Fight Song

November 5, 2012
An unusual take on a mid-life crisis narrative, Mohr's novel is an overwrought yet heartwarming farce that exposes the ridiculous and complicated currents of modern life. Video-game designer Bob Coffen, mastermind of the Disemboweler series, has lost his gumption. Adrift in a meaningless job, disconnected from his kids, and unaware of the depths to which he's failing his wife, Bob reaches a new low when, for his 10th anniversary at work, he is given a plock (a plaque and clock in one) frozen at midnight, a disturbing reminder of his irrelevance. Then, when Schumann, his psychotic thrill-seeking neighbor, runs him off the road, Bob becomes desperate for a new order. A madcap weekend of soul-searching ensues, featuring entertaining and vividly drawn characters like Schumann, obsessed with his glory days; a magician named Björn the Bereft who specializes in marriage counseling; a fast food worker at the Taco Shed who dabbles in drive-thru erotica; and a lovelorn janitor who plays in a Kiss cover band. While Bob's odyssey offers unexpectedâoften brilliantâconfrontations of modern clichés, the plot meanders too far into the bizarre and sacrifices some of the empathy gained along the way. But Mohr's (Damascus) elegant writing and colorful milieu is refreshing, an interesting mix of Charles Bukowski and Tom Robbins, with a cinematic heaping of the Coen brothers for good measure. Agent: Dan Kirschen, ICM.

November 15, 2012
A midlife crisis takes a handful of surreal turns in Joshua Mohr's (Damascas, 2011, etc.) latest novel. Bob Coffen has two kids, a suburban home, an athlete wife whom he adores and a successful career building violent video games. But as his marriage begins to crumble, Bob's life becomes unhinged in sometimes amusing, sometimes poignant ways. The story opens on a bad day for Bob: He's been insulted by his boss and nearly run over by his neighbor, Schumann, a macho type who's never gotten over his football-hero past. Then, his wife, Jane, drags him to a marital seminar held by magician Bjorn the Bereft, whose conjuring tricks literally put Bob's marriage on thin ice. When Jane throws him out of the house, Bob enlists Schumann as his coach and begins a quest to pull himself together. He first bonds with Tilda, a waitress at his favorite fast-food joint who has a profitable sideline doing phone sex through the takeout intercom. His other new friend is Ace, a janitor at his company who moonlights in a Kiss tribute band that sings everything in French, hence their name, French Kiss. While Bob designs a bestiality-themed game, Jane trains to set a world record for treading water. Mohr has a clever imagination, and this book's elaborate jokes sometimes overdo the cleverness: Schumann, who speaks entirely in football-coach lingo, can be too much of a cartoon. But the story also hinges on some universal issues, namely, Bob's struggles to rekindle his romance, recapture his creativity and regain control of his life. To the book's credit, Mohr never loses the story's emotional heart.

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February 1, 2013

"Way out in a puzzling universe known as the suburbs, Bob Coffen rides his bike to work." That's the first sentence of Mohr's new novel, and the satire comes thick and fast on each page. Coffen is our hero, a likable schlemiel at a desperate crossroads. He designs video games and washes down vodka rather than connect with his wife and kids, even as his alpha-dog neighbor runs him off the road. While the territory may be a cliche, the writing itself is brisk and enjoyable. Mohr (Some Things That Meant the World to Me; Termite Parade) goes for slapstick rather than subtle emotional depths; a magician who does marriage counseling at a supper club, a football theme song played on bagpipes, and a world-record water-treading attempt are some of the many subplots. The effect, thankfully, is charming rather than cloying, and smart pacing (and chapters that each bear a headline) make this an easy weekend read. VERDICT There's still plenty to be said about middle-aged white guys in the suburbs. Especially if the storyteller is funny.--Travis Fristoe, Alachua Cty. Lib. Dist., Gainesville, FL

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2012
It's hard to believe a suburban father's desperate quest to turn his life around could be so much fun, but that's exactly how readers are likely to react to Mohr's Fight Song. Bob Coffen is stuck in a stifling job and a failing marriage, and when he's run off the road by his hypercompetitive neighbor, Bob has had enough. What follows is a brisk, contemporary Odyssey, with Cyclops and the sirens replaced by a cast of characters including a crying magician, who doubles as a marriage counselor, and a bodybuilding fast-food worker who moonlights as a phone-sex operator. Mohr, author of several offbeat novels including Termite Parade (2010), brings a dollop of David Sedarislike humor to the pathos. While irreverent, he gets to the heart of real emotion with bracing frankness, which keeps things from getting too loony. In the midst of all the zaniness, and as you race to keep up with the piston-pumping pace, you're rooting for Bob to take charge of his life. It's a surprisingly sweet, rollicking tribute to anyone who's ever needed a fight song to fight back.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)