Friday 18 May 2007

O'Rourke: Another Slop Sink Chronicle by Kevin Bartelme

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at PhotobucketPublished by Cool Grove Press

Kevin Bartelme brings us this very unique and different book O'Rourke. Robert O'Rourke and his trusty side-kick Maurice are tile setters. The book follows them as they go and tend to various jobs which should be relatively painless.

Complications inevitably crop up in every situation whether it is working for the in-laws of a friend who is more than aware of how much they drink on the job and their fascination for leaving bizarre little statues and creations behind when finished, dealing with drunk, emotionally overwrought women, or clients whom insist on the impossible.

Then we have the personalities of the tile setters themselves. O'Rourke has a way of stretching the truth and outright lying but manages to pull it off in such a way that the reader is left shaking their head and finding it actually quite charming. Both O'Rourke and Maurice have a weakness for alcohol which can lead to trouble, especially when mixed with their warped ethics.

The cover states that is a hilarious book. I wouldn't go that far but I did still enjoy it and I would still love to see more of these two characters. I loved that this book taps into the common idea, or is that common fear, that we all have about contractors who enter our home. I will be reviewing another Kevin Bartelme title shortly The Great Wall of New York. It will be interesting to see how that one compares.

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