Title: Decent memoir; terrible novel
Product review: The first half of the book, which is basically a memoir of Spitz's teenage years, does a pretty good job of re-capturing that experience -- not bad for a grownup. I especially liked the part where the characters spend weeks imagining what the Smiths might sound like, before they actually get to hear them -- we forget how difficult it was, back in the '80s, just to hear anything that wasn't on top 40 radio. Just like Spitz (or his character, which I take to be him, pretty straight up), I was sure that the Smiths would make angry, distorted, parent-annoying punk music -- and was quite surprised to find that they made sweet, jangly pop (though still with plenty to annoy the parents).However, the second half of the book, in which Spitz tries to imagine a new plot, doesn't quite work. Stick to memoir, man, and you could do good stuff.
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