has benefitted from being married, having a spouse who is my partner through the absurdity, by raising children, learning to listen, and developing humility.
JK: For Cheever and Updike, alcohol was the go to drug for most of their characters to keep them numb enough or loose enough to continue to uphold their preposterous lives. Alcohol is still the bedrock of the Slancy community, but Tom is also supplementing alcohol with a drug called Luderica. The Opiod epidemic has not proven to be the perfect complacency drug, but I'm sure the pharmaceutical companies are working day and night to come up with the perfect sheep drug. Luderica, too, fails to produce the results intended, but hey, Viagra started out being a heart pill. I personally think even without the influence of Luderica that Tom was going to snap. I really feel that, overall, society is much more anxious, depressed, stressed, and unhappy than ever before. What do you think is going to eventually have to happen for Americans to find a way to be happy? Or is that an impossible dream?
JM: I would agree that people are stressed out frantically looking for answers, and our pharmaceutical industry has tapped into that angst for revenue. I think happiness, in the context of taking a pill or having a drink, is probably an illusion. Because in that sense we’re thinking about how we can acquire happiness on the cheap, or have access to it at all times. That’s not how it works. Maybe happiness is being content with how things are, in the midst of unhappiness. Maybe—while it’s a cliché—being grateful for what we have is the way forward. I like books. Reading, writing, and talking about books makes me happy. I like lakes and nature (despite living in NYC). Taking care of the environment seems like a step toward happiness. I like my kids, my wife, my family. Putting in my full effort with them makes me happy. So maybe the Ray McClutchen answer is that if I spend enough time concentrating on what is closest to me, I’ll inadvertently acquire happiness.
JK: I want to say how refreshing it was to read a novel dealing with so many real society issues with such honesty, humor, and raw power. You didn't flinch away from PC issues or shy away from those subjects that most writers run away from. You revealed the warts of a "successful," upper middle class existence and showed that failure is sometimes the only road to future success. So what is next for Jon Methven? Are your crossbows and BB guns and feral cats in position?
JM: That’s kind of you to say and I’m delighted you enjoyed the novel. I usually have a dozen television pilots, film scripts, essays and novels ongoing at any one time, 90% of which will fail. And then I’ll pick up the pieces and try something new. I completed a novel about the NFL, titled GRIDIRON HUSTLE. When the league’s expansion into London is derailed due to an international sex scandal, the league must venture into the U.S. prison system to field a missing franchise. And I’m nearly done with a novel titled HUMAN WINE, about an extraterrestrial species siphoning human stress as an energy source.
Thank you to Jon Methven for answering my questions and also for sending me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
I also have a Facebook blogger page at: https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten
July 18, 2018
What I love about this book and all of Methven's writing is the details of the worlds he creates and the quality of the writing. Where he gets these ideas from; the names, the places, the dialogue - God only knows - but I'm glad he goes there! In his latest novel, he adds a deep personal connection that pulls you further and further into the world of Slancy, Gopa, and the rest. It's an amazing read and the only reason he's not getting 5 starts is that I don't want this talented author to get cocky and think he can't keep cranking out these gems. I don't like to waste valuable reading hours on works that don't connect, and every page of this was worth the time invested. Great book!
August 22, 2018
Jon Methven has a knack for blurring the lines between the lurid and the sublime; he can make the the sensational be transcendent. This book, despite the dung that is the narrator's life, is fun. And funny. And if I really take my thumbnail and scratch beneath the surface a little, more like real life than we might want to admit.
I think I was supposed to find Tom Pistilini, the narrator of "Therapy Mammals," loathsome. But I didn't. In many respects he was revolting but I found his honesty and demeanor rather glorious. I loved every minute I spent with him. He's the sort of guy who asks bus drivers, with startling nonchalance, if they have ever killed anyone. Which is an absurd thing to ask; but on the other hand, the expression "if you ever get hit by a bus" as a euphemism for death must've come from somewhere right? This book is filled with those idiosyncratic nuances. Tom Pistilini is filled with observations and insights and predispositions we likely would - if we were committed to authenticity - find ourselves thinking and doing.
