Double DNF: The Boon by Eugene Uttley

The Boon
written by Eugene Uttley
published by Eugene Uttley

find it here: (affiliate links) Barnes & Noble, Amazon, iBooks, Smashwords, Goodreads

Why did I pick this book: We were asked by the author to review this book. (I received a copy of this book for review purposes.)

Where I stopped reading: Melissa –  the first page. Belinda – 20%

Why I stopped reading: I couldn’t get passed the first page. I thought possibly my brain was just too tired to read something like this. So, I recommended it to Belinda.

The 20% I read was not enjoyable.

I tried. I really, really tried. I got to 20% and even tried to skip through some parts to move it along. And yet, I just couldn’t read any more. I think this book should be retitled: Aimless, Endless Rambling of a Madman Wannabe. 468 pages of Eugene Uttley tediously discussing his favorite (and only) subject: himself.

If this type of book is something you’re interested in I’d recommend d the hugely popular The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. Another book that’s worth reading and has a similar theme is Addition by Toni Jordan.

What others have rated this book: According to Goodreads, the average rating for The Boon is 3.83. It looks like a majority of readers gave this book 5 stars. There were 5 5-star reviews on Amazon. At Barnes & Noble, the two reviews were both 5 stars. Just because we didn’t finish this book doesn’t mean you may not.

About the book – from Goodreads: Accompany Eugene Uttley on a mythological “hero’s journey” to another world and back again, and join him as he articulates the prize that he won there — The Ultimate Boon.

Through his struggles in coping with schizophrenia, Uttley has come to know what he wants. Now he just needs to figure out how to get it.

This experimental open letter includes original and appropriated prose, poetry, song, prayer… memoir, travelogue, sketches of Uttley’s present-day life, and literary exegesis. Its many sources and topics are ranging, but circle always back to the overarching theme of recovery from mental illness through better knowledge of self and becoming more whole, a complex process both mental and spiritual, which entails increasing awareness of connectedness to the greater whole, the infinite.