Flips, stripes, and all that jazz
Imagine my delight when I heard that the New York Review of Books was going to publish another Elaine Dundy novel, following The Dud Avocado. I stumbled upon it at Three Lives, the fantastic West Village bookshop that has quickly become my favorite in the city. I finished it this morning on the C train on my way to work.
I had a few problems with The Dud Avocado. I was bothered by the silly plot twist that occurs towards the end of the novel. It seemed a little overdone and implausible. This didn’t stop me from loving the book, quite the contrary, but it certainly made me take it a bit less seriously. The Old Man and Me comes dangerously close to making similar mistakes. The circumstances that drive the plot, the protagonist, Honey Flood’s impetus for going to live in London and pursue a man 3 times her age, are at times in danger of leading the novel down this path. I was pleasantly surprised, however, to find the writing, plot, and character development to be quite sophisticated on the whole.
This is due partly to a fearless expression of sexuality, and a bluntness when in portraying the sexual relationship between a 20-something and 58 year old man, as well as Honey’s diverse feelings on the subject. Additionally, Honey Flood is a fantastic character; mischievious, at times evil, stylish, and displaying a charming point of view to experience the novel through. All in all, The Old Man and Me was a delight.
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