Methven is a writer who sees details and moods and emotions and absurdities in the world. And he has an ability to put what he sees on paper. The world Methven creates in this book is astonishingly realized and astonishingly funny and astonishingly messed up. It's a reminder that we are not as sophisticated as we think; that we have some work to do. But it's also reassurance that as long as we have our sense of humor then there is nothing we can't get through.
I think I was supposed to find Tom Pistilini, the narrator of "Therapy Mammals," loathsome. But I didn't. In many respects he was revolting but I found his honesty and demeanor rather glorious. I loved every minute I spent with him. He's the sort of guy who asks bus drivers, with startling nonchalance, if they have ever killed anyone. Which is an absurd thing to ask; but on the other hand, the expression "if you ever get hit by a bus" as a euphemism for death must've come from somewhere right? This book is filled with those idiosyncratic nuances. Tom Pistilini is filled with observations and insights and predispositions we likely would - if we were committed to authenticity - find ourselves thinking and doing.
Methven is a writer who sees details and moods and emotions and absurdities in the world. And he has an ability to put what he sees on paper. The world Methven creates in this book is astonishingly realized and astonishingly funny and astonishingly messed up. It's a reminder that we are not as sophisticated as we think; that we have some work to do. But it's also reassurance that as long as we have our sense of humor then there is nothing we can't get through.
July 3, 2018
This book will make you laugh out loud. Methven is a talent not to be missed.
December 13, 2018
There are times in life where you read the right book at the right time. For me, Therapy Mammals was that book. There are a bunch of really good summaries from other readers so I won't burden you with repetition.
What I enjoy so much about this book is the way that Jon Methven has made Pistilini a sympathetic character. I found myself rooting for him throughout. Methven finds an entertaining and balanced way to make every character in this story interesting and worth following, and he manages to incorporate a lot of detail very well. Even the book's physical layout has distinct detail: it ignores the typical chapter structure in favor of a rolling narrative; each "chapter" separated by a distinct title, which adds to the reading experience.
The satire in this story is executed really well. Methven navigates a bunch of modern cultural topics: addiction to online shopping, competitive parenting, prescription abuse, media coverage and gun violence/gun culture, just to name a few. The narrator (or author) never comes across as preachy or self-righteous--quite the opposite--but Pistilini is trying to sort it all out like the rest of us, albeit in exaggerated and unhealthy ways.
The story had slight repetition to it in the way other novels with drug addicted narrators like Cherry and My Year of Rest and Relaxation have. But Therapy Mammals stands apart in the way Methven composes his sentences. The entire novel is a series of clever and memorable lines that I will return to time after time. And though similar themes repeat, it actually adds depth to the characters and the story itself.
Jon Methven is a master of prose and I'm eager to catch up on his previous work and follow his career moving forward.
What I enjoy so much about this book is the way that Jon Methven has made Pistilini a sympathetic character. I found myself rooting for him throughout. Methven finds an entertaining and balanced way to make every character in this story interesting and worth following, and he manages to incorporate a lot of detail very well. Even the book's physical layout has distinct detail: it ignores the typical chapter structure in favor of a rolling narrative; each "chapter" separated by a distinct title, which adds to the reading experience.
The satire in this story is executed really well. Methven navigates a bunch of modern cultural topics: addiction to online shopping, competitive parenting, prescription abuse, media coverage and gun violence/gun culture, just to name a few. The narrator (or author) never comes across as preachy or self-righteous--quite the opposite--but Pistilini is trying to sort it all out like the rest of us, albeit in exaggerated and unhealthy ways.
The story had slight repetition to it in the way other novels with drug addicted narrators like Cherry and My Year of Rest and Relaxation have. But Therapy Mammals stands apart in the way Methven composes his sentences. The entire novel is a series of clever and memorable lines that I will return to time after time. And though similar themes repeat, it actually adds depth to the characters and the story itself.
Jon Methven is a master of prose and I'm eager to catch up on his previous work and follow his career moving forward.
December 15, 2018
Jon Methvin is a new-to-me author, and I wasn't sure what to expect when I cracked open Therapy Mammals.
Therapy Mammals is a satire on modern times, poking fun at everything and everyone. The writing and the story are brash, snarky, blunt, and ridiculous. The comparison to Patrick Bateman from American Psycho is made, and I can't imagine a more perfect bedmate for the main character and narrator, Tom "Pisser" Pistilini. Drugs, murder, sex tapes, shootings, hipsters, invasive chipmunks...you name it, you'll no doubt find a tongue-in-cheek analysis of it and how it applies to society.
