WE’RE ALL DAMAGED

“We’re all damaged. Every beautiful, stupid, precious one of us. Damaged, damaged, damaged.”  WE’RE ALL DAMAGED

Andy Carter was happy living in Omaha, Nebraska. He had a nice job, ran 5k’s on weekends for charity, but then one evening his wife announced she was leaving him for the paramedic down the street. They were having what Andy thought was a nice meal at Applebee’s, Wham was playing through the sound system, when she announced, “I don’t want this anymore.” He was dumped in an Applebee’s.

Once I read that opening in Matthew Norman’s new novel, WE’RE ALL DAMAGED(LittleA), I knew he was my new best-friend author. I completely identify with his quirky, kinda-twisted sense of humor. He takes you right to the edge of what’s appropriate, makes you laugh and then has you question, “should I’ve thought that was funny?” I couldn’t wait to read more.

Soon Andy moves to New York City, which he calls, “a wildly expensive sleep-away camp for pseudo-adults.” (went to college there, totally get it) He gets a fourth-floor walk-up apartment the size of his bathroom back home, a job as the worst bartender and an angry stray cat named Jeter befriends him. It’s not long before he has to return to Nebraska, to see his grandpa before he passes away.

Andy’s quickly slapped in the face by why he left lovely Omaha when his passive-aggressive, hugely successful not shy to flaunt it brother, Jim picks him up at the airport in his Range Rover, making deals on his blue tooth. Soon he’s back in the nest with his mother, Nancy who is the new right-wing voice of Fox radio and his morose father who is shooting squirrels in the backyard with his paintball gun. Andy is soon hitting the bottle and driving by his ex-wife’s house, where she lives with the paramedic.

Finally he goes to New Beginnings to visit grandpa, Henry. There Andy meets Daisy, a woman with fifteen tattoos, no job, her own questionable past and she knows everything about him. Daisy tells Andy that she’s Henry’s “friend” and Henry has told her to “bring Andy back to life.”

Well, I’m not going to tell you anymore and spoil the fun, but it’s wonderful, tender, we’ve already established that it’s funny. Matthew Norman’s previous novel, DOMESTIC VIOLETS was a huge success. He has a gift of looking at family drama and tragedy, which we all share and like a chef, he mixes, mashes, molds and finally puts it all in the oven at 350-degrees. And after 45-minutes – ta-da, we have a cake! Ready to feast our eyes on and devour! Yummy!

Purchase Links

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Mathew Norman and his wife live in Baltimore with their two daughters. His writing has appeared on Salon, the Good Men Project, and the Weeklings. His first novel which I previously mentioned, DOMESTIC VIOLETS, was nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award in Best Humor.

Thanks to TLC Book Tours http://www.tlcbooktours.com and littleAbooks we have a copy of Matthew Norman’s novel, WE’RE ALL DAMAGED to giveaway. Just leave a comment telling us the funniest book you’ve read so far this year. We’ll pick a winner Monday. Good luck!

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