Why I bought it: As an auditor, I was often unwilling to work. Sometimes that led to me an a co-worker creating ridiculous ideas for movies. One such movie we created as about a GPS that was trying to kill the driver. We titled our movie "Recalculating". After having a good laugh, we forgot about our ridiculous idea for a movie. About a year later, I googled "Recalculating" for the hell of it and came across this book with essentially the same exact plot. What are the odds? Anyway, I had no choice but to buy the book.
Thoughts: The concept is ridiculous. Maureen is a woman of 54 who just lost her husband to cancer, or so we think! It is revealed that she killed her husband because after 30 years of verbal and physical abuse (he was a pincher), she had had enough. Though prostate cancer would have taken his life in about a year or so, she sped up the process by staging an accidental overdose/shower drowning. A few months later, she finds a present from her dead husband in the attic - a Ouija GPS. She is confused by the fact that her husband got her a gift as it was clear to her that he never loved her. The "most love he ever showed [her] was calling [her] 'dumb bunny cunt'". She quickly grew to love her GPS, however. As an oppressed housewife, she never truly got to drive anywhere and did not know her way around anywhere. One day, however, the GPS changed its voice from Maureen's preferred Austalian lady voice to a man's voice. Not only that, but the GPS started giving her the wrong directions and even calling her "bitch". Thinking she was imagining it, she continued to use this GPS. Well, it became clear that this GPS was possessed by her dead husband. With the help of an anthropology professor at a community college he met at chemo, Maureen's abusive husband was able to put himself in the GPS in hopes of one day possessing Maureen herself. However, with the act of defiance of eating a piece of candy, Maureen was able to prevent her husband from getting her to kill herself... or something. Anyway, it was enjoyable in its ridiculousness. However, it is clear to me that Jennifer Weiner wants men reading this book as much as Dave Chappelle wanted white people laughing at his show.
Also, though I have been referring to this as a book, it is more of a short story. When it comes to length, this book is more R.L. Stine than Stephen King.
Should I have bought it: I don't think I had a choice. It was like I was possessed...
I found the part in the Oprah interview I think you're referring to: "There was a good-spirited intention behind [the infamous pixie skit]. So then when I'm on the set, and we're finally taping the sketch, somebody on the set [who] was white laughed in such a way—I know the difference of people laughing with me and people laughing at me—and it was the first time I had ever gotten a laugh that I was uncomfortable with. Not just uncomfortable, but like, should I fire this person?"
ReplyDeleteI see why you inferred what you inferred. And on the surface it does appear almost like a successful black man, mad with power, trying to dictate what white people are and are not allowed to laugh at. I do think Chappelle struggled with paranoia. But I mean, for all I/you know, said white employee was being a totally racist dickbag. I dunno. To each his own!
As a more relevant comment, this book has to be a contender for the worst logged item of all time. Maybe that's a list worth compiling someday. Believe it or not, the line that completely did it for me was "with the help of an anthropology professor... he was able to put himself in the GPS." Like, I was still on board through "dumb bunny cunt." How many pages was this anyway? I'm kind of tempted.
There's no competition. This is the worst logged item of all time.
Delete