I enjoyed this story, page for page, and while I didn't laugh out loud, there were many moments I couldn't help but feel an ironic smile stretch my face. Only those who take themselves too seriously won't find value in Therapy Mammals.
Many thanks to the author for sending a paperback copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
Therapy Mammals is a satire on modern times, poking fun at everything and everyone. The writing and the story are brash, snarky, blunt, and ridiculous. The comparison to Patrick Bateman from American Psycho is made, and I can't imagine a more perfect bedmate for the main character and narrator, Tom "Pisser" Pistilini. Drugs, murder, sex tapes, shootings, hipsters, invasive chipmunks...you name it, you'll no doubt find a tongue-in-cheek analysis of it and how it applies to society.
I enjoyed this story, page for page, and while I didn't laugh out loud, there were many moments I couldn't help but feel an ironic smile stretch my face. Only those who take themselves too seriously won't find value in Therapy Mammals.
Many thanks to the author for sending a paperback copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
November 11, 2018
A worthy read
Methven creates a world inhabited by families whose children attend an exclusive and ferociously competitive private school in Manhattan. At the center of it all is Tom Pistilini, a television meteorologist and father who just wants to see his family happy and well at the end of everything. I couldn’t help but think that Pistilini’s character is what Holden Caulfield might be like as a middle aged father in 2018. Observant, frequently sarcastic, and glaringly imperfect, Tom is never dull. He kept my sympathies as a reader throughout his quest to be a husband, father and human of integrity.....no trivial accomplishment in the times in which we live.
Methven creates a world inhabited by families whose children attend an exclusive and ferociously competitive private school in Manhattan. At the center of it all is Tom Pistilini, a television meteorologist and father who just wants to see his family happy and well at the end of everything. I couldn’t help but think that Pistilini’s character is what Holden Caulfield might be like as a middle aged father in 2018. Observant, frequently sarcastic, and glaringly imperfect, Tom is never dull. He kept my sympathies as a reader throughout his quest to be a husband, father and human of integrity.....no trivial accomplishment in the times in which we live.
August 23, 2018
Methven is one of the funniest writers out there, and Therapy Mammals is his best work yet.
Tom Pistilini ("Pisser") is a great protagonist; he initially drives the story as a certainly unreliable and possibly insane narrator amidst a sea of upright citizens, only to gradually flip the dynamic: as he settles into himself, the rest of his community unravels into a chaotic stew of spats, slights, schemes, and scandals.
Methven is such a talented writer--the dialogue is sharp, the descriptions of Slancy are vivid and original. Pisser's backyard is a fully realized world unto itself, replete with dead animals, streaking neighbors, and light weaponry. Pisser's various battles--with Gopa parents, with fellow investors in the world's worst enterprise, with pharmaceuticals, with rodentia--are entertaining and (yes) absurd, and the book is peppered with crisp social commentary on consumerism, the media, gun culture, and modern suburbia. But at the center of the story is one man's very real love for his family, his twisting journey to connect with his tribe, and his gradual destruction of the constraints he and his community have willingly built around themselves. The book is big-hearted without being sentimental, outlandish and dark yet (somehow) relatable. It's an incredibly fun read.
Tom Pistilini ("Pisser") is a great protagonist; he initially drives the story as a certainly unreliable and possibly insane narrator amidst a sea of upright citizens, only to gradually flip the dynamic: as he settles into himself, the rest of his community unravels into a chaotic stew of spats, slights, schemes, and scandals.
Methven is such a talented writer--the dialogue is sharp, the descriptions of Slancy are vivid and original. Pisser's backyard is a fully realized world unto itself, replete with dead animals, streaking neighbors, and light weaponry. Pisser's various battles--with Gopa parents, with fellow investors in the world's worst enterprise, with pharmaceuticals, with rodentia--are entertaining and (yes) absurd, and the book is peppered with crisp social commentary on consumerism, the media, gun culture, and modern suburbia. But at the center of the story is one man's very real love for his family, his twisting journey to connect with his tribe, and his gradual destruction of the constraints he and his community have willingly built around themselves. The book is big-hearted without being sentimental, outlandish and dark yet (somehow) relatable. It's an incredibly fun read.
July 29, 2018
This is classic Methven. It is hard to describe the experience of reading a Methven book if you never have, as nothing really compares - maybe a cross b/w Christopher Buckley and Joseph Heller? His writing style as unique as I've seen, and his characters each more interesting and demented than the next. I generally read non-fiction - Methven is the exception. His ability to turn pop-culture, and social norms on their head, and open up an entirely new way of thinking about our reality is what I thoroughly enjoy. There are few writers that can make a cat named Clint Eastwood, owned by a man named Pisser to protect an outdoor lagoon funny, but Methven managed to do it. This book is hard to put down - both a page turner, yet well-written enough to appreciate Methven's unique use of language to tell an even more unique story, with random, laugh-out-loud moments. Really enjoyed this - looking forward to the next.
September 5, 2018
Part Joseph Heller, part American Psycho. This book is deftly crafted to balance its humor and its humanity in an entertaining and compelling way. The characters in Therapy Mammals cannot see past their own noses, wrestling with the misguided myopia of their lives. But Methven treats them with a keen nuance and empathy such that we confoundingly find ourselves pulling for them—even identifying with them in unexpected ways. A singular voice and an ambitious work.
July 19, 2018
Another stellar offering from Methven, whose knack for interweaving absurdity, pathos and spot-on cultural send-ups continues to evolve in fresh and exciting ways. His skewering of the modern condition will hit close to home, as the best writing does. Highly recommended, whether you're a therapy mammal owner or not.
October 14, 2020
Grotesque and ridiculous, yet thoroughly enjoyable. Would be a great companion to Ottessa Moshfesgh's My Year of Rest and Relaxation.
July 4, 2018
A terrific summer read. I enjoyed this novel from start to finish. Pisser is a relatable character, and I found myself laughing out loud throughout. If you are looking for some comic relief through the demands of modern parenthood this is for you. Methven hit a home run with this one!
April 5, 2019
Drugs, violence, gossip, social media, family, drama, murder, and feral cats all rolled up in a Stepford-wives style neighborhood. This book was incredibly witty and I absolutely loved every second of it.
Told in short segments that vary in comprehensibility due to the fading mental state of the main character, "Pisser", the story was constantly keeping me on my toes with what was going to happen next regarding all of the numerous plots.
I'm very hopeful that this book will be released in a hardcopy eventually so I can purchase it! Had to get an ILL copy from many states away just to find it, but it was certainly worth the effort.
Told in short segments that vary in comprehensibility due to the fading mental state of the main character, "Pisser", the story was constantly keeping me on my toes with what was going to happen next regarding all of the numerous plots.
I'm very hopeful that this book will be released in a hardcopy eventually so I can purchase it! Had to get an ILL copy from many states away just to find it, but it was certainly worth the effort.
June 21, 2019
I received a free copy from the author with the assumption that "if you like Tom Robbins, you'll love this". And he was not incorrect.
My sister, a psychologist and Tom Robbins superfan, loved it! I, a twisted person who has just dipped my toe into the Robbins canon, also loved it.
I was happy to see it on my public library's shelves but I need to be careful who I recommend it to. Only other dark humorists. Though I'd love to hear what others would think of it...
My sister, a psychologist and Tom Robbins superfan, loved it! I, a twisted person who has just dipped my toe into the Robbins canon, also loved it.
I was happy to see it on my public library's shelves but I need to be careful who I recommend it to. Only other dark humorists. Though I'd love to hear what others would think of it...
September 1, 2019
Wild romp through social expectations and medicated rebellion.
November 22, 2020
After tossing dozens of books aside less than half finished ..this was exactly what I was looking for A book that finally shows HOW to write dark humor properly ;a snarky book that was really funny AND didnt drag. Hysterical dark showing the truth about humans that the "offended " mindset has issues with .; crap glitter hiding the rot below. I love Pisser .Wed be friends if he was real.
August 5, 2018
Once again Jon Methven has exceeded all expectations with this book. Great read and highly recommend to everyone!
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September 19, 201815% in and just don’t think this book will ever capture my attention #DNF
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